Heavy snow to keep piling up across Colorado, New Mexico
A storm that delivered the first snow of the season to Denver will be slow to exit the Four Corners states, dumping more than a foot of snow in parts of southern Colorado and northern New Mexico.
Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado all experienced heavy snow the day after Election Day.
Wintry scenes will continue to emerge from the southern Rockies as a slow-moving storm brings the risk of additional snow into the weekend. The heavy snow may cause travel trouble along part of the Interstate 25 corridor in Colorado and New Mexico, AccuWeather forecasters warn.
"A powerful storm diving down the spine of the Rockies has buried itself over the Four Corners region, cutting itself off from steering winds in the atmosphere. As a result, the storm will be slow to move out of the region over the coming days, bringing impactful weather over the same locations of northern New Mexico, eastern Colorado and the southern Plains," AccuWeather Meteorologist Brandon Buckingham said.
The storm's initial push of moisture brought Denver its first accumulating snow of the season. Six inches were reported at the city's international airport from Tuesday night to Wednesday night with higher amounts above 8 inches in southern parts of downtown Denver. Higher totals were also recorded farther south along I-25 toward Colorado Springs, with 8-12 inches piling up from Tuesday night to Wednesday night.
As the storm slowly spins across the Four Corners states, additional snow will pile up into Saturday. The heaviest snow into the weekend will focus on southern Colorado and northern New Mexico.
A foot or more of snow can fall across some of the higher terrain in southern Colorado and northeastern New Mexico, with an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 60 inches.
"Snowfall rates of 1-2 inches per hour in this area can lead to dangerous travel conditions and can necessitate the closure of some roads," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Bill Deger said. Travel over Raton Pass along I-25 near the Colorado-New Mexico border may be shut down for a considerable amount of time.
"If you look at climatology and all of the records in southern Colorado and northern New Mexico, this event could be historic for the region for this time of year," AccuWeather Storm Warning Meteorologist Billy Clark said.
Winter sports enthusiasts heading to the slopes to enjoy skiing or snowboarding on the fresh powder should use caution as mountain roads will be slippery and snow-covered with reduced visibility. Gusty winds can further add to the danger on the roadways by causing blowing and drifting snow and near-zero visibility.
The snow may be heavy enough in some areas to weigh down trees and power lines and result in localized power outages.
"Snow will likely struggle to stick to the ground during the daytime hours on Friday with temperatures climbing above freezing, but there can still be snow that coats grassy surfaces and some untreated roads, especially if it comes down heavily or during the evening and overnight hours."
The greatest risk of additional heavy snow accumulation on the roads in downtown Denver will be from Friday afternoon to early Saturday morning.
The same storm will result in a new round of flooding downpours and severe weather farther to the east across the Plains states. In the wake of the storm, drier and milder weather will move into the Four Corners region. The cycle of snow melting during the day and refreezing at night can result in slippery spots well after the last snowflake falls.
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