Heavy snow in Colorado’s mountains will make travel treacherous at times through early next week

Snow will continue to fall in the Colorado mountains throughout the weekend and into early next week. This coincides with the busiest next 7 to 10 days of the ski season as many celebrate the New Year at ski resorts.

The drive along I-70 will be almost treacherous at times. Travel will be restricted west from Georgetown to Glenwood Springs, a 113-mile stretch of the major highway.

A wave of light snowfall will lead to smaller accumulations in the mountains Friday night. Even when it snows lightly, winds blow at speeds of 70 miles per hour, causing major travel problems as blowing snow reduces visibility.

On Saturday it ends around 1 a.m. and doesn’t pick up again until around noon. Travel conditions can vary significantly from hour to hour. So be sure to keep an eye on the First Alert forecast and check road conditions before traveling.

As snow increases on Saturday, travel for the evening commute will decrease into the overnight hours. Winds remain strong, up to 60 miles per hour. Active snowfall and blowing snow make for treacherous travel.

There will be another lull on Sunday morning and early afternoon, followed by the heaviest round of snow on the night from Sunday to Monday.

Several snowfalls followed by calms lead to a very high risk of avalanches.

While all of this plays out on the other side of the mountains, Denver will be mild and dry, with highs in the 50s and 60s over the weekend.