SUMMIT COUNTY, Colo. — Many Colorado mountain communities are under an Avalanche Warning until Friday morning as more snow is expected. The National Weather Service said the warning is for areas including Aspen, Gunnison, Grand Mesa, Saguache, Vail and Summit County. The northern San Juans are also included in the warning.
The Colorado Avalanche Information Center said the threat is considerable.
A number of avalanches shut down major highways in the mountains early this week, including Interstate 70 near Silverthorne.
“Thank goodness I wasn’t on the road. Could you imagine?” one barbershop owner in Frisco said.
“A lot of people either couldn’t get here yesterday because of the avalanches or were trapped here in the area,” said Bob Hufnagel of Rebel, a shop in Frisco.
With new snow falling on top of the old, avalanche experts say it’s best to stay vigilant, especially if you’re in the backcountry.
The Colorado Department of Transpiration works with the Colorado Avalanche Information Center on mitigation to try to keep mountain roads safe. There were no mitigation efforts on Wednesday, but more could occur in the near future, depending on conditions.
Greg Nieto got a behind-the-scenes look at CAIC’s office in Boulder:
New Podcast: Listen and subscribe to Fire & Ice. In this episode we travel with a team measuring snowpack on Berthoud Pass.