National Weather Service issues Winter Storm Watch in Vail Monday night through Wednesday

The National Weather Service on Sunday issued the following Winter Storm Watch in the Vail area from Monday night through Wednesday morning calling for strong winds, more than a foot of new snow and plunging temperatures:

ELKHEAD AND PARK MOUNTAINS-GRAND AND BATTLEMENT MESAS-GORE AND ELK MOUNTAINS/CENTRAL MOUNTAIN VALLEYS-WEST ELK AND SAWATCH MOUNTAINS-FLAT TOPS-
UNCOMPAHGRE PLATEAU AND DALLAS DIVIDE-NORTHWEST SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS-SOUTHWEST SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS-INCLUDING THE CITIES OF COLUMBINE, HAHNS PEAK, TOPONAS, ASPEN, VAIL, SNOWMASS, CRESTED BUTTE, TAYLOR PARK, MARBLE, BUFORD, TRAPPERS LAKE, RIDGWAY, GLADE PARK, TELLURIDE, OURAY, LAKE CITY, SILVERTON, RICO, AND HESPERUS

231 PM MDT SUN APR 10 2022

… WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM MONDAY EVENING THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING…

• WHAT…HEAVY SNOW AND NEAR BLIZZARD CONDITIONS POSSIBLE. TOTAL
  SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 6 TO 14 INCHES POSSIBLE WITH HIGHER
  AMOUNTS ABOVE 9000 FEET. WINDS COULD GUST AS HIGH AS 65 MPH.
• WHERE…ELKHEAD AND PARK MOUNTAINS, FLAT TOPS, GORE AND ELK
  MOUNTAINS, CENTRAL MOUNTAIN VALLEYS, GRAND AND BATTLEMENT MESAS,
  WEST ELK AND SAWATCH MOUNTAINS, UNCOMPAHGRE PLATEAU AND DALLAS
  DIVIDE, AND THE NORTHWEST AND SOUTHWEST SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS,
  INCLUDING RABBIT EARS PASS, VAIL PASS, MONARCH PASS, RED
  MOUNTAIN PASS, LIZARD HEAD PASS, MOLAS PASS, COAL BANK PASS, AND
  WOLF CREEK PASS.
• WHEN…FROM MONDAY EVENING THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING. STRONGEST
  WINDS AND HEAVIEST SNOW EXPECTED LATE MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY
  MORNING.
• IMPACTS…TRAVEL COULD BE VERY DIFFICULT DUE TO NEAR BLIZZARD
  CONDITIONS IN BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW, ESPECIALLY ON RIDGE
  TOPS AND MOUNTAIN PASSES. ICY AND SNOW-PACKED ROADS ARE LIKELY.
  STRONG WINDS COULD CAUSE TREE DAMAGE. A DETAILED MAP OF THE
  SNOWFALL CAN BE FOUND AT: WWW.WEATHER.GOV/GJT/WINTER.
• ADDITIONAL DETAILS…THE COLD WIND CHILLS AS LOW AS 20 BELOW
  ZERO TUESDAY NIGHT COULD CAUSE FROSTBITE ON EXPOSED SKIN IN AS
  LITTLE AS 30 MINUTES.
  PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
  A WINTER STORM WATCH MEANS THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT
  SNOW, SLEET, OR ICE ACCUMULATIONS THAT MAY IMPACT TRAVEL. CONTINUE
  TO MONITOR THE LATEST FORECASTS