Steamboat Winter Weather Alert!

Issued by The National Weather Service
Grand Junction, CO
12:55 pm MST, Fri., Dec. 19, 2008

... WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 6 PM MST SATURDAY...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GRAND JUNCTION HAS ISSUED A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW... WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 6 PM MST SATURDAY.

SNOW WILL DEVELOP BY EARLY THIS EVENING. IN ADDITION TO THE SNOW... SOUTHWEST WINDS AT 10 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 30 MPH WILL PRODUCE BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW. WINDS WILL SWITCH AROUND TO WESTERLY LATE THIS EVENING AND DIMINISH. HOWEVER GUSTS TO 30 MPH WILL CONTINUE THROUGH SATURDAY. BY LATE SATURDAY EVENING... 5 TO 9 INCHES OF NEW SNOW IS EXPECTED WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS.

A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY MEANS THAT PERIODS OF SNOW... SLEET... OR FREEZING RAIN WILL CAUSE TRAVEL DIFFICULTIES. BE PREPARED FOR SLIPPERY ROADS AND LIMITED VISIBILITIES... AND USE CAUTION WHILE DRIVING.

More Information

... NEXT ROUND OF WINTRY WEATHER ALONG WITH VERY COLD TEMPERATURES TO IMPACT NORTHWEST COLORADO...

.THE NEXT WINTER STORM WILL BRING SNOW... WIND... AND MUCH COLDER TEMPERATURES BEGINNING THIS EVENING. SNOW WILL INCREASE OVER THE NORTHWESTERN COLORADO MOUNTAINS THIS EVENING AND PERSIST THROUGH SATURDAY. ONE SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE THAT THIS STORM BRINGS THAT THE PREVIOUS STORMS DID NOT... VERY COLD TEMPERATURES. TEMPERATURES WILL PLUMMET THIS EVENING AND DAYTIME TEMPERATURES ON SATURDAY AFTERNOON WILL RANGE FROM 5 BELOW ZERO TO 5 ABOVE ZERO ON MOUNTAIN RIDGES AND EXPOSED AREAS ABOVE 10000 FEET. COMBINED WITH FREQUENT WIND GUSTS TO 30 MPH... THE WIND CHILL WILL RANGE FROM 20 BELOW TO 35 BELOW ZERO.

SIGNIFICANT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS WILL OCCUR WITH AMOUNTS RANGING FROM 8 TO 14 INCHES ON WEST FACING MOUNTAIN SLOPES ABOVE 9000 FEET... WITH 10 TO 19 INCHES IN THE FLATTOPS RANGE. AT TIMES... BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW WILL CAUSE WHITEOUT CONDITIONS. PEOPLE TRAVELING OR WINTER RECREATIONISTS SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR FRIGID AND HAZARDOUS WINTER WEATHER FROM FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY EVENING.