Skiers are rejoicing and holiday travelers are bracing for the next big blast of winter.
Forecasters are tracking a major pre-Thanksgiving snowstorm from Tuesday morning through late Wednesday.
Summit County’s department of emergency management confirms, yes, a winter storm warning will be with us for at least 36 hours — the meat of holiday travel.
“The timing of this storm is not ideal, with heavy holiday traffic expected throughout the I-70 mountain corridor and throughout secondary roads within the county,” the department said in a release. “Please do your part and PLAN AHEAD! Expect heavy traffic congestion, impassible roads, and extended interstate closures. Please restrict travel during the heaviest storm impacts.”
The worst of the worst (for travelers) will be Tuesday night, when up to 2 inches of snow could fall every hour on Summit and the I-70 mountain corridor, especially Vail Pass and the Eisenhower-Johnson tunnels.
The best of the best (for skiers) will be Thursday morning, when a foot or more of fresh powder could blanket most local ski areas. Some ski slopes could see over 2 feet of snow.
It’s another something to be thankful for at Copper Mountain. Copper picked up 9 inches overnight Monday for a whopping 78 inches on the season – the deepest in Colorado this season, deeper than any month at Copper last season AND the snowiest November there since 2018.