Seven active Winter Storm Warnings are in effect across Alaska, Colorado, and New Mexico Thursday, with the National Weather Service forecasting heavy snow through Friday night across a broad swath of southern Rocky Mountain terrain and into the central Brooks Range.
The heaviest accumulations are expected across the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and Wet Mountains of Colorado and northern New Mexico, where the National Weather Service is calling for 8 to 16 inches of total snow, with the highest totals concentrated on east-facing slopes above 8,500 feet. The warnings cover an extensive elevation-tiered zone — from the Wet Mountain Valley below 8,500 feet, where 3 to 7 inches are forecast, up through the Northern and Southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains above 11,000 feet, where the upper end of that 8-to-16-inch range is most likely.
Additional warnings extend into the Western Mosquito Range, eastern Lake and Chaffee counties above 9,000 feet, northwestern Fremont County above 8,500 feet, and Teller County and the Rampart Range above 7,500 feet, where 5 to 10 inches are expected. The Front Range high country — including Summit, Clear Creek, Gilpin, Park, and Boulder counties above 9,000 feet — is also under warning. Timing for most Colorado zones runs from early Thursday morning through noon to midnight Friday, depending on elevation and location.
In New Mexico, the warnings cover the Northern and Southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains, the East Slopes of the Sangre de Cristos, and Johnson and Bartlett Mesas including Raton Pass — a critical commercial corridor on Interstate 25. In Alaska, a warning is active for the Central Brooks Range.
The National Weather Service warns that mountain passes will be particularly hazardous, with wet, slushy, and snowpacked roads expected across all affected areas. Travelers are advised to slow down and call 511 for the latest road conditions in their state. If travel is unavoidable, the National Weather Service recommends keeping a flashlight, food, and water in the vehicle.
For travelers and residents in the southern Colorado high country, Pueblo weather and Albuquerque weather forecasts reflect the broader storm system pushing through the region.
No tropical or severe convective activity is associated with this system. The storm is expected to wind down across most Colorado zones by Friday night.