Travel “difficult to impossible” as 20 inches of snow to hit parts of Colorado

According to the National Weather Service, another big wave of winter weather will soon hit the state of Colorado, dropping as much as 20 inches in some parts of the state.

A winter storm watch is currently in effect from Friday morning to Friday night in the eastern San Juan Mountains, with most places in this region expecting 8 to 16 inches, with 20 inches predicted to land in spots with the deepest totals. This will likely be accompanied by winds of up to 35 miles per hour, making travel “difficult to impossible.” This spot expected to get hit the hardest is the Wolf Creek Pass area.

RELATED: Here’s where COVID-19 is currently found in Colorado

As the Pacific weather system brings precipitation to points of high elevation, how much will fall in lower elevation spots of the region is still in question.

Prior to Friday, Joel Gratz of OpenSnow is calling for a storm in the high country to bring up to 10 inches between Wednesday and Thursday to the state’s mountains, though this could also turn out to be nothing more than a light dusting. As far as Friday’s storm goes, he’s predicting up to 20 inches at Wolf Creek, with double-digit totals in the southern mountains and up to 10 additional inches in the central to northern mountains. See his full report with resort-specific predictions here.

On the Front Range, Colorado Springs is looking at a 90% chance of snow on Friday. Pueblo will likely be a bit warmer, seeing mostly rain during the same time frame with possible days in the 70s on Wednesday and Thursday. Denver will be unlikely to see precipitation with relatively warm and cloudy days ahead.

If you’re traveling the state of Colorado in the upcoming days, don’t be fooled by sunny skies. Weather can change quickly. Be aware of the current and local forecast, especially on Friday.

RELATED: Here’s where COVID-19 is currently found in Colorado