Grand Mesa

Fall Avalanche Safety

Be careful if you plan to go into the mountains over the next few days, especially if you are traveling in the Southern Mountains, where an early-season storm deposited 12 to 16 inches of snow in some spots.

Northerly-facing slopes, especially at upper elevations, are the most likely places to trigger an avalanche across all of Colorado's Mountains. If you find more than about 8 inches of new snow resting on old snow from previous storms, you should avoid steep slopes and terrain traps. Nearly every fall, avalanches catch eager riders, late-season hikers, and hunters off-guard. If you find continuous snow on steep slopes, you can trigger an avalanche.Snowfall will continue on Tuesday, adding to the accumulations. Favored areas may pick up an additional 4 to 6 inches of snow before the storm pushes out of the area on Tuesday evening.

Regular daily forecasts start this Thursday and continue through May 2025.

If you are going into the Colorado high country, check current conditions on our Weather Stations by Zone page. We'll update this forecast as more information becomes available.