Grand Mesa

A winter storm, starting Thursday and continuing through the weekend, brings cold temperatures and new snow accumulation to the mountains. New snow will fall on slick, hard surfaces, and snow totals will vary from valley to valley and as you move up in elevation.

You could trigger an avalanche in the new storm snow. Wind-drifted slopes with more than about eight inches of new snow will be the most hazardous. Move to lower-angle terrain if you observe cracking in the new snow or see signs of recent avalanche activity.

If the sun makes an appearance in the afternoon, expect new snow to shed readily on old surfaces.