Winter storm warning issued for Colorado mountains, with Vail and Beaver Creek expecting to get more than a foot of fresh snow

February is looking to finish strong this week, as the National Weather Service in Grand Junction has issued a winter storm warning from 6 a.m. Monday to 11 p.m. Tuesday.

According to the weather service, the storm will come in two segments. A Monday morning storm will be followed by a “brief downturn in snowfall rates” between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m., before a much larger system comes that could bring snow accumulations up to two feet in the central Colorado mountains, including Vail and Beaver Creek. “The first part of the storm should bring some snow on Monday, and then we’ll see intense snow from Monday night through Tuesday afternoon, with powder all day on Tuesday,” Meteorologist Joel Gratz wrote on OpenSnow.com. Gratz predicts the area will see snow totals of 10-15 inches, “though the latest forecast data shows a chance for higher amounts, perhaps reaching 20 inches.”

The weather center’s forecast is also calling for high winds reaching up to 60 miles per hour, cautioning travelers of potential visibility issues and recreationists of frostbite danger. “The cold wind chills as low as 25 below zero could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 30 minutes,” the agency warned.

Avalanche watch issued

Those heading into the backcountry should practice extra caution, as the Colorado Avalanche Information Center has issued an avalanche watch starting Monday and lasting through Wednesday morning for the Gore Range as well as the Park Range, Ruby Range and Sawatch Range, as well as the Elk and West Elk Mountains.

“Snowfall will add up dramatically, and strong winds will quickly build dense slabs,” the center wrote on its Instagram page. “Avalanches will break very wide across terrain features and run far. Many will run naturally. Travel in or near avalanche terrain during this period is not recommended.”