Wind gusts up to 55 mph and bands of heavy snow could make driving difficult until Thursday evening, according to National Weather Service of Boulder reports. 

An incoming storm is expected to bring hazards mostly to the High Country, including Summit County, as a cold front moves across the state and mountains from late Wednesday until Thursday evening. 

“Travel may be difficult at times if experiencing one of these bands due to rapidly decreasing visibility,” National Weather Service meteorologists wrote in their report. “Winds will also lead to blowing snow hazards as well in the mountains.”

Snow is expected to be light Thursday, but roads could still be covered with snow and slippery as north to northwest winds prevail throughout the day. 

The snow and gusty winds are anticipated to end Thursday evening. 

While the National Weather Service didn’t predict snow totals for Summit County, OpenSnow.com founder and lead meteorologist Joel Gratz said he thinks northern mountains could see between 2-5 inches of fresh snow. He says the heaviest snow should end by Wednesday night. 

“Also, the northern and central mountains should see mostly cloudy skies on Thursday with ongoing snow showers, but I think the dry air in this cold air mass will limit additional snow accumulations to just low amounts and small-sized snowflakes,” Gratz wrote in his daily report published Wednesday. 

Extended forecast calls for possible strong storm

A few flurries could appear Sunday and Monday, but Gratz says the system moving through on those days should mainly stay north of Colorado. 

But between Wednesday and Thursday, a storm is tracking right across the state, and Gratz says while the details aren’t clear yet, preliminary arrangements of forecast models shows a good chance for a decent storm. 

“For now, we will watch Feb. 15-16 for potential powder somewhere in Colorado (or many places across Colorado), and after that, there could be another stormy period early during the following week, around the Feb. 20-22 timeframe,” Gratz wrote. 

The National Weather Service’s long-range predictions call for above average chances for precipitation for Summit County in its forecasts that extend 6-10 days and 8-14 days, but the forecast for three to four weeks away says Summit County will have equal chances for above- or below-average precipitation. The one month outlook shows similar predictions, but the three-month outlook says Summit County can expect below-average precipitation