A winter storm warning is in effect in Summit County and the surrounding mountains through Saturday, Jan. 13, at 5 p.m. as the National Weather Service warns travelers to reconsider travel in the Colorado Rocky Mountains.

Anywhere from 6 to 14 inches of snowfall is expected in the mountains, with wind gusts in the 50 to 70 mph range over higher elevations and east-facing slopes, according to the winter storm warning that takes effect at 11 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 11.

Drivers should consider delaying travel over the mountains or traveling early Friday before the worst conditions are expected, according to the National Weather Service. Drivers who do take to the roads should use extreme caution. 

Drivers should consider taking items such as tire chains, booster cables, flashlights, a shovel, blankets, extra clothing, water, a first aid kit and anything else someone might need if they become stranded, the winter storm warning states.

OpenSnow meteorologist Sam Colentine wrote in an Jan. 11 update for Interstate 70 that it will be very windy and cold Friday, and drivers should expect “difficult travel conditions” from midday Friday through Monday.

Temperatures on the mountain will struggle to climb out of the single digits Friday, and travel will be “very, very difficult,” especially as the snowstorm picks up during the afternoon, Colentine wrote.

Friday afternoon into Saturday, high winds as well as heavy snow will create “difficult to impossible travel conditions,” and travelers could encounter multiple road closures, Colentine said.

The “main event of the storm cycle” will begin to move in on Saturday night and “really get cranking” by Sunday morning, Colentine said. Sunday will be “full-on storm skiing,” and icy roads will continue to hamper travelers Saturday night through Monday as high winds are expected to be replaced with heavy snow, creating low visibility, he said.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is one of the biggest weekends of the year on the I-70 mountain corridor, according to the I-70 Coalition. Last year there were delays and heavy traffic almost every day through the holiday weekend on the interstate, according to the coalition’s holiday travel forecast.