Brutal Cold and Mountain Snow Create Dangerous Travel Across Western Colorado

If you’re traveling anywhere in western Colorado today, the weather will affect your plans. Mountain snow, brutal cold, and dangerous driving conditions are the main concerns.

Snow is falling hardest in the northern San Juans, especially along Highway 550, where winter driving conditions are ongoing. Even outside the mountains, colder air is settling in and won’t let up through the weekend.

Snow Hammering Colorado’s High Mountain Roads

Cold, wind-driven snow continues along many high mountain corridors, with the worst conditions focused along Highway 550 in the northern San Juan Mountains.

That stretch, including areas near Ouray, Silverton, and Red Mountain Pass, is seeing the heaviest snowfall, making travel slow, slick, and potentially dangerous through the morning hours.

Some mountain locations in the San Juans have already picked up more than a foot of snow, and while snowfall rates will ease as the day goes on, snow-covered roads and reduced visibility will linger well into the afternoon.

If you’re heading into the high country today, plan extra time and be ready for true winter driving conditions.

A Serious Cold Snap Settles Into Western Colorado

Away from the mountains, the bigger story is the cold. Much colder air is settling in across Colorado, and below-seasonal temperatures will stick around through Saturday. This isn’t a quick cold snap — it’s the kind that bites.

Tonight, the cold really settles into the valleys. Well below zero temperatures are expected in the Gunnison Basin, including the Gunnison, Slate, East River, and Taylor River Valleys.

This is the kind of cold that freezes exposed pipes, drains car batteries, and makes early-morning errands miserable. If you live in these areas, now’s the time to protect pets, plants, and plumbing.

Read More: Colorado Landscapes So Beautiful They Look Fake

When the Weather Improves

The good news? This doesn't last forever.

Snow tapers off today, skies gradually clear, and while it stays cold through Saturday, dry and milder conditions return to western Colorado next week.

By midweek, temperatures rebound well above normal for January.