The avalanche danger in Colorado is about to go from relatively low to rather considerable after this weekend’s winter storm and a special notice is up regarding its threat to backcountry travelers.

The Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC) issued a special avalanche advisory for mountainous areas of Colorado on Wednesday, alerting the public of dangerous avalanche conditions heading into Martin Luther King Jr. weekend.

There have been fatal avalanche accidents around MLK weekend in four of the last 12 years, the agency said in a release.

“The avalanche danger is going to be higher and avalanche conditions are going to be trickier this coming weekend than what we’ve seen in the last few weeks,” CAIC Director Ethan Greene said. “It’s been a dry winter in Colorado, and we’re all excited that we are finally getting some snow. This holiday weekend, a lot of people will be getting out and into the mountains, and there are lots of great, safe places to go. We want people to check the avalanche forecast and make a plan that keeps them off of the dangerous slopes.”

Colorado has had an unusual period of low avalanche danger in December and early January. The advisory explains that new snow and winds through the holiday weekend will increase the avalanche danger statewide. Very dangerous avalanche conditions will develop in some regions, with the most dangerous conditions developing in the middle of the weekend.

It will be easy to trigger large, widely-breaking avalanches capable of burying a person. Conditions will be more dangerous than they have been in weeks, so travel plans should be adjusted accordingly.

CAIC Director Ethan Greene will host a virtual press conference on Thursday, at 12:30 p.m. via Zoom at https://us04web.zoom.us/j/76419772617 or by phone at 719-359-4580 (76419772617#).

To see the avalanche forecast for your area or to learn more about avalanche safety, go to www.colorado.gov/avalanche. CAIC always urges backcountry travelers to educate themselves, travel with safety gear, and know the forecast.

To date, Colorado has not had an avalanche related death and only one avalanche that caught four backcountry skiers touring on Marble Peak near Carbondale, Colorado on Nov. 25, 2023.