All signs point to big snow hitting Colorado this week – perhaps even bigger than what was initially anticipated.

Mapping from the National Weather Service shows totals in the range of 36 to 48 inches of snow are expected on peaks near Aspen through Friday morning in the most likely ‘expected’ snowfall scenario, with widespread totals of 18 to 36 inches of snow likely on high-elevation peaks elsewhere in the state. In mountain valleys, totals between about 12 and 18 inches should be the norm (full map in article below).

Keep in mind – that’s the ‘expected’ forecast, too, which comes with an 80 percent chance. The ‘high-end’ scenario – with a 10 percent chance – shows that even more bigger snow could hit. In this scenario, those same peaks near Aspen could get between 48 and 60 inches of snow through Friday morning. Meanwhile, totals in the range of 30 to 48 inches are more widespread on many of the state’s mountains (this map is also included in the article below).

On big exception in this storm will likely be Pikes Peak, which is expected to only get a few inches of snow regardless of which snowfall scenario comes to fruition. On par with that, snow along the entire I-25 corridor should be relatively limited.

Travel in the western half of the state, however, is likely to get dicey. Multiple mountain passes could get more than a foot of snow, with most mountain passes in the San Juans likely to get more than 20 inches of snow. Wolf Creek Pass, for example, could get up to 35 inches of snow through Thursday morning. Much of I-70 could get a foot of snow or more, too.

See mapping of both the ‘expected’ and the ‘high-end’ snowfall scenarios below:

As of February 17, Colorado’s snowpack remains at about 55 percent of the norm for the date – another record low.

Find additional forecasting information on the National Weather Service website.

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