Snow totals could near a foot around Aspen area by Sunday night

A winter weather advisory is in place for all day Sunday as a strong but warm Pacific storm will drop up to a foot of snow in the Aspen area and central Colorado mountains, according to the National Weather Service.

The snowstorm is expected to last all day Sunday and wind gusts near 45 mph after noon “could bring down tree branches,” according to an advisory sent late Saturday evening. The advisory is set to expire at 6 p.m. Sunday, and snow totals are forecast for 6 to 12 inches by the time the storm ends Sunday night.

Snow totals and wind gusts are expected to be higher in southern Colorado, where a winter storm warning is in place through Sunday.

Widespread precip will continue this morning. Generally 8 to 16 in of #snow in central and southern mtns, tapering off this afternoon. pic.twitter.com/mmJCKBgxTZ

— NWS Grand Junction (@NWSGJT) February 3, 2019

The Colorado Avalanche Information Center warns of increased avalanche danger as the storm moves through. Avalanche danger in the Aspen zone is considerable (level 3 of 5) for Sunday, the state agency forecast.

The start of the week in Aspen has highs in the 20s and lows in the teens and near zero by midweek.

Once this storm is over, “another colder system will move in Wednesday bringing another chance for some rain and snow across the region,” according to the NWS’s Grand Junction office.