{"id":464698,"date":"2026-02-20T17:11:13","date_gmt":"2026-02-20T17:11:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/464698\/"},"modified":"2026-02-20T17:11:13","modified_gmt":"2026-02-20T17:11:13","slug":"colorado-avalanche-warning-what-to-know-today","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/464698\/","title":{"rendered":"Colorado Avalanche Warning: What to Know Today"},"content":{"rendered":"

Right now, the Colorado Avalanche Information Center<\/a> says the Grand Mesa<\/a> and surrounding backcountry are volatile, with a high risk for avalanche danger over the next 24 to 48 hours.<\/p>\n

Snowpack instability, along with fresh snow and strong winds, has forecasters warning about a high level of avalanche danger. Keep scrolling to see which zones are most at risk heading into this weekend.<\/p>\n

\"KoolStorm + Weak Snowpack = Trouble<\/p>\n

Read More:\u00a0Why Is Grand Junction Adding More Downtown Officers?<\/a><\/p>\n

When fresh snowfall adds weight to a snowpack that has not bonded well to the layers beneath it, you can usually expect a spike in avalanche danger. This is exactly what the snowfall over the last couple of days has done on the Grand Mesa, the San Juans<\/a>, and in several other mountainous <\/a>areas of Western Colorado <\/a>this week. A strong storm is still bringing snow and high winds to the high country today, creating wind and snow slabs that are prime\u00a0for breaking loose. These conditions make it more likely for hikers and skiers to trigger avalanches.<\/p>\n

Targeted Danger in Colorado\u2019s Mountain Zones<\/p>\n

It’s hard to find an area in Colorado\u2019s West or Central mountains that is not part of a \u201chigh risk\u201d area for avalanches heading into the weekend. Key backcountry zones in Western Colorado that are flagged for avalanche danger include the Grand Mesa<\/a>, Flat Tops<\/a>, Elkhead Mountains<\/a>, West Elk Mountains<\/a>, and San Juan Mountains.<\/a> The Colorado Avalanche Information Center says these zones could be a Level 4 (High) through Friday into the weekend. If you are traveling through the mountains, check the information center for updates to the danger level in each zone.<\/p>\n

What High Avalanche Danger Means<\/p>\n

Read More:\u00a0Grand Junction Boards Open: Here’s How To Apply<\/a><\/p>\n

When avalanche dangers are great, large slides can be triggered by just one lone skier, snowboarder, or snowmobiler<\/a>. With these conditions, avalanche slides can run a long distance without warning. Skiers, snowmobiles, and snowshoers above the treeline, and anyone on steep slopes, could start a slide. Experts recommend carrying essential rescue gear such as beacons<\/a> and shovels.<\/p>\n

LOOK: Western Colorado Winters From Years Past – Bob Grant Photos<\/p>\n

Here’s a short gallery of Robert Grant photos showcasing Grand Junction and Western Colorado winters. They sure are fun. Then again, sometimes the snow and cold temperatures result in trouble. <\/p>\n

Gallery Credit: Waylon Jordan<\/p>\n

NEXT: Every Single Coloradan Competing in the 2026 Winter Olympics<\/p>\n

On February 2nd, 2026 the Winter Olympic games will commence. Quite a few of the athletes representing Team USA abroad are from Colorado.<\/p>\n

Gallery Credit: Kerri Mac<\/a><\/p>\n

KEEP GOING: 10 Stars From Colorado Who Made Headlines<\/p>\n

From Olympic champions who trained on mountain slopes to actors and athletes who grew up in Denver-area neighborhoods, the Centennial State has launched some of the biggest stars in sports and entertainment.<\/p>\n

Gallery Credit: Wesley Adams<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Right now, the Colorado Avalanche Information Center says the Grand Mesa and surrounding backcountry are volatile, with a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":464699,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5116],"tags":[193,192,144,5277,5,998,4],"class_list":{"0":"post-464698","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-colorado-avalanche","8":"tag-avalanche","9":"tag-colorado","10":"tag-colorado-avalanche","11":"tag-coloradoavalanche","12":"tag-hockey","13":"tag-national-news","14":"tag-nhl"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/464698","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=464698"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/464698\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/464699"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=464698"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=464698"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=464698"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}