After a foot of fresh, more snow headed toward Vail Valley for MLK Day

After receiving nearly a foot of fresh snow the last couple of days, Vail will get another 3 to 6 inches for Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday, according to forecasters. Overall, Vail has seen nearly two feet of new snow in the last week and about 14 feet of snow so far this season.

Things will get interesting once again about midday on Monday, with forecasters are calling for decent and much colder powder day on Tuesday.

“We’ll see snow from Monday midday through Tuesday morning,” Opensnow.com meteorologist Joel Gratz wrote on Sunday. “I still think 3-6 inches is a reasonable forecast and we could see up to 8 inches in spots. The best powder should be on Tuesday morning, and this snow will be cold and fluffy.”

Then the Vail Valley is looking at a cold and somewhat snowy week, with a couple more storms possible over the weekend.

“For the rest of the week, snow showers will continue over the northern mountains and conditions could become sneaky good on Thursday and Friday thanks to consistent snowfall,” Gratz wrote. “An additional two storms could clip Colorado over the weekend and early next week.”

The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) is warning weekend travelers to plan ahead for snowfall and heavy traffic on Monday. Here’s a press release from CDOT:

Snowy Travel expected on MLK Day

DENVER – Drivers should be prepared for adverse travel conditions in many areas of the state tomorrow as a winter storm system brings snow to the mountains and eastern plains.

“Our forecast models are indicating that by midday tomorrow, traveling in the mountainous areas, including Interstate 70, will become more difficult as this latest storm moves through the state,” said CDOT Winter Operations Manager, David Johnson.  “It’ll then push eastward to the I-25 corridor and eastern plains late tomorrow night.”

Traffic on eastbound I-70 and other highways west of Denver will be heavier than normal throughout the day tomorrow due to the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.  Safety metering operations also should be anticipated at the Eisenhower/Johnson Memorial Tunnels and on Loveland Pass.

Blizzard-like conditions are expected to develop tomorrow night on the Palmer Divide, including Monument Hill, and on the I-70 corridor east towards Limon and Burlington.  Wind gusts up to 35 mph are possible.  Currently, the storm is expected to impact travel for Tuesday morning’s commute along the Front Range.

The track and timing of the storm is subject to change.  CDOT will issue additional road and weather advisories tomorrow.

Colorado highway information is available at all times on the cotrip.org website or by calling 511.