Colorado's high country is about to get its second round of mountain snow this week. The National Weather Service has winter weather advisories in force from 2 p.m. MST on Wednesday, November 4, into the early hours of Thursday, November 5, covering the Summit County mountains, the Mosquito Range, the Indian Peaks and South Park — and forecasters raised their snowfall expectations in the last day, with up to 11 inches now possible on the highest terrain.
Source: National Weather Service, Denver office — Winter Weather Advisory (issued Nov 3, updated Nov 4)
The Denver office advisory, first issued at 10:44 p.m. MST on Tuesday and updated at 4:53 a.m. on Wednesday, calls for total accumulations of 3 to 10 inches, with locally higher amounts possible in the Mosquito Range. It stays in effect until 2 a.m. MST on Thursday. Two neighbouring forecast offices issued matching advisories for the same window, running until 5 a.m. on Thursday.
Source: Men's Journal — 'Up to 11 Inches of Snow Under a Winter Weather Warning This Week' (Nov 4, 2026)
Where the heaviest snow is expected
Park County looks set to get the heaviest snow, according to the Denver office's forecast discussion. The storm's track is expected to bring northeast to east winds that push moisture up the slopes, and forecasters said the southern Front Range foothills, the Mosquito Range, the Highway 285 corridor and most of Park County are favoured for the highest totals. The Mosquito Range and western Park County have a 50 to 60 percent chance of receiving 6 inches or more, while most of Park County should see at least 3 inches.
The Pueblo office forecasts the highest totals of all: 4 to 9 inches, and up to 11 inches in spots, across the high terrain of the Sawatch and Mosquito ranges and Pikes Peak, mostly above 11,000 feet. Around Aspen and Vail, the Grand Junction office expects 4 to 8 inches above 10,000 feet in the Gore and Elk Mountains, and warns that bridges and overpasses will likely turn slick. The Denver-office zone includes well-known mountain communities such as Breckenridge and Winter Park, and the I-70 corridor above 7,500 feet is forecast to receive 3 to 6 inches.
Timing: snow levels fall as the storm crosses
All three advisories begin at 2 p.m. MST on Wednesday as snow spreads from west to east across the mountains. Snow levels start near 9,000 feet and drop to between 6,500 and 7,000 feet by the time the storm exits. Denver's advisory ends at 2 a.m. MST on Thursday and the Pueblo and Grand Junction advisories at 5 a.m., while the city of Denver itself mostly stays dry.
What it means for drivers and truckers
The National Weather Service warns that travel could be difficult, that roads will become slippery in spots — including on the US 285 corridor — and that the hazardous conditions will affect the Wednesday evening commute. For the Grand Junction zone, forecasters say travel could be very difficult. I-70 is the main east-west freight artery across Colorado, climbing over Vail Pass and through the Eisenhower Tunnel, and even a few inches of snow at those elevations can slow or stop truck traffic, trigger chain and traction requirements, and ripple into delivery schedules across the West.
The Colorado Department of Transportation can activate the passenger-vehicle traction law on any state highway, and on I-70 between Dotsero and Morrison it applies from September 1 through May 31. Drivers can check the latest Colorado road conditions by calling 511 or visiting cotrip.org, the National Weather Service advises.
For Punjabi truckers who run the Denver–Salt Lake and Denver–Kansas City lanes, Wednesday night is the window to watch: the snow is timed to hit during the evening and overnight hours on the passes, and conditions on the high stretches of I-70 and US 285 are expected to be at their worst after dark. Dispatchers routing freight over the Rockies on Wednesday may want to build in extra time or consider holding loads until the advisories expire early Thursday.
Background: the second storm of the week
This fast-moving system follows a bigger storm that wound down on Tuesday morning, which left totals ranging from a dusting to more than 20 inches in parts of the Colorado mountains. Forecast models shifted upward for the new storm over the past 24 to 36 hours, which is why the expected totals rose. After this system exits, forecasters expect several days of warmer, drier weather.
What happens next
The advisories expire at 2 a.m. MST (Denver zone) and 5 a.m. MST (Pueblo and Grand Junction zones) on Thursday, November 5. Beyond the snow, the Denver office expects temperatures to climb well above seasonal averages by the weekend: mid-60s Fahrenheit look increasingly likely for Denver on Sunday and Monday, about 5 to 10 degrees above average for this time of year. Anyone travelling the mountain corridors on Wednesday night should check cotrip.org or call 511 before setting out, and again before crossing the passes.