There’s a 40 percent chance of snow on Thursday, according to the National Weather Service, and the high temperature is expected to be about 40 degrees. Gusty winds may reach 40 mph.
There’s a 10 percent chance of snow before 9 p.m. Thursday, and the overnight low is expected to fall to 16 degrees. Sunny skies and higher temperatures, in the 50s, are expected this weekend.
The storm bring up to 10 inches of snow to the high San Juan Mountains.
Unseasonably warm and dry conditions this fall have stalled or muted the start of ski season across Colorado, including Southwest Colorado, where Telluride and Wolf Creek ski areas have postponed their opening days.
Purgatory Resort, which plans to open Saturday, is banking on a cold front this week to help with snowmaking operations, said spokeswoman Kim Oyler.
“While we’ve experienced unseasonably warm temperatures, as other mountains have as well, we are monitoring the weather and will take advantage of the opportunity to make more snow as this low pressure system comes into our area,” Oyler said. “It should bring colder temperatures and some snow and we expect our snowmaking crews to be very productive during that time period.”
She said Purgatory might have a delayed start on Saturday.
Only Arapahoe Basin and Loveland have opened, according to the trade group Colorado Ski Country USA, which represents 21 ski areas in the state.
“We’re expecting the end of this week to see a shift in the weather pattern to more cold weather and some actual storms,” said Chris Linsmayer, spokesman for the group.
Shane Benjamin of The Durango Herald, contributed to this article.