Friday, November 13, 2026

Mountain West

MT, ID, WY, CO, UT, NV, AZ, NM

Published 4:00 AM Central

YellowRegional levelUnchanged from yesterday

CDOT says U.S. 160 over Wolf Creek Pass opens to one-lane, weekend-only traffic from 7 a.m. Saturday to 6 a.m. Monday, while the Piedra River bridge stays closed. A Winter Storm Warning covers Lake Tahoe today into Saturday, wind advisories cover much of Nevada, and the Gila River flood warning west of Phoenix runs through Nov. 17.

Drops to Green if the Wolf Creek Pass weekend opening goes as planned and CDOT reopens it permanently before ThanksgivingGoes Orange if Friday's Tahoe wind and wet snow bring long closures or outages around Reno and Tahoe, or the stronger storms forecast next week bring heavy snow or flooding to southwest Colorado or northern New Mexico

This threat level is the 0400 Report's own assessment, not an official government alert, warning or declaration. For official alerts where you live, follow your local emergency officials and the National Weather Service. How we set it

Regions rate local conditions. Nationwide issues, like fuel prices, set the US level.

SITREP What changed in this region

easingTransport

Southwest Colorado: Wolf Creek Pass opens to limited weekend traffic Saturday

CDOT said Nov 12 that U.S. 160 over Wolf Creek Pass between South Fork and Pagosa Springs opens at 7 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 14, and closes again at 6 a.m. Monday, Nov. 16, for a week of paving, with a permanent reopening targeted before Thanksgiving. Drivers should expect one-lane alternating traffic with temporary signals, stops of up to 20 minutes at two work zones in The Narrows, up to 40 minutes of extra travel time from South Fork to the summit, strictly enforced lower speed limits, and icy, snow-packed roads Friday evening through Sunday morning that could force safety closures. As of CDOT's Nov 10 update, U.S. 160 at the Piedra River bridge (temporary bridge slated for January) and CO 151 south of Chimney Rock remain closed. No federal decision was found on Colorado's Oct 31 disaster declaration request for Archuleta and Rio Grande counties.

CDOT (Nov 12): US 160 Wolf Creek Pass open to weekend travel Nov. 14 and 15 Pagosa Springs Sun: U.S. 160 Wolf Creek Pass to open to weekend travel Nov. 14 and 15 CDOT (Nov 10): CDOT prioritizes critical flood repairs ahead of holiday travel Colorado Governor's Office: request for major disaster declaration (Oct 31)

ongoingWeather

Today's storm: Tahoe Winter Storm Warning and strong winds across Nevada; snow in Utah and Colorado mountains tonight

NWS Reno's Winter Storm Warning for the Greater Lake Tahoe area runs 10 a.m. Friday to 10 a.m. Saturday: about a foot of heavy wet snow above 7,000 ft, up to 20 inches on the crest, ridge gusts of 70-90 mph and 45-55 mph gusts in Truckee and Tahoe communities, with the heaviest snow around 2-8 p.m. at rates of 1-2 inches an hour. It warns of very difficult travel during the Friday evening commute and damage to trees and power lines. The warnings are Winter Storm Warnings; no Blizzard Warning has been issued. Wind advisories cover Reno-Carson City-Minden, western Nevada basins, northern Washoe County, western Clark and southern Nye counties, and northeast Nevada (Elko). NWS Salt Lake City has a Winter Weather Advisory for Utah's southern mountains tonight into Saturday (5-10 inches above 9,000 ft), Pueblo expects snow in the San Juans tonight into Saturday, Albuquerque warns of slick travel in northern New Mexico Saturday with a 10-20% risk of flooding in the northwest, and Boise says record highs are possible today before a cold front.

NWS active alerts: NV (read Nov 13, ~2:50 a.m. CT)NWS Reno forecast discussion (Nov 12-13)NWS active alerts: UT (read Nov 13, ~2:50 a.m. CT)NWS Pueblo forecast discussion (Nov 12-13)NWS Albuquerque forecast discussion (Nov 12-13)NWS Boise forecast discussion (Nov 12-13)

ongoingWater

West of Phoenix: Gila River flood warning through Nov. 17 as Painted Rock Dam releases peak

NWS Phoenix's Flood Warning for Maricopa and northeastern Yuma counties runs until 11 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 17, with Painted Rock Dam releases peaking at about 3,000 cubic feet per second; farmland and low-water crossings along the Gila River are expected to flood and may not be passable. KYMA reported the Army Corps of Engineers expects the release to last about two weeks and about 13 road crossings between the dam and the Colorado River to close. Phoenix expects showers today and Saturday, mostly light.

NWS active alerts: AZ (read Nov 13, ~2:50 a.m. CT)KYMA (Nov 11): Army Corps releases water from Painted Rock Dam NWS Phoenix forecast discussion (Nov 12-13)

Regional board Tap a line for detail

Power & utilities

watch

No large outage story was found for the region.

No large outage story was found for the region. NWS Reno warns today's wind and heavy wet snow could damage trees and power lines around Lake Tahoe. Utility maps for APS, SRP, Xcel Colorado, NV Energy, Rocky Mountain Power, PNM and Idaho Power were not read.

NWS active alerts: NV (read Nov 13, ~2:50 a.m. CT)

Weather & hazards

watch

Active or starting today: Winter Storm Warning for Lake Tahoe, wind advisories across western, southern and northeast Nevada, a Winter Weather Advisory for Utah's southern mountains tonight, the Gila River flood warning (Phoenix office), dense fog in southeast Montana and northeast Wyoming, and an air quality alert in the Idaho Panhandle. Denver/Boulder, Las Vegas, Tucson and Boise list no watches or warnings for their areas; showers reach Arizona and New Mexico today. Salt Lake City and Pueblo expect more storms next week, with Pueblo flagging significant mountain snow late in the week.

NWS active alerts: NV (read Nov 13, ~2:50 a.m. CT)NWS active alerts: UT (read Nov 13, ~2:50 a.m. CT)NWS active alerts: AZ (read Nov 13, ~2:50 a.m. CT)NWS active alerts: MT (read Nov 13, ~2:50 a.m. CT)NWS active alerts: ID (read Nov 13, ~2:50 a.m. CT)NWS Denver/Boulder forecast discussion (Nov 12-13)NWS Las Vegas forecast discussion (Nov 12-13)NWS Tucson forecast discussion (Nov 12-13)NWS Salt Lake City forecast discussion (Nov 12-13)

Travel & transport

elevated

U.S.

U.S. 160 over Wolf Creek Pass opens one lane at a time 7 a.m. Saturday to 6 a.m. Monday, then closes for paving; U.S. 160 at the Piedra River bridge and CO 151 south of Chimney Rock remain closed (CDOT). Gila River low-water crossings west of Phoenix may be impassable through Nov 17 (NWS). Travel over the Sierra near Tahoe could be very difficult this evening, and Utah's SR-143, SR-14 and SR-148 could see winter driving tonight (NWS). Airports were not checked.

CDOT (Nov 12): US 160 Wolf Creek Pass open to weekend travel Nov. 14 and 15 CDOT (Nov 10): CDOT prioritizes critical flood repairs ahead of holiday travel NWS active alerts: AZ (read Nov 13, ~2:50 a.m. CT)NWS active alerts: NV (read Nov 13, ~2:50 a.m. CT)NWS active alerts: UT (read Nov 13, ~2:50 a.m. CT)

Health, water & safety

quiet

No new mass-casualty incident was found in the region for Nov 11-12 in searches of Phoenix, Denver, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City and Albuquerque news.

Elsewhere Other regions and the world

NortheastYellow ME, NH, VT, MA, RI, CT, NY, NJ, PA, DE, MD, DC The Brooklyn building collapse death toll rose to eight, with at least 18 hurt, and the coastal storm that brought a confirmed tornado near Newark, Del., hail and flash-flood water rescues on Thursday is pulling away. SoutheastYellow VA, WV, NC, SC, GA, FL, AL, MS, TN, KY The St. MidwestGreen OH, MI, IN, IL, WI, MN, IA, MO, ND, SD, NE, KS Lake-effect snow is winding down: advisories for slushy snow near the Illinois-Indiana line and in Upper and northwest Lower Michigan end by midday Friday, with only light additional totals. South CentralGreen TX, OK, LA, AR Freeze Warnings and Frost Advisories cover northeast Oklahoma and much of Arkansas this morning, and the only flood product in the region is a minor-flood forecast for the Nueces River near Tilden starting Sunday; ERCOT reports normal conditions. PacificYellow WA, OR, CA, AK, HI The first of a series of Pacific storms is arriving: High Wind Warnings this morning on the southern Oregon and Del Norte coasts with widespread outages expected, Winter Storm Warnings across the Sierra today into Saturday (through Tuesday in the southern Sierra), and coastal flooding at this morning's high tide in Washington's San Juan Islands. WorldOrange Global, as it affects Americans The Iran war still drives the world story that reaches American households: no US-Iran deal, Hormuz restricted, US naval blockade in place, and the tone hardened Nov 12.

National stories, like fuel prices and overseas conflict, are on the US page.

Get it before sunrise

Join the free daily email: the threat level, the SITREP and your region, in your inbox a few minutes after the 4 AM Central update. Short, sourced, and no crying wolf.