Winter Storm — Lower Yampa River Basin, Colorado

2022-02-21 to 2022-02-22 · Lower Yampa River Basin, Colorado

Event narrative

An average of 6 inches of snow fell across the area. Winds gusted from 35 to 45 mph.

Wider weather episode

A series of shortwave disturbances dropped into the Great Basin from the Pacific Northwest. This, paired with above normal precipitable water and jet support aloft, resulted in a prolonged period of moderate to heavy snow for Western Colorado. Favorable southwest flow allowed the San Juan Mountains to see the greatest snowfall totals. Snow bands also resulted in locally higher amounts for some areas. While there was a brief break in activity for some areas between systems on the morning of the 22, some areas saw continuous snowfall through the four-day period. Wind gusts exceeded 30 mph in the valleys and gusted to higher than 45 mph in some mountains throughout the event.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1000174. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.