Winter Storm — Yuma County, Colorado

2023-01-17 to 2023-01-18 · Yuma County, Colorado

Event narrative

At 10:10 AM on the 18th, the public reported 8 inches of snowfall since the start of the storm. The night before, at 8:40 PM, law enforcement reported 0.12 inches of freezing rain that was causing hazardous travel. The highest snowfall report of 12 inches was received from the public at 7:15 PM on the 18th. Winds at both the Yuma and Wray AWOS sites reported gusts over 20 mph which resulted in blowing snow. The blowing snow reduced visibility under 1 mile on occasion. Key impacts: heavy snow, blowing snow, snow packed roads and icy roads.

Wider weather episode

In the evening hours of January 17th, a low-pressure system from southeast Colorado traveled northeast across northwest Kansas and on into south central Nebraska. As this system trekked through the region, an initial snowfall occurred on the leading edge of the system dropping up to 5 inches of snow overnight on the 17th. During the day on the 18th, precipitation began to wrap around the system and create additional snowfall. In Yuma county Colorado, a foot of snow was the maximum snowfall report in northeast Colorado. Interstate 70 was also shut down for a few hours from the Colorado/Kansas border to Denver due to safety concerns. I-70 was closed in both directions.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1074009. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.