Winter Weather — Upper Yampa River Basin, Colorado

2023-02-28 · Upper Yampa River Basin, Colorado

Event narrative

A snow squall impacted the Steamboat Springs area, reducing visibilities to less than one quarter of a mile for around 10 minutes as it moved through. Winds gusted to near 40 mph with the squall.

Wider weather episode

A second shortwave disturbance tracked across the Western Slope. Ample moisture paired with favorable orographics and support aloft resulted in moderate snow across the mountains of western Colorado. Winds in both the mountains and valleys exceeded 50 mph at times. Additionally, stronger snow bands and subsequent snow squalls developed along portions of I-70 and Highway 40, with visibilities dropping to less than one quarter of a mile in heavy snow and strong winds.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1075024. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.