Winter Weather — Animas River Basin, Colorado

2024-02-27 · Animas River Basin, Colorado

Event narrative

Generally a trace to 1.4 inches of snow fell across the area. Winds gusted 30 to 45 mph on average with a peak gust of 55 mph at the Durango-La Plata County Airport on February 27. The snow squall band moved through in the early afternoon on February 27 with Hesperus indicating temperatures cold enough for snow, winds gusting to 30 mph and accumulating precipitation. Locations above 7000 feet saw snow with a rain/snow mix at elevations below 7000 feet.

Wider weather episode

A strong cold front moved from northwest to southeast across all of eastern Utah and western Colorado, with significant banding and a long lived snow squall that accompanied the cold front. This resulted in strong winds with gusts 45 to 55 mph in the valleys along the boundary with gusts 60 to 80 mph in the mountains. Low visibilities and whiteout conditions also occurred at times along this frontal boundary due to falling and blowing snow. Accumulations in the lower elevations were 2 inches or less in spots due to the brief nature of the snowfall along the front as well as milder temperatures, but the impacts due to the snow squalls were felt across much of the region as temperatures plummeted behind it. The San Juan mountains received the heaviest snow with the central Colorado mountains receiving moderate snowfall accumulations.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1165856. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.