Frost/Freeze — Upper Yampa River Basin, Colorado

2024-10-24 to 2024-10-25 · Upper Yampa River Basin, Colorado

Event narrative

All eleven of the reporting stations available for verification recorded temperatures at or below 32F for at least 3 hours, and eight of those eleven recorded temperatures at or below 28F for at least 3 hours. This means that at least 50% of the zone experienced a season-ending freeze. The minimum temperature recorded was 19F, while the minimum at the KSBS AWOS in Steamboat Springs was 25F. Minimum temperatures ranged from 19F to 32F. Temperatures at or below 32F lasted on average 11 hours, with a maximum of 13 hours and a minimum of 6 hours. Temperatures at or below 28F lasted on average 7 hours with a maximum of 12 hours and a minimum of 1.

Wider weather episode

A weak cold front ushered in a shallow pool of cold air to the northwestern Colorado valleys on the afternoon and evening of October 24th. As skies began to clear in the wake of the front, radiational cooling kicked in, helping the already cold temperatures to drop even further. Under this regime, two of three zones under a Freeze Warning dropped below 28F long enough to experience a season ending freeze.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1220478. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.