Heavy Snow — La Sal & Abajo Mountains, Utah

2024-11-25 to 2024-11-27 · La Sal & Abajo Mountains, Utah

Event narrative

Generally 25 to 35 inches of snow fell over the La Sal Mountains with 13 to 15 inches of snow over the Abajo Mountains. 5 inches of snow was reported at Monticello 0.4 SW. Winds generally gusted in the 15 to 35 mph range with a peak gust of 44 mph at La Sal.

Wider weather episode

A very strong Atmospheric River event brought prolonged period of heavy snowfall accumulations to southeast Utah and much of western Colorado in the days leading up to Thanksgiving, resulting in upwards of 2 to 3 feet of snow for many mountain areas with locally higher amounts above 40 inches. Some higher valley locations, in particular the Gunnison Basin and Upper Yampa River Basin, received over a foot of snow. Some areas along Interstate 70 also received moderate to heavy snowfall, including valley locations. Travel was significantly impacted during this event in the days leading up to Thanksgiving with road closures. Some lower valleys received over an inch of rain as well with light snow accumulations once the rain changed over to snow.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1224477. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.