Extreme Cold/Wind Chill in Central Yampa River Basin, Colorado

The two ASOSs in the zone, KEEO in Meeker and KCAG in Craig, along with the KHDN AWOS in Hayden, recorded a prolonged period of wind chills below 15F. The majority of this period did not meet the traditional requirement of wind speeds at or above 10 mph, however temperatures were well below the 25F threshold and wind chills were sufficiently cold so as to be counted. Temperatures ranged from 3F to 19F, and wind speeds ranged from 6 to 15 mph. The coldest wind chill recorded was -12F. No reports of injuries, damages, or fatalities were received.

A cold front ushered in an arctic airmass on the evening of January 17th, as well as bringing widespread wind and snow to eastern Utah and western Colorado. This arctic airmass was reinforced over the course of the next week by several passing waves with their own associated cold fronts. Temperatures during this period were 15-20 degrees below normal, and in some places close to 30 degrees below normal. With temperatures this cold, any amount of wind would produce a dangerously cold wind chill. The coldest period of this event was January 20th to the 22nd, with temperatures finally beginning to moderate after the 23rd.