Extreme Cold/Wind Chill — Southwestern San Juan Mountains, Colorado

2025-01-22 to 2025-01-23 · Southwestern San Juan Mountains, Colorado

Event narrative

The KCPW AWOS on Wolf Creek Pass recorded an approximately 12 hour period of temperatures below 25F and wind chill values below 15F. Winds were at or above 10 mph, gusting or sustained, for about half of the period, although even the weaker winds produced sufficiently cold wind chill values. Temperatures ranged from -8F to 1F and winds ranged from 6 mph to 24 mph. The coldest wind chill value recorded during this period was -28F. No reports of injuries, damages, or fatalities were received.

Wider weather episode

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.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1237905. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.