Winter Weather in Grand Valley, Colorado

Generally 0.5 to 3 inches of snow fell on the east end of the Grand Valley with 4 to 5 inches of snow on the west end from Fruita to Mack. 5 inches was reported at Mack 5 NW. Wind gusts generally stayed below 25 mph but gusted to 40 mph at Palisade at the onset or just before snow began.

A deep closed low pressure system moved into the Great Basin, bringing a surge of strong Atmospheric River moisture on the order of 200 to 300 percent of normal ahead of it. Some colder air moved in after trough passage as the flow shifted from southwest to northwest, changing rain over to snow in lower elevations. Strong dynamics and high moisture content resulted in widespread moderate to heavy snowfall in most mountain areas of eastern Utah and western Colorado where at least 1 to 2 feet of snow fell with locally higher amounts over 3 feet in some mountain areas. In terms of the lower elevations, the southwest Colorado valleys benefitted the most from the southwest flow with up to a foot or so while other lower valleys saw light to moderate snowfall accumulations.