Winter Weather — Northwestern San Juan Mountains, Colorado

2025-05-18 to 2025-05-19 · Northwestern San Juan Mountains, Colorado

Event narrative

Generally 3 to 6 inches of snow fell across the area. Wind gusts were in the 45 to 48 mph range with a peak wind gust of 48 mph at Sawpit. Winds were missing at Telluride Ski Resort at elevations above 12,000 feet, so these wind gusts were likely higher at higher elevations.

Wider weather episode

A negatively tilted low pressure trough and associated cold front moved through eastern Utah and western Colorado, bringing much colder air and gusty winds in addition to light to moderate snowfall in the mountains. Given the late season nature of this event in mid May, roads remained slushy and snow packed at times at the higher passes causing some travel impacts.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1253835. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.