Frost/Freeze — Upper Yampa River Basin, Colorado

2025-10-19 · Upper Yampa River Basin, Colorado

Event narrative

All fourteen reporting stations available for verification recording temperatures at or below 32F for at least 3 hours, and nine of those fourteen recorded temperatures at or below 28F for at least three hours. This means that at least 50% of the zone experienced a season-ending freeze event. The lowest temperature recorded was 21F, while the lowest recorded at the KSBS AWOS at Steamboat Springs was 25F. Minimum temperatures ranged from 21F to 32F. Temperatures at or below 32F lasted for on average 9 hours, with a maximum of 12 hours and a minimum of 3. Temperatures at or below 28F lasted for on average 5 hours, with a maximum of 10 hours and a minimum of 0.

Wider weather episode

Persistent northwesterly flow paired with a weak frontal boundary brought freeze conditions to portions of northwestern Colorado alongside some scattered snow showers. One zone did experience a season-ending freeze during this period as well.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1297309. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.