Winter Weather in West Elk and Sawatch Mountains, Colorado

Generally 6 to 12 inches of snow fell across the area with 12 inches at Schofield Pass. Winds gusted in the 45 to 53 mph range at elevations above 11,900 feet with a peak wind gust of 53 mph at Cinnamon Mountain.

A low pressure trough and associated cold front dropped southward out of the Pacific Northwest across the Great Basin and through eastern Utah and western Colorado. Moderate to heavy snowfall favored the central and southern mountains with higher amounts along the frontal boundary draped across the central mountains, La Sal Mountains and San Juan mountains. Gusty winds in the 45 to 55 mph range above 12,000 feet also contributed to blowing snow with the forcing from the jet dynamics and cold frontal boundary with banded snow as well. Most lower valleys remained limited with snowfall due to higher snow levels with exception of the Paonia to Hotchkiss area that benefited from banding along the front and convection helping drive snow levels lower at times.