Winter Weather — West Elk and Sawatch Mountains, Colorado

2025-12-27 to 2025-12-28 · West Elk and Sawatch Mountains, Colorado

Event narrative

Generally 4 to 12 inches of snow fell across the area with locally higher amounts up to 13.2 inches at Schofield Pass. 8 inches of snow was reported at Crested Butte 6.2 N.

Wider weather episode

Southwest flow ushered in an increase in moisture with a low pressure trough and strong cold front moving through. This resulted in moderate to heavy snow across the Elkheads and Park Range Mountains with moderate snow over portions of the central and southern Colorado mountains and eastern Uinta Mountains. Temperatures were mild throughout much of this event, limiting snow accumulations at lower elevations.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1308293. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.