Heavy Snow — Northwestern San Juan Mountains, Colorado

2026-01-08 to 2026-01-09 · Northwestern San Juan Mountains, Colorado

Event narrative

Generally 6 to 12 inches of snow fell across the area with higher amounts of 15 to 20 inches of snow in the Uncompahgre Gorge area of the Northwest San Juans. 20.8 inches of snow was reported at Dallas Divide with 18.5 inches reported in Ouray.

Wider weather episode

An open wave low pressure trough moved through Utah and formed a closed low near the Four Corners before pushing through southwest Colorado. Significant moisture ahead of this trough and cold air behind a strong cold front led to moderate to heavy snowfall across the mountains of western Colorado and southeast Utah, with the highest snowfall totals across the Uncompahgre Gorge area of the northwest San Juans due to favorable light northerly flow behind the closed low and temperatures within the dendritic growth zone.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1311896. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.