Heavy Snow — Southwestern San Juan Mountains, Colorado

2026-01-22 to 2026-01-24 · Southwestern San Juan Mountains, Colorado

Event narrative

Generally 9 to 18 inches of snow fell across the area with locally higher amounts up to 24 inches at Cumbres Trestle.

Wider weather episode

Southwest flow ahead of a deepening cutoff low over the Desert Southwest allowed for sufficient moisture to work into the area along a strong cold front. An additional low pressure system dropped in from the northwest, bringing colder air with it and pushing this cold front across the area. This resulted in moderate to heavy snowfall across the central and southern mountains of western Colorado and southeast Utah with the higher accumulations over the Uncompahgre Plateau and San Juan Mountains due to colder air and favorable orographics.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1311908. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.