Winter Weather — Roan and Tavaputs Plateaus, Colorado

2026-01-08 to 2026-01-09 · Roan and Tavaputs Plateaus, Colorado

Event narrative

Douglas Pass reported 6.5 inches of snow. Winds gusted to 41 mph at Douglas Pass but sustained winds peaked to 32 mph.

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 1317760. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.