Winter Weather in Northwestern San Juan Mountains, Colorado

Generally 6 to 12 inches of snow fell across the area with locally higher amounts up to 18.4 inches of snow reported at Ouray 0.23 NNW. Winds gusted in the 45 to 55 mph range at elevations above 12,000 feet.

A deep low pressure trough moved eastward out of the Great Basin and tracked across eastern Utah into western Colorado, with above normal moisture pulled in ahead of it. This resulted in moderate snowfall for most mountain ranges in eastern Utah and western Colorado with the central and southern Colorado mountains receiving the heavier snowfall as colder air wrapped into the center of the low as it tracked further south over the Four Corners. This favorable northerly flow on the backside of the low along with colder air resulted in higher snowfall amounts in the Uncompahgre Gorge of the Northwest San Juan Mountains and the valleys upstream from Ouray to Montrose.