Winter Storm in West Elk and Sawatch Mountains, Colorado

Generally 10 to 20 inches of snow fell across the area with 19.5 inches of snow reported at Crested Butte 6.2 N. Winds gusted in the 45 to 50 mph range with a peak wind gust of 57 mph at Irwin Guides.

Well above normal moisture moved into the Four Corners from the southwest due to remnant Atmospheric River moisture ahead of a strong closed low pressure system and cold front that brought mountain snow above 9000 feet and valley rain. Temperatures were very warm ahead of this system and fell to below normal levels afterwards with abundant moisture resulting in heavy, wet snow favoring the central and southern mountains with the heaviest accumulations above a foot at the higher elevations where the winds were also the strongest.