Winter Storm — Wet Mountains, Colorado

1998-12-21 · Wet Mountains, Colorado

Wider weather episode

A very cold arctic airmass invaded the eastern plains early Saturday morning, the 19th. A prolonged period of light snow occurred through the afternoon of the 20th. Snow amounts east of the mountains ranged from 1 to 5 inches. Then a strong weather system moved quickly across northern New Mexico from the afternoon of the 20th through late morning of the 21st. Heavy snow fell mainly in the higher elevations. The summit of Wolf Creek Pass picked up around 12 inches of snow. In the La Garita, Sangre de Cristos, Rampart Range, and Wet mountains many locations tallied more than 4 inches of snow. Four inches of snow fell in Victor in Teller county, in Wetmore, Westcliffe, and Rye. Beulah had 5 inches of accumulation. In lower elevations and on slopes less favorable for heavy snow 1 to 4 inches of snow fell. Very cold arctic air persisted east of the mountains in the wake of the storm.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5674586. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.