Winter Storm in Leadville and Vicinity, Colorado

A cold and moist Pacific trough produced the first major winter storm of the season for western Colorado. 8 to 24 inches of snow fell in most mountain areas. 6 to 10 inches accumulated in most lower elevation areas of west-central and southwest Colorado. Some of the largest snow totals included 25 inches at Telluride, 24 inches at Purgatory Ski Area, 24 inches at Molas Pass and Coal Bank Pass, 24 inches as Aspen Ski Area, 19 inches near Ouray, 17 inches at Fort Lewis, 16 inches at Crested Butte, 15 inches near Pagosa Springs, and 15 inches on the Grand Mesa. Windy conditions produced areas of blowing a drifting snow in the mountains. A gust to 67 MPH was measured on the mountains above Telluride. Snowpacked roads resulted in numerous traffic accidents throughout western Colorado. The heavy snow broke down many power poles and trees in southwest Colorado, leaving over 10,000 people without power for a day or two. 20 residential fires were reported in the Durango area due to downed power lines. TV and CATV communications were disrupted in portions of southwest Colorado for about a day.