Winter Storm in Western Fremont and Northern Custer Counties, Colorado

A powerful slow moving winter storm brought heavy snow to the southern Colorado mountains and to parts of the adjacent plains and high valleys. Snow began early morning on the 1st in the eastern San Juan and La Garita mountains and spread to the Sangre de Cristo mountains by midday. Rain changed to snow over the Rampart Range and El Paso county in the late afternoon and spread into the Wet mountains and Pueblo areas by evening. More than 8 inches of snow fell above 8500 feet in the eastern San Juan and La Garita mountains, with an amazing 48 inch total at the summit of Wolf Creek Pass. A foot of snow occurred at Salida in Chaffee county. Twenty to 30 inches was logged in parts of the Wet Mountain Valley around Westcliffe. Eight to 16 inches of snow was tallied in western El Paso county and the Rampart Range. Other snow amounts include 4 inches in the Pueblo area, 8 inches in Aguilar in Las Animas county, 12 inches at Canon City in Fremont county and Beulah in Pueblo county, 14 inches in Rye in Pueblo county, and 15 inches in Walsenburg and Cuchara in Huerfano county.