Winter Weather — Grand & Summit Counties Below 9000 Feet, Colorado

2019-12-13 · Grand & Summit Counties Below 9000 Feet, Colorado

Event narrative

Storm totals primarily on the east side of Grand County included 11 inches near Grand Lake and Tabernash, with 10 inches at Fraser.

Wider weather episode

A steady stream of deep Pacific moisture produced a prolonged period of very heavy snowfall in parts of the northern and central mountains. Storm totals generally ranged between 1 and 3 feet, however a SNOTEL site northeast of Cameron Pass measured an estimated 43.4 inches of snowfall over a 60-hr period. Moderate snowfall was also observed in the eastern part of Grand County below 9,000 feet with storm totals from 8 to 11 inches. Gusty winds up to 60 mph caused areas of blowing and drifting snow over the mountain passes. The eastbound lanes of I-70 were closed from Silverthorne to the Eisenhower Tunnel due to multiple spun out vehicles and crashes late in the afternoon on the 13th.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 868345. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.