Winter Weather — Upper Gunnison River Valley, Colorado

2020-09-09 to 2020-09-10 · Upper Gunnison River Valley, Colorado

Event narrative

Generally 3 to 6 inches of snow fell across the area. A peak wind gust of 56 MPH occurred at the Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport. These strong winds led to numerous downed trees and power outages in Gunnison County, as reported by the Emergency Manager.

Wider weather episode

An abnormally strong and cold low pressure system and associated cold front dropped south across the Northern Rockies and into the Four Corners. The low remained quasi-stationary for about a day before lifting northeast into the Plains. This system produced widespread showers of rain in the lower elevations and snow in the mountains, though the cold front dropped snow levels to approximately 7000 feet. Additionally, high winds led to not only reduced visibility in blowing snow, but also numerous downed trees and power outages in some areas.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 911040. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.