Winter Weather — Upper Gunnison River Valley, Colorado

2020-12-22 · Upper Gunnison River Valley, Colorado

Event narrative

A snow squall moved through the area with the automated sensor at the Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport recording visibility of less than 1/4 mile for 10 minutes and a peak wind gust of 45 MPH.

Wider weather episode

A Pacific trough and associated cold front dropped into the region from the Northern Rockies. This cold front brought a strong band of showers to areas north of I-70 with marginal instability fueling snow squalls which led to hazardous travel. By the time this system exited the area it had produced moderate snow over portions of the northwest and west-central Colorado mountains. Winds gusted from 60 to 75 mph across the higher peaks at times.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 925789. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.