Winter Weather — Upper Gunnison River Valley, Colorado

2021-12-09 to 2021-12-10 · Upper Gunnison River Valley, Colorado

Event narrative

Travel was impacted over Cerro Summit with slick, snowpacked roads and reduced visibility in blowing snow as winds gusted to 30 mph.

Wider weather episode

An initial shortwave trough and then a larger open wave moved across western Colorado. Strong upper level support, impressive moisture, widescale synoptic lift, and a strong surface cold front resulted in widespread precipitation with moderate to heavy snow accumulating in most mountain areas as well as some valley locations. Winds gusted to 55 mph in the higher elevations and exceeded 30 mph in the valleys.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 990464. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.