Well above normal temperatures are forecast to shift from the northern Plains through the Northeast U.S. over the long holiday weekend. A few strong to severe thunderstorm will be possible as well along with a potential for excessive rainfall. A tropical or subtropical depression could form off the Southeast U.S. coast over the weekend while drifting northward to northeastward. Read More >
Overview
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Two separate storm systems affected the Grand Junction forecast area during this timeframe. The first occurred Sunday, January 22nd and ended Monday the 23rd. The second storm started Monday evening and persisted through Wednesday. The first storm was in response to a passing upper level trough that provided enough lift and instability to provide snow across the region. Favorable south to southwest flow also provided enough orographic lift for snow to fall across mountainous areas. A 6 to 12 hour lull occurred late Monday night into Tuesday morning before the next system brought more snow. The second storm was more potent as it tapped into the Pacific Ocean allowing anomalously high moisture to move into the region. Accompanying the moisture was a strong upper level jet which increased instability across the area while providing plenty of lift. The low pressure center of this system started off the Washington State coast and slowly dropped south and east through Tuesday. As this happened, south to southwest facing slopes were favored for snowfall, mainly the San Juans. Once the low moved over Colorado, flow switched to northwesterly allowing snowfall to favor the central and northern mountains through Wednesday afternoon. |
 Storm Total Snowfall from January 22 - 25, 2017 |
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| Durango - Courtesy CDOT | Dove Creek - Courtesy CDOT | McClure Pass - Courtesy CDOT | Gateway - Courtesy CDOT |
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Silverton - Courtesy CDOT |
Silverton - Courtesy CDOT |
Utah Snowpack - Jan 29, 2017 ( Credit: USDA/NRCS ) |
Colorado Snowpack - Jan 29, 2017 ( Credit: USDA/NRCS ) |
Storm Reports
The following reports are preliminary and are considered unofficial. The first section containing the mountain ranges are mostly from automated sensors, while the second section is a combination of various reports, most of which are 72 hour values. Northwest Colorado Mountains: Elkhead and Park Ranges.......6 to 16 inches, but 19 at Tower Flat Tops.....................6 to 10 inches, but 14 at Bison Lake West Central Colorado Mountains: Grand Mesa....................8 to 14 inches Gore and Elk Ranges...........7 to 12 inches West Elk and Sawatch Ranges...8 to 16 inches, but 26 at Schofield Pass Southwest Colorado Mountains: Uncompahgre Plateau...........10 to 12 inches Northwest San Juan Mountains..8 to 16 inches Southwest San Juan Mountains..14 to 27 inches Eastern Utah Mountains: Eastern Uintas................5 to 15 inches Eastern Tavaputs..............10 to 15 inches La Sal and Abajos.............4 to 14 inches ...Snowfall Reports... Location Amount Time/Date Elevation (ft.) Mancos 11 NNE 34.0 in 0700 AM 01/25 msg Dolores 4.8 ENE 19.8 in 0700 AM 01/25 7132 Ouray Spotter 19.5 in 0705 AM 01/25 7727 Ouray .23 NNW 19.5 in 0705 AM 01/25 7728 6 SSE Sapinero 14.8 in 0800 AM 01/25 msg Cedaredge 10.5 NNW 13.5 in 0800 AM 01/25 10399 Dove Creek 12.4 SSW 13.3 in 0700 AM 01/25 6604 Dolores 4.0 SSW 13.3 in 0640 AM 01/25 6679 Crested Butte 6.2 N 12.5 in 0700 AM 01/25 9606 Bayfield 7.0 N 11.4 in 0700 AM 01/25 8200 Steamboat Springs 1.9 E 9.9 in 0600 AM 01/25 7200 Montrose 1.2 ESE 9.7 in 0700 AM 01/25 5830 Monticello No. 2 9.5 in 0730 AM 01/25 7083 5 W Vallecito 9.5 in 0700 AM 01/25 8228 Vernal 9.4 in 0630 AM 01/25 5470 Cortez 11nw 9.0 in 0700 AM 01/25 6598 Cortez 1.2 SW 9.0 in 0700 AM 01/25 6165 Bayfield 7N 8.8 in 0700 AM 01/25 7460 Durango 4.8 WSW 8.3 in 0700 AM 01/25 7430 3 SW Colona 8.0 in 0900 AM 01/25 msg Steamboat Springs 7.5 in 0730 AM 01/25 6636 Steamboat Springs 0.7 ESE 7.5 in 0700 AM 01/25 7049 Steamboat Springs 1.2 SE 7.4 in 0500 AM 01/25 7075 Pagosa Springs 1.6 SSW 6.7 in 0800 AM 01/25 7401 Steamboat Springs 1.5 WNW 6.7 in 0700 AM 01/25 6778 Pitkin County (ham) 6.5 in 0700 AM 01/25 9259 Vail 0.9 WNW 6.4 in 0700 AM 01/25 8172 Somerset 12.5 N 6.1 in 0700 AM 01/25 7047 Naples 5.5 in 0700 AM 01/25 5200 Gunnison 5.1 in 0800 AM 01/25 7640 Durango 4.9 ESE 5.0 in 0700 AM 01/25 7123 Arboles 5wnw 5.0 in 0700 AM 01/25 6545 Durango 10 NNE 5.0 in 0700 AM 01/25 6650 Redmesa 4.2 NW 4.7 in 0800 AM 01/25 6771 Bayfield 0.6 WSW 4.6 in 1000 AM 01/25 6932 Doyleville 2.1 W 4.5 in 0842 AM 01/25 8134 Hesperus 13.3 SSW 4.5 in 0730 AM 01/25 6686 Gunnison 3wsw 4.5 in 0700 AM 01/25 7602 Avon 2N 4.5 in 0600 AM 01/25 8200 Hesperus 9.8 SW 4.3 in 0700 AM 01/25 7035 Durango 0.8 SSW 4.2 in 0705 AM 01/25 6624 Rangely 4.0 in 0700 AM 01/25 5290 Carbondale 0.5 W 3.5 in 0445 AM 01/25 6171 Dinosaur 0.3 SW 3.4 in 0800 AM 01/25 5872 Ignacio Spotter 3.4 in 0700 AM 01/25 6562 Glenwood Springs .64 S 3.3 in 0700 AM 01/25 5824 Hotchkiss 5.1 WNW 3.0 in 0700 AM 01/25 6311 Paradox 2.7 in 0600 AM 01/25 5594 Glenwood Springs 5.3 SSE 2.6 in 0700 AM 01/25 5942 17 W Glade Park 2.4 in 0800 AM 01/25 6385 Cedaredge 1.0 NE 1.8 in 0800 AM 01/25 6354 Paonia 2.1 SSE 1.8 in 0700 AM 01/25 6100 Colorado Nat'l Monument 1.7 in 0830 AM 01/25 5780 Observations are collected from a variety of sources with varying equipment and exposures. Not all data listed are considered official.
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