Extreme Fire Weather Concerns; Severe Thunderstorms from the Plains to Mississippi Valley

Extremely critical fire weather concerns for portions of the southern High Plans as strong wind and very dry conditions could result in rapid spread of any fires. Meanwhile, severe thunderstorms are expected once again across areas of the Central and Southern Plains, then spreading in the Mississippi Valley regions on Monday. Damaging winds, very large hail and strong tornadoes are possible. Read More >

Overview

A large and unseasonably moist low pressure system lifted across the Four Corners region March 18-20. Favorable southerly flow during the onset of the event produced moderate to heavy snow over the southern mountains and some southwest Colorado valleys. Once cooler air moved into the region during the latter half of the storm, snowfall began to favor the northern and central Colorado mountains. By the end of the event, generally 12 to 20 inches of snow fell over the Southwest San Juan Mountains with 3 to 8 inches across the Northwest San Juans. The Animas River Basin saw an average of 7 to 11 inches of snow while the San Juan River Basin received 6 to 7 inches. The Uncompahgre Plateau saw locally high amounts of up to 27 inches while portions of the west-central Colorado mountains saw 8 to 11 inches. In eastern Utah, the La Sal and Abajo Mountains received an average of 12 to 19 inches of snow.

In addition to heavy snow, wind gusts exceeded 45 MPH at times.