Excessive Heat for the East; Excessive Rainfall for the Southwest; Severe Weather for the Center of the Nation

Extreme HeatRisk impacts will expand from the Midwest into the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast today. This level of HeatRisk is known for being rare and/or long duration with little to no overnight relief, and affects anyone without effective cooling and/or adequate hydration. Severe weather potential continues from the Great Lakes to the Central Plains today. Heavy rainfall for Southwest on Tuesday. 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.