Date: 01/19/2020

Valley inversions are set up this morning with low temperatures in CB and Gunnison below zero while mountain low temperatures are in the low teens. A high-pressure ridge continues to build over the area. High clouds are currently moving over Utah and will move through our area today. Otherwise, we have dry air aloft and should otherwise see a mostly clear sky day. Winds look to be light, with high temperatures in the mountains near or just above yesterdays.

Moisture moves back in on Monday afternoon with increasing clouds. By Tuesday that moisture looks thick and will start producing snowflakes. There isn’t much of a storm associated with this moisture, so we’ll largely rely on orographics for snowfall. A low-pressure trough moves in for the midweek and will bring a better chance of accumulating snowfall.…

Date: 01/18/2020

That last fast-moving and turbulent storm has headed east. A ridge of high pressure is now building in for the weekend. For Saturday, we’ll still see some clouds pushing through the area and winds gusting into the upper 20’s at above treeline elevations. Those winds will further ease tonight. Sunday is setting up to be a beautiful one. With fairly light winds, clear sky, and high temperatures near 30 degrees in the mountains. Clouds start increasing again on Monday afternoon, with the next low-pressure trough arriving around the middle of next week.…

Date: 01/17/2020

A short-lived but moderate strength storm has started to impact the Crested Butte area early this morning. Snowfall will continue through the morning hours and ramp up quickly as a cold front passes over the area shortly before noon. Snowfall rates during the cold front passage could be close to two inches per hour. Currently, the winds are light from the south but are expected to ramp up later this morning from a more westerly direction. Winds will be plenty strong to drift the new snow around at upper elevations onto easterly aspects. Total snowfall will top out at 8 inches in favored locations.

Snowfall will dry up shortly after the cold front passage and much colder air will slide into place this evening. Saturday looks to be a dry day as a ridge of high pressure begins to build over the area for Sunday. Temperatures will warm under this ridge of high pressure. The next storm is expected to arrive sometime in the middle of next week around Wednesday.…

Date: 01/16/2020

Thursday will mainly see increasing clouds with moisture beginning to stream into Colorado on southwest flow. Temperatures will be a couple of degrees warmer then yesterday and winds look to remain behaved for the day.

My confidence in the next storm has decreased. There are some good looking things with the storm, but it’s not all there. The moisture stream looks to reach our area in the late afternoon or tonight. However, most of the moisture could stay a bit south and east of us. Also, Thursday night we’ll have south winds which aren’t great for us. By Friday morning an upper-level trough will be moving across Colorado. We’ll initially get right fronted by the jet stream which is also not the best location. As that upper-level trough moves across our forecast area, we’ll see a shift in winds to west and eventually northwest. The Jet will be overhead by this point and the atmosphere will be unstable. So we should see a quick shot of high snowfall rates. How long will that last and will the moisture hang around and keep producing snow? Low confidence.

We’ll see ridging by the weekend with an end to snowfall and some clouds moving through the area.…

Date: 01/15/2020

Dry weather is in the forecast for Wednesday. Ridgeline winds yesterday saw gusts in the 50 to 80mph range from the SW. Those winds have eased overnight and will continue that trend today. High temperatures will be similar to yesterday and land in the mid to upper 20’s at 11,000ft.

Thursday will start similar to Wednesday for the first half of the day. Clouds will be increasing come afternoon as the next trough of low pressure begins pulling moisture into the area on southwest flow. Precipitation may start late in the afternoon, but doesn’t really get going until Thursday night into Friday. This could be a good window of snow coming up. Ideally, the trough would sag a bit further south so we don’t get right fronted, but we still have storm energy coming in, a southwest wind direction that finishes northwest decent available moisture. Storm totals by Friday afternoon look to be in the 6 to 12” range at the moment.…

Date: 01/14/2020

Pheww….yesterdays storm ramped up quickly and dropped a very healthy shot of precipitation for most of the forecast area. Snow totals from yesterday range from 8″ to 15″ which fell on top of another 2″ to 12″ of snow that had accumulated since Thursday, January 9th. The storm began to dissipate in the afternoon for most locations and lingered a bit longer for areas in Kebler Pass and Paradise Divide. Overnight winds continued to blow from the SW with strength; gusts pushed near 50 mph at Scarp Ridge. Skies have cleared overnight and anticipated to remain mostly clear today. Those pesky winds will remain elevated again today from the SW and will likely transport a bit more of the recent snowfall to leeward slopes.

A disturbance will pass to the north of Colorado this afternoon, but precipitation and cloud cover will largely remain north of I-70. A ridge of high pressure will build across the area through Thursday before an upper-level trough begins to impact the Four Corners area on Friday and Saturday. It looks like the weather pattern will stay active this upcoming weekend.…

Date: 01/13/2020

Yesterday and last night brought another 1″ to 4″ across the forecast area with snow still accumulating. Winds have been blowing at moderate speeds with strong gusts for the past 24 hours from the west and southwest. Snow production will remain steady through the early afternoon with an additional 2 to 8 inches expected across the forecast area. Snowfall rates are expected to be strongest between breakfast and lunch today. The flow is currently SW which will keep snow totals largest in areas to the west and northwest of town and lesser amounts to the east. Winds will remain elevated, especially during peak precipitation, from the southwest and will transport a significant amount of snow near and above treeline. Snowfall should begin tapering off in the early afternoon but light snow/flurries will likely linger through this evening and into tomorrow for areas to the west and north of town.
A weak system is expected to brush by northern Colorado on Tuesday but will offer little accumulations for the Crested Butte area. A stronger system looks to arrive at the end of the week sometime late Thursday or Friday. We will keep ya posted.…

Date: 01/12/2020

As of 5am, up to 2″ of new snow accumulated since yesterday afternoon. The slow trickle of snow will continue into this morning before a brief lull around midday. The next wave of moisture will start to impact the area late afternoon with the heaviest precipitation expected early AM on Monday morning into the middle part of the day. Last night’s and today’s trickle combined with a healthy shot of snow early tomorrow will generate respectable totals by sunset on Monday with favored locations around Kebler Pass and Schofield Pass pushing near or even past the 12″ mark with lesser amounts closer to town. Westerly winds during this period will be strong enough to redistribute the new snow at mid and upper elevations.

The first part of Tuesday will offer drier conditions, but flurries may linger, before another trough impacts the area on Tuesday evening and into Wednesday. Models are also showing continued moisture for the second half of the week, so stay tuned.…

Date: 01/11/2020

Brr…-19 in Crested Butte, but fear not, upper elevations have warmed over the last few hours and are generally above zero to greet those hearty early birds. Snow should kick off towards sunset today across most of our forecast area, though the highest terrain may see snow develop a bit earlier. Snow will continue throughout the evening and linger into Monday with periods of heavier snow showers and lulls with partial clearing between waves of moisture riding a large scale low-pressure trough across the western United States. There will be increased westerly winds ushering in this legitimate pattern shift to a more active, snowy pattern for the rest of the weekend and week ahead today. Temperatures should remain cold today, with highs in the low teens. Watch that exposed skin as wind chills will be making it feel closer to -10 to -20ºF.…

Date: 01/10/2020

Large scale troughiness will continue, keeping the door open to a series of passing light snow events through the weekend into next week. This morning will be a short respite from yesterday’s opening set, with another round of snow showers and flurries this afternoon. No real accumulations are expected but may see an increase in clouds and winds with this passing ripple. Next more notable storm looks to be on deck for Saturday afternoon. Enjoy the cold temperatures and light northwest winds with some shots of sunshine today before more clouds and snow tomorrow with westerly winds ramping in the afternoon. Saturday’s storm details are still emerging but looks like a system carrying more moisture than the last for the Elk Mountains and bringing with it 4-8″ of snow by Sunday.…