A series of strong Pacific disturbances brought a prolonged period of heavy snow and strong winds to western Colorado over the Christmas holiday. This storm impacted all of western Colorado, resulting in widespread travel difficulties and many temporary road closures. Blizzard conditions occurred across much of the central and southern mountain areas.

Winter Storm in ELKHEAD AND PARK MOUNTAINS, COLORADO
From 25-DEC-08 01:00:00 to 26-DEC-08 21:00:00 (MST-7)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Snowfall of 11 to 21 inches occurred while frequent wind gusts of 25 to 50 mph produced blowing and drifting snow.

Winter Storm in ROAN AND TAVAPUTS PLATEAUS, COLORADO
From 24-DEC-08 22:00:00 to 26-DEC-08 16:00:00 (MST-7)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Department of Highways

Snowfall of 11 to 14 inches occurred while frequent wind gusts of 25 to 50 mph produced blowing and drifting snow.  A peak wind gust of 70 mph was measured on Douglas Pass.

Winter Storm in NORTHWESTERN SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS, COLORADO
From 24-DEC-08 13:00:00 to 25-DEC-08 19:00:00 (MST-7)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Department of Highways

Snowfall of 12 to 27 inches occurred while frequent wind gusts of 25 to 55 mph produced blowing and drifting snow.  The heavy snow triggered numerous avalanches.

Winter Weather in DEBEQUE TO SILT CORRIDOR, COLORADO
From 25-DEC-08 05:00:00 to 26-DEC-08 13:00:00 (MST-7)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Three to five inches of snow fell across the area.  On December 26th, wind gusts of 30 to 50 mph produced blowing and drifting snow.

Blizzard in SOUTHWESTERN SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS, COLORADO
From 25-DEC-08 18:00:00 to 26-DEC-08 13:00:00 (MST-7)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Department of Highways

Frequent wind gusts of 50 to 75 mph produced widespread blowing and drifting snow, withd zero visibility at times. Snow drifts up to 10 feet deep were reported.  Many roads and highways were closed during the blizzard, including Highway 550 north of Durango and Highway 160 northeast of Pagosa Springs.  Measured peak wind gusts included 93 mph on Kendall Mountain and 100 mph on Eagle Mountain.

Blizzard in GRAND AND BATTLEMENT MESAS, COLORADO
From 25-DEC-08 18:00:00 to 26-DEC-08 13:00:00 (MST-7)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Frequent wind gusts of 35 to 60 mph produced widespread blowing and drifting snow, with zero visibility at times.  A wind gust of 75 mph
was measured at the upper end of White Water Creek.

Blizzard in NORTHWESTERN SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS, COLORADO
From 25-DEC-08 19:00:00 to 26-DEC-08 15:00:00 (MST-7)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Department of Highways

Frequent wind gusts of 40 to 70 mph produced widespread blowing and drifting snow, with zero visibility at times.  A peak wind gust of 92 mph was measured on Mount Abrahms.  Red Mountain Pass and Lizard Head Pass were closed due to the adverse conditions.

Blizzard in WEST ELK AND SAWATCH MOUNTAINS, COLORADO
From 26-DEC-08 01:00:00 to 26-DEC-08 16:00:00 (MST-7)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Frequent wind gusts of 35 to 60 mph produced widespread blowing and drifting snow, with zero visibility at times.  Highway 133 over McClure Pass was closed due to the adverse conditions.

Winter Storm in GORE AND ELK MOUNTAINS/CENTRAL MOUNTAIN VALLEYS, COLORADO
From 24-DEC-08 23:00:00 to 26-DEC-08 18:00:00 (MST-7)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Snowfall of 9 to 21 inches occurred while frequent wind gusts of 30 to 60 mph produced blowing and drifting snow.  A wind gust of 76 mph was recorded at the Crown RAWS.

Winter Storm in CENTRAL COLORADO RIVER BASIN, COLORADO
From 25-DEC-08 01:00:00 to 26-DEC-08 14:00:00 (MST-7)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Snowfall of 5 to 11 inches occurred. Wind gusts of 30 to 45 mph produced localized blizzard conditions on December 26th.

Winter Storm in CENTRAL GUNNISON AND UNCOMPAHGRE RIVER BASIN, COLORADO
From 25-DEC-08 04:00:00 to 26-DEC-08 12:00:00 (MST-7)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Snowfall of 5 to 9 inches occurred over half of the area with locally higher amounts up to 13 inches at a residence 6 miles south of Montrose.  On December 26th, wind gusts of 30 to 50 mph produced blowing and drifting snow, with localized blizzard conditions reducing visibilities to near zero at times.

Winter Storm in PARADOX VALLEY / LOWER DOLORES RIVER BASIN, COLORADO
From 25-DEC-08 04:00:00 to 26-DEC-08 10:00:00 (MST-7)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Snowfall of 4 to 8 inches occurred. On December 26th, wind gusts of 20 to 40 mph produced blowing and drifting snow.

Winter Weather in GRAND VALLEY, COLORADO
From 25-DEC-08 04:00:00 to 25-DEC-08 12:00:00 (MST-7)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Three to five inches of snow fell across most of the area, with the highest amounts occurring around Palisade.

Winter Storm in WEST ELK AND SAWATCH MOUNTAINS, COLORADO
From 24-DEC-08 22:00:00 to 25-DEC-08 22:00:00 (MST-7)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Widespread snowfall of 1 to 2.5 feet occurred with locally higher amounts up to 3.5 feet. Frequent wind gusts of 20 to 40 mph produced blowing and drifting snow.  The heavy snow accumulation triggered numerous avalanches.

Winter Storm in CENTRAL YAMPA RIVER BASIN, COLORADO
From 26-DEC-08 02:00:00 to 26-DEC-08 16:00:00 (MST-7)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Six inches of snow fell across half of the area, with 2 to 4 inches elsewhere.  Wind gusts of 30 to 50 mph produced localized blizzard conditions.

Winter Weather in LOWER YAMPA RIVER BASIN, COLORADO
From 26-DEC-08 02:00:00 to 26-DEC-08 15:00:00 (MST-7)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Around 3 inches of snow fell across the area.  Wind gusts of 30 to 50 mph produced blowing and drifting snow that resulted in localized blizzard conditions with near zero visibilities.

Winter Weather in UPPER YAMPA RIVER BASIN, COLORADO
From 26-DEC-08 03:00:00 to 26-DEC-08 18:00:00 (MST-7)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Snowfall of 3 to 7 inches occurred while wind gusts of 20 to 30 mph produced blowing and drifting snow.

Winter Storm in SAN JUAN RIVER BASIN, COLORADO
From 24-DEC-08 21:00:00 to 26-DEC-08 16:00:00 (MST-7)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Snowfall of 12 to 18 inches occurred. Wind gusts of 25 to 40 mph created blowing and drifting snow on December 26th.  The largest snowfall totals were in the Pagosa Springs area.

Winter Storm in GRAND AND BATTLEMENT MESAS, COLORADO
From 24-DEC-08 22:00:00 to 26-DEC-08 18:00:00 (MST-7)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Widespread snowfall of 1 to 2 feet occurred with locally higher amounts up to 3 feet. Frequent wind gusts of 20 to 40 mph produced blowing and drifting snow.

Winter Storm in UNCOMPAHGRE PLATEAU AND DALLAS DIVIDE, COLORADO
From 24-DEC-08 20:00:00 to 26-DEC-08 21:00:00 (MST-7)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Widespread snowfall of 1 to 2.5 feet occurred above the 7500 foot elevation. Frequent wind gusts of 30 to 55 mph produced blowing and drifting snow.

Winter Storm in FLATTOP MOUNTAINS, COLORADO
From 24-DEC-08 22:00:00 to 26-DEC-08 20:00:00 (MST-7)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Mesonet

Snowfall of 12 to 21 inches occurred with locally higher amounts up to 3 feet in the Bison Lake SNOTEL area. Frequent wind gusts of 20 to 40 mph produced blowing and drifting snow. A peak wind gust of 54 mph was recorded at the Storm King RAWS.

Winter Storm in FOUR CORNERS / UPPER DOLORES RIVER BASIN, COLORADO
From 24-DEC-08 22:00:00 to 26-DEC-08 13:00:00 (MST-7)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Snowfall of 6 to 14 inches occurred. Wind gusts of 30 to 50 mph created local blizzard conditions on December 26th.  The heaviest snowfall occurred across the higher foothills of the San Juan Mountains and in the Mesa Verde National Park area.

Winter Storm in SOUTHWESTERN SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS, COLORADO
From 24-DEC-08 13:00:00 to 25-DEC-08 18:00:00 (MST-7)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Department of Highways

Snowfall of 14 to 43 inches occurred while frequent wind gusts of 25 to 55 mph produced blowing and drifting snow. Locally higher snowfall amounts occurred, including 56 inches measured at the Silverton Mountain Ski Area.  The heavy snow triggered numerous avalanches.

Winter Storm in UPPER GUNNISON RIVER VALLEY, COLORADO
From 24-DEC-08 20:00:00 to 26-DEC-08 06:00:00 (MST-7)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Snowfall of 6 to 10 inches occurred while wind gusts of 15 to 25 mph produced blowing and drifting snow.

Winter Storm in ANIMAS RIVER BASIN, COLORADO
From 24-DEC-08 21:00:00 to 26-DEC-08 15:00:00 (MST-7)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Snowfall of 6 to 14 inches occurred. Wind gusts of 30 to 45 mph created local blizzard conditions on December 26th.