Date: 03/26/2019

Another beautiful day is on tap. Temperatures are expected to rise a few degrees warmer than yesterday with a few high, thin clouds streaming overhead. Winds will come from the southwest and are expected to be light with an increase in speeds during the afternoon. Wednesday looks much like today but maybe with a few more clouds showing up ahead of the next low-pressure system coming our way which currently sits off the Pacific Northwest coast. The first precipitation from the approaching snowmaker should begin to fall late on Thursday and pick up in intensity on Friday as the associated cold-front passes. Look for some better details about snow totals tomorrow for this system.

• Today

  High Temperature: 41 to 46
  Winds/Direction: 5 to 15, SW
  Sky Cover: Mostly Clear
  Irwin Snow: 0″
  Elkton Snow: 0″
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0″

• Tonight

  Low Temperature: 24 to 29
  Winds/Direction: 6 to 16, SW
  Sky Cover: Mostly Clear
  Irwin Snow: 0″
  Elkton Snow: 0″
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0″

• Tomorrow

  High Temperature: 44 to 49
  Winds/Direction: 8 to 18, WSW
  Sky Cover: Partly Cloudy
  Irwin Snow: 0″
  Elkton Snow: 0″
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0″

Date: 03/25/2019

The unsettled weather is set to move out of the area this morning with cloud cover and a few flurries lingering over the Ruby Range but shortly after sunrise expect mostly clear conditions. A ridge of high-pressure will move into the area today and provide clear skies with increasingly warm temperatures each day until Wednesday. Expect temperatures to reach well into the 40’s, at 11,000 feet, on Tuesday and Wednesday. This looks to be the first real hit of warm weather this spring. Looking towards the end of the week, models are suggesting the next storm system will be slightly delayed; snowfall is expected to begin sometime on Thursday and continues into Friday.

• Today

  High Temperature: 35 to 40
  Winds/Direction: 5 to 15, WNW
  Sky Cover: Mostly Clear
  Irwin Snow: 0 to 1″ early AM
  Elkton Snow: 0 to 1″ early AM
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0

• Tonight

  Low Temperature: 18 to 23
  Winds/Direction: 3 to 13, SW
  Sky Cover: Clear
  Irwin Snow: 0
  Elkton Snow: 0
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0

• Tomorrow

  High Temperature: 43 to 48
  Winds/Direction: 5 to 15, SW
  Sky Cover: Clear
  Irwin Snow: 0
  Elkton Snow: 0
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0

Date: 03/24/2019

Today we can expect unsettled weather with modest accumulations. Radar returns this morning are showing precipitation moving into western Colorado. Most of the moisture will stay to the north of our area, but it looks like we will squeeze a few inches out of it. Afternoon convective energy may help to stack a few more inches up by the sunset. Monday and Tuesday a ridge of high-pressure develops and brings warm temperatures well above seasonal averages. The end of the work week will bring a strong Pacific storm; we will watch this develop over the next few days but expect a return to winter towards the end of the week.

• Today

  High Temperature: 30 to 35
  Winds/Direction: 6 to 16, W
  Sky Cover: Mostly Cloudy
  Irwin Snow: 2 to 4″
  Elkton Snow: 2 to 4″
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 1 to 3″

• Tonight

  Low Temperature: 16 to 21
  Winds/Direction: 4 to 14, W
  Sky Cover: Partly Cloudy
  Irwin Snow: 0 to 1″
  Elkton Snow: 0 to 1″
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0 to 1″

• Tomorrow

  High Temperature: 34 to 39
  Winds/Direction: 5 to 15, W
  Sky Cover: Mostly Clear
  Irwin Snow: 0″
  Elkton Snow: 0″
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0″

Date: 03/23/2019

Drier air is moving overhead this morning, while lover level moisture looks to remain trapped below. It will be interesting to see how this pans out for our cloud forecast. Low level clouds and valley fog will be the theme for this morning than we can look towards partly cloudy sky with fewer clouds than yesterday. Convective clouds will move in and out and may even produce a few light snow showers today.

Clouds will start building again late on Saturday as moisture and the chance of more snow showers increases for Saturday night into Sunday. We could see a few inches of new snow add up, but it really isn’t looking great for snow at the moment. A high-pressure ridge takes hold on Monday and we’ll be looking to a hot and dry week coming up.

• Today

  High Temperature: 28 to 32
  Winds/Direction: 8 to 18 WNW
  Sky Cover: Partly Cloudy
  Irwin Snow: 0 to 2
  Elkton Snow: 0 to 2
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0 to 2

• Tonight

  Low Temperature: 18 to 22
  Winds/Direction: 5 to 15, W
  Sky Cover: Mostly Cloudy
  Irwin Snow: 0 to 2
  Elkton Snow: 0 to 2
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0 to 2

• Tomorrow

  High Temperature: 30 to 35
  Winds/Direction: 5 to 15, W
  Sky Cover: Mostly Cloudy
  Irwin Snow: 0 to 2
  Elkton Snow: 0 to 2
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0 to 2

Date: 03/22/2019

Well, yesterday evening and last night didn’t go so well for us on the weather front. A convective storm that produced thundersnow in the San Juans yesterday, stayed to our west as it moved up through Colorado. We just caught the edge around sunset with increased winds and a dusting of snow.

Our forecast area gets another chance at snow today as another short wave moves up through Colorado. Snow showers look to pick up around mid-day for a few hours. By this afternoon winds will become more westerly and hopefully, we’ll see some oraghrapics kick off another couple inches of snow. The upper atmosphere looks to dry out for Saturday, while lower level moisture may stay trapped and keep cloudy sky in the area. Unsettled and cloudy weather remains for the weekend with clearing and dry weather moving in for the start of next week.

• Today

  High Temperature: 24 to 29
  Winds/Direction: 8 to 18, SW
  Sky Cover: Mostly Cloudy
  Irwin Snow: 2 to 4
  Elkton Snow: 2 to 4
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 1 to 3

• Tonight

  Low Temperature: 14 to 19
  Winds/Direction: 10 to 20 WNW
  Sky Cover: Mostly Cloudy
  Irwin Snow: 1 to 3
  Elkton Snow: 1 to 3
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0 to 2

• Tomorrow

  High Temperature: 25 to 30
  Winds/Direction: 8 to 18, WNW
  Sky Cover: Partly Cloudy
  Irwin Snow: 0 to 1
  Elkton Snow: 0 to 1
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0 to 1

Date: 03/21/2019

A low-pressure system passing over Arizona is currently spinning moisture up into Utah and southern Colorado on Southerly flow. This system is going to take us out of the Spring Break weather we have had lately, and make a return to winter through the weekend. Thursday is a bit transitional for our forecast area. Clouds are already on the increase this morning, and that will be the theme for the day. High temperatures will climb back up to near or just above freezing. Precipitation will then start to pick up late this afternoon or early this evening. Precipitation will come in warm, though we should escape much for rain above 9000ft. Colder air will filter in later tonight and hang for the weekend. By the weekend snow accumulations should be reaching a foot with unsettled weather and snow showers lasting until dry weather moves in for the start of next week.

• Today

  High Temperature: 29 to 33
  Winds/Direction: 5 to 15, S
  Sky Cover: Increasing clouds
  Irwin Snow: 0 to 2
  Elkton Snow: 0 to 2
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0 to 2

• Tonight

  Low Temperature: 18 to 22
  Winds/Direction: 10 to 20, S
  Sky Cover: Overcast
  Irwin Snow: 3 to 6
  Elkton Snow: 3 to 6
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 4 to 5

• Tomorrow

  High Temperature: 24 to 29
  Winds/Direction: 10 to 20, W
  Sky Cover: Mostly Cloudy
  Irwin Snow: 3 to 5
  Elkton Snow: 2 to 4
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 1 to 3

Date: 03/20/2019

For today, expect seasonally warm temperatures with ample amounts of sunshine during the first half of the day. The low-pressure system on the west coast is starting to push cloud cover towards the Four Corners area already this morning, and by this afternoon expect clouds to begin building around the Crested Butte area. The first snowflakes from the incoming low-pressure system could arrive as early as Thursday afternoon, but the accumulating snowfall is not forecasted to hit until Thursday night and continuing into Friday morning. Temperatures look to be on the warm side with a strong southerly flow so there could be a little bit of rain for the valley bottoms Thursday evening. Light snowfall should keep falling through Friday and Friday night, but accumulations will be modest at best. This system doesn’t appear to be a heavy hitter but should provide a decent little refresh.

• Today

  High Temperature: 31 to 36
  Winds/Direction: 1 to 11, E
  Sky Cover: Mostly Clear
  Irwin Snow: 0″
  Elkton Snow: 0″
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0″

• Tonight

  Low Temperature: 17 to 22
  Winds/Direction: 4 to 14, SE
  Sky Cover: Partly Cloudy
  Irwin Snow: 0″
  Elkton Snow: 0″
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0″

• Tomorrow

  High Temperature: 31 to 36
  Winds/Direction: 10 to 20, S
  Sky Cover: Mostly Cloudy
  Irwin Snow: 0 to 3″
  Elkton Snow: 0 to 3″
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0 to 3″

Date: 03/19/2019

Last night the area picked up a skiff to an inch of new snow. The weak short-wave that brought yesterdays cloud cover and the dusting of snowfall last night continues eastward. For today, there could be a few lingering snow showers during the day much like what we experienced yesterday afternoon, but expect cloud cover to be on the decrease by this evening. Cloud cover may linger a bit longer over the highest terrain especially east of Crested Butte toward the continental divide. Temperatures will be just a bit cooler than they were the past few days, but nothing dramatic. Looking ahead, the low-pressure system in the Pacific will start to head inland late today with the moisture starting to hit the CB area on Thursday evening. After the reasonable weather today and Wednesday, it appears as though we are in store for another prolonged stormy period through the beginning of April…wahooo!

• Today

  High Temperature: 26 to 31
  Winds/Direction: 4 to 14, W
  Sky Cover: Partly Cloudy
  Irwin Snow: 0 to trace
  Elkton Snow: 0 to trace
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0 to trace

• Tonight

  Low Temperature: 15 to 20
  Winds/Direction: 1 to 11, N
  Sky Cover: Mostly Clear
  Irwin Snow: 0
  Elkton Snow: 0
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0

• Tomorrow

  High Temperature: 31 to 36
  Winds/Direction: 1 to 11, S
  Sky Cover: Mostly Clear
  Irwin Snow: 0
  Elkton Snow: 0
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0

Date: 03/18/2019

The small disturbance to the north of the area is slightly delayed from yesterday’s forecast; it looks to clip the area tonight and into Tuesday. Today you can expect similar temperatures to yesterday, but expect the cloud cover to increase throughout the day. There is a chance of some light snow overnight from the weak short-wave but accumulations will be a few flakes to a skiff. On Tuesday night a more substantial trough will make its way into California and bring unsettled weather during the second half of the work week. This system looks to cut-off as it hits the California coast which will leave some uncertainty about its trajectory as it moves eastward towards Colorado.

• Today

  High Temperature: 32 to 37
  Winds/Direction: 4 to 14, WSW
  Sky Cover: Partly Cloudy
  Irwin Snow: 0″
  Elkton Snow: 0″
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0″

• Tonight

  Low Temperature: 12 to 17
  Winds/Direction: 3 to 13, WNW
  Sky Cover: Mostly Cloudy
  Irwin Snow: 0 to 1″
  Elkton Snow: 0 to 1″
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0 to 1″

• Tomorrow

  High Temperature: 30 to 35
  Winds/Direction: 5 to 15, WNW
  Sky Cover: Mostly Cloudy
  Irwin Snow: 0″
  Elkton Snow: 0″
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0″

Date: 03/17/2019

A ridge of high pressure has set up shop over the southwestern United States and has brought beautiful weather to the Crested Butte area. Expect today to be a few degrees warmer than yesterday with continued light winds. Skies will be blue and clear today with maybe just a few high-level clouds. A weak disturbance to the north will brush by the state tomorrow but will do little more than bring partly cloudy skies. The next real snow producer will not arrive until the end of the work week. The ridge looks to be forced out of the area on Wednesday or so, and snowfall possibly returning on Thursday. We will keep on eye on this system as it develops and gets closer.

• Today

  High Temperature: 34 to 39
  Winds/Direction: 2 to 12, WNW
  Sky Cover: Clear
  Irwin Snow: 0″
  Elkton Snow: 0″
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0″

• Tonight

  Low Temperature: 8 to 13
  Winds/Direction: 2 to 12, SW
  Sky Cover: Partly Cloudy
  Irwin Snow: 0″
  Elkton Snow: 0″
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0″

• Tomorrow

  High Temperature: 33 to 38
  Winds/Direction: 5 to 15, W
  Sky Cover: Partly Cloudy
  Irwin Snow: 0″
  Elkton Snow: 0″
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0″