Date: 03/16/2019

Spring Break weather is on! Your lips are going to burn, and eating spicy food is not recommended. The big ball of fire is out in force for the weekend, as the Western US hangs out under a high-pressure ridge of sorts. High temperatures will be near or above freezing and continue to increase on Sunday. While clear sky will lead to cold low temperatures down in the valleys, low temperatures will be about 15 degrees higher up in the mountains. Winds look to remain light too, so it is going to feel really warm out there. Stormy weather looks to return mid to late next week.

• Today

  High Temperature: 31
  Winds/Direction: 2 to 12, WNW
  Sky Cover: Clear
  Irwin Snow: 0
  Elkton Snow: 0
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0

• Tonight

  Low Temperature: 20
  Winds/Direction: 2 to 12, WNW
  Sky Cover: Clear
  Irwin Snow: 0
  Elkton Snow: 0
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0

• Tomorrow

  High Temperature: 35
  Winds/Direction: 2 to 12, WNW
  Sky Cover: Clear
  Irwin Snow: 0
  Elkton Snow: 0
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0

Date: 03/15/2019

A high-pressure ridge has built over the western US, bringing dry weather for the forecast period. High temperatures will be on an increasing trend, but its that March Sun that will really make it feel warm out there. Winds look to remain light. Sky looks to be mostly clear with maybe a few very thin clouds overhead this afternoon. Spring Break Baby!! It’s on.

• Today

  High Temperature: 25
  Winds/Direction: 2 to 12, WNW
  Sky Cover: Mostly Clear
  Irwin Snow: 0
  Elkton Snow: 0
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0

• Tonight

  Low Temperature: 8
  Winds/Direction: 2 to 12, WNW
  Sky Cover: Clear
  Irwin Snow: 0
  Elkton Snow: 0
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0

• Tomorrow

  High Temperature: 31
  Winds/Direction: 2 to 12, WNW
  Sky Cover: Clear
  Irwin Snow: 0
  Elkton Snow: 0
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0

Date: 03/14/2019

The strong low pressure system has exited to the east as we are setting up for our first prolonged period of high pressure in the month of March, after a pretty epic start to the month. A cold Northwest flow moved in last night, bringing cold air which will fuel some lingering clouds and orographic over the Western portion of the mountains today, but any accumulations should be minimal. Winds are diminishing and moving to the North/Northwest keeping temperatures on the colder side of normal. Look for bright sunny skies tomorrow and rebounding temperatures as we head into the weekend and expect this to continue into the middle of next week.

• Today

  High Temperature: 15
  Winds/Direction: Northwest 10-15 mph
  Sky Cover: Partly Cloudy
  Irwin Snow: 1-3″
  Elkton Snow: 0-2″
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0-2″

• Tonight

  Low Temperature: 0
  Winds/Direction: Northwest 5-10 mph
  Sky Cover: Mostly Clear
  Irwin Snow: 0
  Elkton Snow: 0
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0

• Tomorrow

  High Temperature: 21
  Winds/Direction: West 5-10 mph
  Sky Cover: Clear
  Irwin Snow: 0
  Elkton Snow: 0
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0

Date: 03/13/2019

To our south is the low-pressure system that has been mentioned for several days now; it will continue to slowly move eastward as a trough moves down from the northwest. The two will combine to form one strange storm in eastern Colorado and Kansas. Weather geeks are having a field day with this setup. For today you can expect moderate to heavy snowfall with accumulations ranging from 8″ to 12″. Strong NW winds will be associated with this system and will blow the new snow around. Temperatures will drop throughout the day and will be below average by tomorrow morning. Skies will begin to clear on Thursday and dry weather will set in through the weekend.

• Today

  High Temperature: 20 to 25
  Winds/Direction: 15 to 25 G40, NW
  Sky Cover: Overcast
  Irwin Snow: 7 to 10″
  Elkton Snow: 7 to 10″
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 3 to 5″

• Tonight

  Low Temperature: 4 to 9
  Winds/Direction: 12 to 22, NW
  Sky Cover: Overcast
  Irwin Snow: 1 to 4″
  Elkton Snow: 1 to 4″
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0 to 2″

• Tomorrow

  High Temperature: 19 to 24
  Winds/Direction: 6 to 16, NW
  Sky Cover: Mostly Cloudy
  Irwin Snow: 0 to 1″
  Elkton Snow: 0 to 1″
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0 to 1″

Date: 03/12/2019

The closed low-pressure system continues to inch its way slowly on to land near Baja. Heavy southerly flow is pushing moisture into the area with an inch or so around CB this morning. Light to moderate snowfall looks to continue during the day. Late on Tuesday and early Wednesday morning, a second system will drop down out of the northwest bringing cold air and will combine with the closed low near Colorado. This merging will help produce snowfall into Wednesday for the area and will bring a change in wind direction from the northwest and a dramatic increase in wind speeds. Total accumulations by Wednesday night will range from 10 to 18 inches across the mountains surrounding Crested Butte. As this merging system moves out, we will be left with below average temperatures on Thursday.

• Today

  High Temperature: 30 to 35
  Winds/Direction: 4 to 14, S
  Sky Cover: Overcast
  Irwin Snow: 4 to 6″
  Elkton Snow: 4 to 6″
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 4 to 6″

• Tonight

  Low Temperature: 19 to 24
  Winds/Direction: 8 to 18, SSW
  Sky Cover: Overcast
  Irwin Snow: 1 to 3″
  Elkton Snow: 1 to 3″
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 1 to 3″

• Tomorrow

  High Temperature: 24 to 29
  Winds/Direction: 12 to 22 G40, NW
  Sky Cover: Overcast
  Irwin Snow: 5 to 7″
  Elkton Snow: 5 to 7″
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 2 to 4″

Date: 03/11/2019

The low-pressure system spinning off the southern California coast is set to head inland today. The center of this system is projected to stay south of Colorado and produce favorable snowfall for southern Colorado and more modest totals for the Crested Butte area. Expect very light snowfall today and a little bit of an increase in intensity tonight after sunset with a couple of inches overnight. You can expect relatively uneventful Tuesday. Tuesday night through Thursday could be a bit more interesting as multiple factors may come together to produce substantial snowfall during that time. Tuesday night looks to have very warm air in place when the precipitation starts and could produce rain initially for elevations as high as 9,500′ before turning to snow.

• Today

  High Temperature: 27 to 32
  Winds/Direction: 3 to 13, SSW
  Sky Cover: Mostly Cloudy
  Irwin Snow: 0 to 2″
  Elkton Snow: 0 to 2″
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0 to 2″

• Tonight

  Low Temperature: 18 to 23
  Winds/Direction: 3 to 13, SW
  Sky Cover: Overcast
  Irwin Snow: 1 to 4″
  Elkton Snow: 1 to 4″
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 1 to 4″

• Tomorrow

  High Temperature: 31 to 36
  Winds/Direction: 5 to 15, SW
  Sky Cover: Mostly Cloudy
  Irwin Snow: 0 to 2″
  Elkton Snow: 0 to 2″
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0 to 2″

Date: 03/10/2019

A system off the coast of California will keep the sky cover mostly cloudy with a few flurries but not real accumulations. As the next storm moves inland, you can expect cloud cover to increase on Monday and snow to start accumulating during the day. This next round of snowfall will favor the San Juans Mountains, but the Crested Butte area will see another decent pulse of moisture into Monday night. As soon as this system exits there will be another hot on its heels producing snowfall into Wednesday. The storms just keep stacking up for Crested Butte; expect wet weather through at least mid-week.

• Today

  High Temperature: 25 to 30
  Winds/Direction: 4 to 14, SW
  Sky Cover: Mostly Cloudy
  Irwin Snow: 0″
  Elkton Snow: 0″
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0″

• Tonight

  Low Temperature: 13 to 18
  Winds/Direction: 5 to 15, SSW
  Sky Cover: Mostly Cloudy
  Irwin Snow: 0
  Elkton Snow: 0
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0

• Tomorrow

  High Temperature: 30 to 35
  Winds/Direction: 4 to 14, S
  Sky Cover: Overcast
  Irwin Snow: 3 to 6″
  Elkton Snow: 3 to 6″
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 3 to 6″

Date: 03/10/2019

The Pineapple Express is taking the weekend off, giving us time to dig out and get ready for the next one. We will see some more light snow this morning, then clearing around midday. Orographic showers will linger in the usual higher elevation areas with strong and gusty winds as the overhead jet stream shifts to the Northwest and then eventually back to the West/Southwest. Another low pressure system is lining up over So Cal which looks to bring us snowfall Sunday night into Wednesday. This system looks to favor the Southern Mountains of Colorado, but CB should do pretty well.

• Today

  High Temperature: 18
  Winds/Direction: West/Northwest 10-20 mph G 30’s
  Sky Cover: Decreasing clouds
  Irwin Snow: 2-4″
  Elkton Snow: 0-2″
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0-1″

• Tonight

  Low Temperature: 12
  Winds/Direction: West 5-15
  Sky Cover: Mostly Clear
  Irwin Snow: 0-2″
  Elkton Snow: 0-1″
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0-1″

• Tomorrow

  High Temperature: 25
  Winds/Direction: South 10-15
  Sky Cover: Increasing clouds
  Irwin Snow: 1-3″
  Elkton Snow: 0-2″
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0-2″

Date: 03/08/2019

While yesterday’s snowfall fell short of expectations, fear not as more snow is on the way. The Crested Butte area received 4-6” of new snow last night and a very convective and spring like storm is moving in today. Expect snow and wind to fluctuate throughout the day with heavy snow and graupel at times and even the possibility of some thunder. The heaviest snowfall could hold off until around sunset. Tonight temperatures will drop off and a Northwest flow will drive continued orographic snowfall over the Kebler Pass and Paradise Divide areas. A wobbley closed low comes into play next week which will push more snowfall into the area, but the exact track and snowfall is yet to be determined.

• Today

  High Temperature: 28
  Winds/Direction: Southwest 15-25 G40’s
  Sky Cover: Overcast
  Irwin Snow: 7-10″
  Elkton Snow: 6-8″
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 2-5″

• Tonight

  Low Temperature: 10
  Winds/Direction: 10-20 mph
  Sky Cover: Overcast
  Irwin Snow: 2-5″
  Elkton Snow: 1-3″
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 1-3″

• Tomorrow

  High Temperature: 20
  Winds/Direction: 10-20
  Sky Cover: Mostly Cloudy
  Irwin Snow: 1-3″
  Elkton Snow: 0-2″
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0-2″

Date: 03/07/2019

A moisture rich and potent storm passed through last night and will continue into today. We will see winds and snowfall taper off toward sunset with a bit of a reprieve tonight before cooler temperatures drives more snowfall tomorrow and into the weekend. Expect snowy weather to continue into next week with the potential for high pressure to set up again middle of the work week.

• Today

  High Temperature: 25
  Winds/Direction: West 15-25 G 30’s
  Sky Cover: Overcast
  Irwin Snow: 7-10″
  Elkton Snow: 7–10″
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 7-10″

• Tonight

  Low Temperature: 16
  Winds/Direction: Southwest 10-20
  Sky Cover: Overcast
  Irwin Snow: 2-4″
  Elkton Snow: 1-3″
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 1-3″

• Tomorrow

  High Temperature: 24
  Winds/Direction: Southwest 15-25
  Sky Cover: Overcast
  Irwin Snow: 5-7″
  Elkton Snow: 3-5″
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 3-5″