Date: 01/05/2018

Another unseasonably warm day will be on tap as the ridge over the Great Basin begins to flatten and weaken. This morning we have quite an impressive valley inversion with the town of Crested Butte shivering at 1º, compared to mid mountain at CBMR reporting 30º at 6am. Expect some high clouds to move into the area, with another day of strong sunshine ahead of the much anticipated Saturday afternoon disturbance that looks to arrive between 4-6pm. Several models are still fluttering with the expected moisture, potentially 6″ with the 4km WRF showing hues of red meaning double digit accumulations for those typical snow favored areas like Schofield Pass and the Ruby Range. West to northwest winds look to bump into the 40-50mph range with this potential snowfall. The real storm to start getting sweaty palms over is next Wednesday… Stay tuned.

• Today

  High Temperature: 35
  Winds/Direction: 5-15/WSW
  Sky Cover: Mostly Clear
  Irwin Snow: 0
  Elkton Snow: 0
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0

• Tonight

  Low Temperature: 20
  Winds/Direction: 5-15/WNW
  Sky Cover: Increasing clouds
  Irwin Snow: 0
  Elkton Snow: 0
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0

• Tomorrow

  High Temperature: 30
  Winds/Direction: 35
  Sky Cover: Increasing clouds
  Irwin Snow: 1-3 PM
  Elkton Snow: 1-3PM
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 1-2″ PM

Date: 01/04/2018

We’ve got another gorgeous day on tap, almost a straight redo of yesterday. Low temperatures were a couple degrees warmer in the valley last night, but almost spot on the same in the alpine. The inversion remains and the slow march of cold air draining towards Gunnison continues.
Tomorrow we’ll see a few more clouds ahead of a storm on track for Saturday night. The weather models still don’t agree on whether this storm will come straight to us, or slide to our North. Stay tuned tomorrow for details on expected snowfall amounts.

• Today

  High Temperature: 30
  Winds/Direction: 5 to 10, Northwest
  Sky Cover: Mostly Clear
  Irwin Snow: 0
  Elkton Snow: 0
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0

• Tonight

  Low Temperature: 15
  Winds/Direction: 5 to 15, Northwest
  Sky Cover: Mostly Clear
  Irwin Snow: 0
  Elkton Snow: 0
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0

• Tomorrow

  High Temperature: 30
  Winds/Direction: 5 to 15, Northwest
  Sky Cover: Partly Cloudy
  Irwin Snow: 0
  Elkton Snow: 0
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0

Date: 01/03/2018

The steady march of the west coast high-pressure drums on. We’ll see continued mild and dry conditions until our next chance of precipitation this coming weekend.
Under a strong inversion, the cold air pooled in the valley floor will keep temperatures chilly in the lower Gunnison valley all day, while the alpine will saunter it’s way to near or even above freezing. Expect high thin clouds today, but not much else to say right now. Fat bikers, enjoy!

• Today

  High Temperature: 30
  Winds/Direction: 5 to 15, Northwest
  Sky Cover: Partly Cloudy
  Irwin Snow: 0
  Elkton Snow: 0
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0

• Tonight

  Low Temperature: 15, colder in the valleys
  Winds/Direction: 5 to 15, Northwest
  Sky Cover: Partly Cloudy
  Irwin Snow: 0
  Elkton Snow: 0
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0

• Tomorrow

  High Temperature: 30
  Winds/Direction: 5 to 10, Northwest
  Sky Cover: Mostly Clear
  Irwin Snow: 0
  Elkton Snow: 0
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0

Date: 01/02/2018

Are we seeing the return of the left coast deflector shield? I hope not, but high pressure has returned to the Western US, keeping us under mild and sunny weather for the foreseeable future. Today there is a small pulse of cold air pushing down the east side of the front range, but continental divide will limit the spillover of cold air to the western slope. Expect very dry conditions with cold nights for the rest of the week.

• Today

  High Temperature: 28
  Winds/Direction: 5 to 15, gusting 30, Northwest
  Sky Cover: Clear
  Irwin Snow: 0
  Elkton Snow: 0
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0

• Tonight

  Low Temperature: 10, colder in the valley floor
  Winds/Direction: 5 to 10, Northwest
  Sky Cover: Clear
  Irwin Snow: 0
  Elkton Snow: 0
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0

• Tomorrow

  High Temperature: 30
  Winds/Direction: 5 to 10, Northwest
  Sky Cover: Clear
  Irwin Snow: 0
  Elkton Snow: 0
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0

Date: 01/01/2018

Well… it was much colder overnight and we’ll have fewer clouds today but still high thin clouds rolling through. Ya!!!!! Come on people get excited. Still similar weather today as yesterday, then we’re back into dry northwest flow for the week. There is a little change for Thursday! Thursday, Thursday, Thursday!!! Big changes on Thursday! We should see some clouds return. Isn’t that exciting? Otherwise just a new year but same weather setup as we continue to be the monkey in the middle of a high-presser ridge to our west and low-pressure trough further east. Tune in tomorrow for another installment of… the dry northwest flow with Ben Pritchet on deck!

• Today

  High Temperature: 30
  Winds/Direction: 10 to 20/WNW
  Sky Cover: Partly Cloudy
  Irwin Snow: 0
  Elkton Snow: 0
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0

• Tonight

  Low Temperature: 12
  Winds/Direction: 10 to 20/WNW
  Sky Cover: Partly Cloudy
  Irwin Snow: 0
  Elkton Snow: 0
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0

• Tomorrow

  High Temperature: 30
  Winds/Direction: 5 to 15/NW
  Sky Cover: Mostly Clear
  Irwin Snow: 0
  Elkton Snow: 0
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0

Date: 12/31/2017

It’s just another day of Monkey In The Middle here in Crested Butte. And yes, we’re the monkey. It is warm and dry to our west, snowing to our north and out east. While we’re just hanging out in the middle of it all, enjoying some mild temperatures, eating a banana and sitting under a bunch of high clouds instead of palm trees. Moderate westerly winds are going to keep at it today, while high clouds keep streaming overhead. More of the same tomorrow, then back to dry northwest flow for the week at the monkey stays in the middle.

• Today

  High Temperature: 34
  Winds/Direction: 10 to 20/WNW
  Sky Cover: Mostly Cloudy
  Irwin Snow: 0
  Elkton Snow: 0
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0

• Tonight

  Low Temperature: 25
  Winds/Direction: 5 to 15/WNW
  Sky Cover: Partly Cloudy
  Irwin Snow: 0
  Elkton Snow: 0
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0

• Tomorrow

  High Temperature: 34
  Winds/Direction: 10 to 20/WNW
  Sky Cover: Partly Cloudy
  Irwin Snow: 0
  Elkton Snow: 0
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0

Date: 12/30/2017

Unseasonably warm weather continues, though a weakening cold front will clip the northern mountains. All we will see around the Crested Butte backcountry is a slight increase in cloud cover, and westerly winds. Blue skies, temperatures in the mid to upper 30s, and light west winds near and above timberline will prevail. Some mountain locations have been struggling to dip much below freezing recently above the cold morning valley inversions. Septembuary. Yikes. Enjoy it I suppose…storms are a brewing in the Pacific for later next week.

• Today

  High Temperature: 38
  Winds/Direction: 10-20/WNW
  Sky Cover: Partly Cloudy
  Irwin Snow: 0
  Elkton Snow: 0
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0

• Tonight

  Low Temperature: 15
  Winds/Direction: 10-15/W
  Sky Cover: Partly Cloudy
  Irwin Snow: 0
  Elkton Snow: 0
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0

• Tomorrow

  High Temperature: 35
  Winds/Direction: 5-15/W
  Sky Cover: Mostly Clear
  Irwin Snow: 0
  Elkton Snow: 0
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0

Date: 12/29/2017

Another day of unseasonably warm temperatures and plentiful sunshine today before a northerly system clips the state, bringing with it an increase in cloud cover and dip in temperatures on Saturday. Previous model runs were showing a slight chance in snow flurries but it looks like any snow will fall north of I-70. Looking forward to a potential pattern change the second week in January.

• Today

  High Temperature: 37
  Winds/Direction: 15-25/WNW
  Sky Cover: Mostly Clear
  Irwin Snow: 0
  Elkton Snow: 0
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0

• Tonight

  Low Temperature: 10
  Winds/Direction: 10-15/W
  Sky Cover: Mostly Clear
  Irwin Snow: 0
  Elkton Snow: 0
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0

• Tomorrow

  High Temperature: 37
  Winds/Direction: 10-20/W
  Sky Cover: Mostly Clear
  Irwin Snow: 0
  Elkton Snow: 0
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0

Date: 12/28/2017

Cold, clear nights and sunny days look to re-gain their chokehold over the next week as high pressure over the western United States annoyingly re-builds. Look for breezy NW winds at higher elevations and temperatures climbing into the upper 20s above the stagnant valley inversions. Looking ahead, pretty darn far ahead, 500mb winds do shift into northwesterly flow around January 4th, bringing with it the chance for Pacific moisture riding these driving winds into the Elk Mountains. Still over a week out, and confidence is always low looking that far ahead, but worth mentioning. Something to keep spirits high in that post-holiday Post Office line?

• Today

  High Temperature: 28
  Winds/Direction: 10-20/WNW
  Sky Cover: Mostly Clear
  Irwin Snow: 0
  Elkton Snow: 0
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0

• Tonight

  Low Temperature: 15
  Winds/Direction: 5-15/W
  Sky Cover: Mostly Clear
  Irwin Snow: 0
  Elkton Snow: 0
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0

• Tomorrow

  High Temperature: 32
  Winds/Direction: 5-15/W
  Sky Cover: Mostly Clear
  Irwin Snow: 0
  Elkton Snow: 0
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0

Date: 12/27/2017

Under a broad ridge of high pressure, Today we can expect cool and breezy weather. Moderate northwest winds will continue to usher in a few clouds over the peaks as a tiny blip of moisture passes to our North, but we’ve got no snow on tap for the remainder of the week. Tonight the inversion machine will once again bring cold temps to valley floor. And we’ll see more of the same on tap for tomorrow, albeit with a bit less wind and fewer clouds.

• Today

  High Temperature: 25
  Winds/Direction: 15 to 25, West
  Sky Cover: Partly Cloudy
  Irwin Snow: 0
  Elkton Snow: 0
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0

• Tonight

  Low Temperature: 10, colder in the valley floor
  Winds/Direction: 10 to 20, West
  Sky Cover: Partly Cloudy
  Irwin Snow: 0
  Elkton Snow: 0
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0

• Tomorrow

  High Temperature: 28
  Winds/Direction: 10 to 20, West
  Sky Cover: Mostly Clear
  Irwin Snow: 0
  Elkton Snow: 0
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0