Date: 02/18/2020

Another quick round of snowfall dropped 2 to 4 inches across the forecast area. Winds calmed a bit overnight but are back on the increase early this morning from the west. Snowfall continues to linger as of 5 AM but is forecasted to dissipate shortly after sunrise. Sky cover will be similar to yesterday with reasonable amounts of sun, but the highest terrain along the Ruby Range may continue to see a bit more cloud cover. Air temperatures will be cooler today than past days but will remain reasonable.

You can expect most of Tuesday and Wednesday to be dry with the next snow producer arriving on Wednesday evening. Wednesday’s system should offer a refresh to surface conditions but it does not look like a major storm. Friday and into Saturday will dry out again, but the active weather pattern will send another low-pressure system towards Colorado roughly late Saturday or Sunday. The timing and trajectory of this system are largely uncertain, but the weather pattern remains busy over the next week.

• Today

  High Temperature: 21 to 25
  Winds/Direction: 5-15/W
  Sky Cover: Partly Cloudy
  Irwin Snow: 0-1″ early AM
  Elkton Snow: 0-1″ early AM
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0-1″ early AM

• Tonight

  Low Temperature: 3 to 7
  Winds/Direction: 5-15/WSW
  Sky Cover: Mostly Cloudy
  Irwin Snow: 0″
  Elkton Snow: 0″
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0″

• Tomorrow

  High Temperature: 25 to 29
  Winds/Direction: 5-15/W
  Sky Cover: Partly Cloudy
  Irwin Snow: 0″
  Elkton Snow: 0″
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0″

Date: 02/17/2020

Current storm totals range from about 3 to 9 inches across the forecast area. Satellite imagery shows a zonal flow in place straight from the west, but moisture is currently lacking. Snowfall will taper off early this morning which will give way to scattered snow showers for the rest of the day with minimal accumulations. Strong westerly winds have been blowing 20 to 30 miles per hour with gusts up to 50 at mountain tops. Another brief period of snowfall will develop late tonight and into Tuesday morning, but will struggle to produce much more than just a few inches of snow.

Tuesday and Wednesday are expected to be cool and dry days with some sunshine. The next storm to impact the area will arrive on Wednesday night from the southwest but currently, this system is not looking particularly productive for the Crested Butte area. We will keep an eye on this system as it moves closer to Colorado.

• Today

  High Temperature: 24 to 28
  Winds/Direction: 10-20/W
  Sky Cover: Mostly Cloudy
  Irwin Snow: 0-2″
  Elkton Snow: 0-2″
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0-2″

• Tonight

  Low Temperature: 4 to 8
  Winds/Direction: 5-15/W
  Sky Cover: Mostly Cloudy
  Irwin Snow: 1-3″
  Elkton Snow: 1-3″
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 1-3″

• Tomorrow

  High Temperature: 20 to 24
  Winds/Direction: 5-15/W
  Sky Cover: Partly Cloudy
  Irwin Snow: 0″
  Elkton Snow: 0″
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0″

Date: 02/16/2020

Snowfall began last night and will continue throughout the day for the Crested Butte area. Snow totals as of 5 AM range from about 1 to 4 inches. A healthy amount of Pacific moisture coupled with the jet-stream just north of the area will combine to produce modest snowfall. Strong westerly winds look to accompany this storm which will easily transport the new snow around to leeward features. Favorable wind direction from the west will also help squeeze out additional precipitation.

Temperatures for today will remain on the warmer side, but moving into tomorrow, slightly colder air will slide into the area. Modest snowfall will continue overnight on Sunday and into Monday although accumulations on Monday will be very light, producing just a few additional inches.

• Today

  High Temperature: 28 to 32
  Winds/Direction: 14 – 24/WSW
  Sky Cover: Overcast
  Irwin Snow: 4 – 6″
  Elkton Snow: 4 – 6″
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 4 – 6″

• Tonight

  Low Temperature: 14 to 18
  Winds/Direction: 12 – 22/W
  Sky Cover: Overcast
  Irwin Snow: 4 – 6″
  Elkton Snow: 4 – 6″
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 4 – 6″

• Tomorrow

  High Temperature: 24 to 28
  Winds/Direction: 12 – 22/W
  Sky Cover: Mostly Cloudy
  Irwin Snow: 0 – 2″
  Elkton Snow: 0 – 2″
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0 – 2″

Date: 02/15/2020

We will see high and midlevel clouds stream into the Elk Mountains today, increasing towards sunset. Temperatures will once again climb toward the freezing mark, with lower elevations this afternoon poking into the mid 30s. Westerly winds have increased overnight and will continue to be on the rise ahead of our next big snowmaker arriving tonight with average speeds in the 30-40mph, gusts into the 60s.

This storm is taking a similar trajectory as last week’s big snow event. A plume of moisture arching across the northern states will arrive tonight, favoring the Steamboat mountains and Flattops, but we will get in on the action with heavy snowfall expected Sunday and Monday. Pacific moisture, the overhead Jet stream and our mountains enhancing the incoming snowfall with additional forcing will squeeze significant snowfall produce 1-2 feet by Tuesday. Snowfall should begin just after midnight Sunday with intensifying snow really getting cranking after sunrise. Stay tuned as accumulations and timing may shift over the next 24 hours.

• Today

  High Temperature: 28 to 33
  Winds/Direction: 25-35 G60/W
  Sky Cover: Increasing clouds
  Irwin Snow: 0
  Elkton Snow: 0
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0

• Tonight

  Low Temperature: 10 to 15
  Winds/Direction: 20-30 G50
  Sky Cover: Mostly Cloudy
  Irwin Snow: 2-4″
  Elkton Snow: 2-4″
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 1-3″

• Tomorrow

  High Temperature: 20-25
  Winds/Direction: 15-25/NW
  Sky Cover: Overcast
  Irwin Snow: 4-8″
  Elkton Snow: 3-6″
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 3-6″

Date: 02/14/2020

Overnight, westerly winds persisted and have averaged in the teens, with gusts into the 20-30mph range. Lower elevations flirt in the single digits above and below zero with temperatures warming into the mid-teens at ridge top this morning. Expect a couple sunny, quiet, classic mid-winter days on tap before we swing back into unsettled weather and persistent snowfall into the middle of next week. Temperatures today should warm close to 30ºF today at 11,000ft, with light westerly winds near and above treeline. More details on the next storm tomorrow. Stay tuned.

• Today

  High Temperature: 25 to 30
  Winds/Direction: 5-15/WSW
  Sky Cover: Mostly Clear
  Irwin Snow: 0
  Elkton Snow: 0
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0

• Tonight

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

• Tomorrow

  High Temperature: 27-33
  Winds/Direction: 10-20/W
  Sky Cover: Partly Cloudy
  Irwin Snow: 0
  Elkton Snow: 0
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0

Date: 02/13/2020

At 6am we are still seeing some light snowfall with recent accumulations averaging around 2 inches. Colorado is under northwest flow with moisture streaming in and mostly producing snow in Northern Colorado. The Crested Butte area has been riding the line of either dry weather or clouds and light snow for a few days now. We will again be on the edge of that line today. Light snow looks to continue on the Aspen side of the Elk Mountains and further north in Colorado. Though some moisture looks to continue spilling into our area on Thursday so we can’t rule out the possibility of a little more light snowfall. The latest WRF Model Run shows a slight increase in upper level moister around mid-day, so I’ll hedge my bets with us landing on the more cloudy side of the line as well. Upper-level winds will also be increasing today, so above treeline elevations will see wind gusts in the 40 and 50mph range.

Dry weather works its way in for Friday, while upper-level winds decrease. Looks like we’ll then see more snow arriving by Sunday.

• Today

  High Temperature: 21 to 25
  Winds/Direction: 10 to 20 G40/ WNW
  Sky Cover: Mostly Cloudy
  Irwin Snow: 0 to 1
  Elkton Snow: 0 to 1
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0 to 1

• Tonight

  Low Temperature: 4 to 8
  Winds/Direction: 7 to 17/ W
  Sky Cover: Mostly Clear
  Irwin Snow: 0
  Elkton Snow: 0
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0

• Tomorrow

  High Temperature: 24 to 28
  Winds/Direction: 7 to 17/WSW
  Sky Cover: Clear
  Irwin Snow: 0
  Elkton Snow: 0
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0

Date: 02/12/2020

The clear sky overnight will start to increase with clouds today. We are sitting under cool northwest flow, with a small storm forecasted to clip through Northern Colorado Today. It looks like we’ll again be on the edge of that moisture. Models are suggesting that we’ll see partly to mostly cloudy sky cover by the afternoon with a dusting of new snow possible. Wind speeds will also increase a notch today as stronger winds aloft move over the area for the next 24 hours.

Thursday will be another transition day, but this time we’ll be transitioning back to the dry side of the line. We’ll still be under northwest flow through most of the day, with winds and cloud cover decreasing through the day. A dry high-pressure ridge will be building in for Friday. Unsettled weather looks to move back in for the weekend, but nothing to significant looking at the moment.

• Today

  High Temperature: 21 to 25
  Winds/Direction: 10 to 20/NW
  Sky Cover: Partly Cloudy
  Irwin Snow: 0 to 2
  Elkton Snow: 0 to 1
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0 to 1

• Tonight

  Low Temperature: -2 to 2
  Winds/Direction: 10 to 20/WNW
  Sky Cover: Partly Cloudy
  Irwin Snow: 0 to 1
  Elkton Snow: 0 to 1
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0 to 1

• Tomorrow

  High Temperature: 24 to 28
  Winds/Direction: 7 to 17/WNW
  Sky Cover: Partly Cloudy
  Irwin Snow: 0
  Elkton Snow: 0
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0

Date: 02/11/2020

The Closed-Low down in Arizona is still pushing a little moisture into Southern Colorado. We’ll continue to see some of that moisture pushing into our area in the form of clouds and possible light snow. Winds have died off since yesterday. We’ll see any lingering winds transitioning from SW to NW today as we slide into dry NW flow throughout the day. A little clipper of a storm will be passing by our area Tuesday night and we may again see some clouds and the possibility of very light snow if that sags over our area. On Thursday we’ll start drying out by the afternoon under a building high-pressure ridge and also see an uptick in wind-speeds as the pressure gradient in the NW flow tightens.

• Today

  High Temperature: 23 to 27
  Winds/Direction: 5 to 15/WSW
  Sky Cover: Partly Cloudy
  Irwin Snow: 0 to 1
  Elkton Snow: 0 to 1
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0 to 1

• Tonight

  Low Temperature: 1 to 5
  Winds/Direction: 5 to 15/NW
  Sky Cover: Partly Cloudy
  Irwin Snow: 0
  Elkton Snow: 0
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0

• Tomorrow

  High Temperature: 21 to 25
  Winds/Direction: 10 to 20/NW
  Sky Cover: Partly Cloudy
  Irwin Snow: 0 to 2
  Elkton Snow: 0 to 1
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0 to 1

Date: 02/10/2020

A couple of inches of snow fell yesterday and last night across the forecast area with snow currently falling lightly. The current snow production is from the northerly system that began impacting the area yesterday and it will linger through the first half of the day. The area could pick up an additional few inches by the afternoon. Winds remain elevated near and above treeline, but are forecasted to drop off sometime this afternoon.

The closed low-pressure system in southern California is stumbling to the east towards Arizona and New Mexico. Given the current trajectory, the Crested Butte area will struggle to pick up significant accumulations. The system will pass well south of our area and an eastern flow will develop which is unproductive for snowfall for Crested Butte. The southern San Juans and Front Range often fair much better from storms like this. Even though this system looks unproductive, the second part of this week and weekend should offer more opportunities for snowfall.

• Today

  High Temperature: 24 to 28
  Winds/Direction: 8-18/W decreasing in the afternoon
  Sky Cover: Overcast
  Irwin Snow: 1-3″
  Elkton Snow: 1-3″
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0-2″

• Tonight

  Low Temperature: 1 to 5
  Winds/Direction: 4-14/E
  Sky Cover: Mostly Cloudy
  Irwin Snow: 0-2″
  Elkton Snow: 0-2″
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0-2″

• Tomorrow

  High Temperature: 23 to 27
  Winds/Direction: 5 to 15/SE
  Sky Cover: Mostly Cloudy
  Irwin Snow: 0″
  Elkton Snow: 0″
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 0 – trace”

Date: 02/09/2020

A weak system and associated cold front are oozing south through Colorado today. This will bring cooling temperatures and light snowfall for the Crested Butte area. Snowfall today is expected to produce up to 4 or so inches of accumulations on the high end. Winds are forecasted to remain out of the southwest today at much more reasonable speeds than yesterday, but they will likely still be strong enough at ridgetops to transport some snow.

A more substantial low-pressure system further to out west will begin impacting the area on Sunday night. This system is expected to close off and separate from the jetstream and wobble from southern California towards Arizona and New Mexico. You can expect modest snowfall from Sunday night through about Tuesday morning. This system has a decent amount of moisture but is forecasted to track in a less-favorable direction for snow production in Crested Butte, but trajectories for closed low-pressure systems can be tricky.

• Today

  High Temperature: 23 to 27
  Winds/Direction: 5-15/SW
  Sky Cover: Mostly Cloudy
  Irwin Snow: 2-4″
  Elkton Snow: 2-4″
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 2-4″

• Tonight

  Low Temperature: 8 to 12
  Winds/Direction: 5-15/SW
  Sky Cover: Overcast
  Irwin Snow: 2-4″
  Elkton Snow: 2-4″
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 2-4″

• Tomorrow

  High Temperature: 26 to 30
  Winds/Direction: 10-20/WSW
  Sky Cover: Overcast
  Irwin Snow: 2-4″
  Elkton Snow: 2-4″
  Friend’s Hut Snow: 2-4″