Quick-hitting storm to drop heavy snow across Colorado Rockies, threaten slick travel conditions
By
Maura Kelly, AccuWeather meteorologist
Published Dec 5, 2019 11:18 AM EDT
This satellite image shows a storm moving across the Rocky Mountains on Dec. 5, 2019. (Image/Cira RAAMB)
A storm system that brought periods of rain and mountain snow to California on Wednesday will continue to move east as impacts continue across the Southwest.
Rain and mountain snow arrived across Central and Southern California on Tuesday night as the storm moved inland. Many locations across Southern California received over an inch of rain on Wednesday alone.
Campo, California, reported 1.79 inches of rainfall in just 24 hours, breaking the daily record of 0.81 of an inch set in 1974. The normal rainfall for the month of December is 2.27 inches.
Moisture streaming into the state helped produce feet of snow in the highest peaks of the Sierra Nevada.
The storm began to push into the Great Basin on Wednesday night, producing rain and snow across parts of Nevada and into southern Idaho, Utah and Colorado.
Valley rain and mountain snow will continue to spread across the region throughout the day on Thursday.
"This storm system isn’t packing a lot of cold air. As a result, the highest elevations of Utah’s Wasatch Range and the Colorado Rockies will be the main areas of concern for accumulating snowfall and slippery travel," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Renee Duff.
The lack of cold air allowed mostly spotty rain showers in some valleys across the Great Basin during Thursday morning. Wet snow mixed in a few locations, including around Salt Lake City.
While residents in Denver shouldn't expect a repeat of the heavy snow event in the days leading up to Thanksgiving, a jacket and umbrella will still be needed as rain and snow showers move into the city with temperatures remaining in the 30s F, according to Duff.
As the storm continues to track across the mountainous terrain of the Southwest it will begin to weaken. This will keep widespread snowfall amounts under foot.
Snowfall totals into Thursday evening are likely to reach 1-3 inches across this area, mainly above 7,000 to 8,000 feet.
In the Colorado Rockies, snowfall of 3-6 inches is expected to pile up, while the highest elevations can receive up to 6-10 inches of snow.
"To the delight of winter sports enthusiasts, the highest peaks in southwestern Colorado can be buried under an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 20 inches of fresh snowfall," she added.
Many mountain passes in Colorado can become snowcovered and slippery. This can lead to difficult travel conditions, including along parts of I-70.
The storm is forecast to move out of the Great Basin Thursday night and any precipitation still occurring will quickly dissipate throughout the evening.
Once the storm moves out over the Plains it will be able to wrap up once again.
As the storm pulls in moisture from the Gulf of Mexico it can bring periods of rain to parts of the Deep South through the end of the week, where it can bring localized flooding.
Download the free AccuWeather app to check the forecast in your area. Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
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News / Winter Weather
Quick-hitting storm to drop heavy snow across Colorado Rockies, threaten slick travel conditions
By Maura Kelly, AccuWeather meteorologist
Published Dec 5, 2019 11:18 AM EDT
This satellite image shows a storm moving across the Rocky Mountains on Dec. 5, 2019. (Image/Cira RAAMB)
A storm system that brought periods of rain and mountain snow to California on Wednesday will continue to move east as impacts continue across the Southwest.
Rain and mountain snow arrived across Central and Southern California on Tuesday night as the storm moved inland. Many locations across Southern California received over an inch of rain on Wednesday alone.
Campo, California, reported 1.79 inches of rainfall in just 24 hours, breaking the daily record of 0.81 of an inch set in 1974. The normal rainfall for the month of December is 2.27 inches.
Moisture streaming into the state helped produce feet of snow in the highest peaks of the Sierra Nevada.
The storm began to push into the Great Basin on Wednesday night, producing rain and snow across parts of Nevada and into southern Idaho, Utah and Colorado.
Valley rain and mountain snow will continue to spread across the region throughout the day on Thursday.
"This storm system isn’t packing a lot of cold air. As a result, the highest elevations of Utah’s Wasatch Range and the Colorado Rockies will be the main areas of concern for accumulating snowfall and slippery travel," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Renee Duff.
The lack of cold air allowed mostly spotty rain showers in some valleys across the Great Basin during Thursday morning. Wet snow mixed in a few locations, including around Salt Lake City.
While residents in Denver shouldn't expect a repeat of the heavy snow event in the days leading up to Thanksgiving, a jacket and umbrella will still be needed as rain and snow showers move into the city with temperatures remaining in the 30s F, according to Duff.
As the storm continues to track across the mountainous terrain of the Southwest it will begin to weaken. This will keep widespread snowfall amounts under foot.
Snowfall totals into Thursday evening are likely to reach 1-3 inches across this area, mainly above 7,000 to 8,000 feet.
In the Colorado Rockies, snowfall of 3-6 inches is expected to pile up, while the highest elevations can receive up to 6-10 inches of snow.
"To the delight of winter sports enthusiasts, the highest peaks in southwestern Colorado can be buried under an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 20 inches of fresh snowfall," she added.
Many mountain passes in Colorado can become snowcovered and slippery. This can lead to difficult travel conditions, including along parts of I-70.
The storm is forecast to move out of the Great Basin Thursday night and any precipitation still occurring will quickly dissipate throughout the evening.
Once the storm moves out over the Plains it will be able to wrap up once again.
As the storm pulls in moisture from the Gulf of Mexico it can bring periods of rain to parts of the Deep South through the end of the week, where it can bring localized flooding.
Download the free AccuWeather app to check the forecast in your area. Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo