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Cold temperatures, heavy snow move into Northwest Colorado earlier than anticipated

Craig Press Staff
The view from Moffat County High School shows an early wintry landscape.
Andy Bockelman

After a surge of snow earlier this week, the weather for Craig and Moffat County looks to be warming up heading into the weekend.

Powerful powder hit Northwest Colorado starting Sunday and kept at it intermittently in the following days to create a white landscape early for the area and set a wintry tone.

Apart from the initial dump on Sunday, Craig’s snow totals from Monday, Tuesday and early Wednesday added up to about 11 inches across the three-day period, according to the National Weather Service’s Grand Junction office.



The cold temperatures and snowfall caused issues for traffic throughout the state, as roads were icy with snowpack across the Denver region and up into the mountains on I-25 and the I-70 mountain corridor.

While the tough road conditions were a cause for slower travel times and congestion, Colorado State Patrol and Colorado Department of Transportation were pleased overall with the way commuters handled themselves in the frigid, icy conditions.



Travel along Colorado Highway 13 was slow and steady as well, with no major accidents reported, according to CSP.

NWS Meteorologist Scott Stearns attributed the cold snap and moisture to a system that came directly from the Great White North.

“This last system dropped pretty much straight south from Alberta, Canada, that’s why it’s been so cold,” he said.

Stearns said the recent chill was considerable for late October, albeit not the most extreme the region has seen.

And, though it’s unlikely Craig will be seeing the warmth it has earlier in the month, the area’s ice and snow will start seeing a thaw soon.

“We’ll be seeing more northwesterly flow for a few days, and there might be a few small disturbances, but we’ll be seeing some drier air,” Stearns said. “By Monday, we might be getting closer to normal.”


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