National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

Severe Weather Threat Shifted to the Southern Plains and Mid-South; Critical Fire Weather in the Southern Plains

Multiple rounds of strong to severe thunderstorms may produce very large hail, swaths of damaging wind, a few tornadoes and heavy rain across parts of Texas into the lower Mississippi and Tennessee Valleys. Gusty winds and dry conditions will continue to promote elevated to critical fire weather conditions across the southern High Plains. Read More >

Overview

     A prolonged period of strong northwest flow carried sufficient moisture from a decaying atmospheric river and produced significant snow over the mountains of western Colorado, as well as some northern and central valleys. Snow favored the northwestern and western slopes across the northern and central portions of the forecast area with over 3 feet of snow falling in some areas. Showers began in earnest on Wednesday night, February 5 and into Thursday with heavy snow continuing through Friday before activity diminished Friday night, February 7.

     Wind gusts with this storm exceeded 50 MPH, resulting in hazardous travel with reduced visibility in blowing snow. Additionally, snow rates approached 2 inches per hour at times. This severely impacted travel, particularly along I-70 with Vail Pass closing several times throughout the event, often for an extended period of time. Additionally, the heavy snow led to treacherous backcountry conditions and the increased threat for avalanches with the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC) having to issue numerous Avalanche Warnings during the event.

February 4-7, 2020 Winter Storm
Storm Total Snowfall: February 4-7, 2020
Rabbit Ears Pass on Feb 7, 2020 Vail Pass on Feb 7, 2020 Gore Pass on Feb 7, 2020
Rabbit Ears Pass on February 7, 2020 (Credit: CDOT) Vail Pass on February 7, 2020 (Credit: CDOT) Gore Pass on February 7, 2020 (Credit: CDOT)
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