Extreme Snowfall Variability in a Winter Storm over the Western Colorado Mountains

A moderate cold front and associated upper level trough tracked through western Colorado on 19-20 February 2012 and brought widespread light to moderate snowfall to the mountains of western Colorado and eastern Utah. An exception to this snowfall distribution occurred over the Park Range and the Grand Mesa of western Colorado where snowfall amounts of 20-30 inches (50-75 cm) fell over these locations. This study will examine the forecast challenges of this storm detailing the storm evolution and factors that contributed to the intense snowfall rates over these localized areas and the diverse snowfall distribution that resulted from this storm.