Colorado snowfall totals fall short of forecasts in many places, but gave needed moisture

Miles Blumhardt, Fort Collins Coloradoan
·2 min read
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The National Weather Service's predicted snowfall totals for many parts of Colorado's Front Range and Eastern Plains fell short of expectations.

But what the Tuesday-Wednesday storm lacked in snow, it made up for in moisture.

Many Fort Collins locations received about a half-inch of moisture, which is unusual for a January snow. The city officially received .48 inches of moisture and 5.1 inches of snow, according to the Colorado State University Colorado Climate Center. The weather service's probability for Fort Collins was 8 to 12 inches of snow.

One reporting station southwest of Windsor reported 9.8 inches of snow and the mountains near Crested Butte reported 48 inches. Illif, which is near Sterling, reported 10.5 inches of snow. But most reporting stations on the Eastern Plains reported far less than the 8 to 18 inches forecast, as the heavier snow moved a little farther north and east.

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Still, the forecast prompted the closure of area schools, including Poudre School District and CSU, and closed or delayed the opening of governmental offices. Fort Collins, Windsor and Loveland were on accident alert and many roads were closed on the Eastern Plains on Thursday, including Interstate 70.

How much snow did Fort Collins get compared to the rest of Colorado?

Here are snowfall totals reported as of various times on Wednesday from the National Weather Service and the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail & Snow Network. The miles and direction indicate location of reporting sites.

Fort Collins-area snowfall totals

Pennock Pass (3 miles east): 10.3 inches

Windsor (4 miles southwest): 9.8 inches

Loveland (2 miles north): 7 inches

Greeley: 6.5 inches

Bellvue: 7.4 inches

Mishawaka (3 miles northwest): 7 inches

Livermore (9.9 miles west-southwest): 7 inches

Fort Collins (2 miles west-northwest): 6 inches

Fort Collins ( 1 mile north-northeast): 6 inches

Fort Collins (5.1 miles north-northeast): 6 inches

Berthoud (2.5 miles north): 5.5 inches

Johnstown: 5.5 inches

Fort Collins (3.1 miles south): 5 inches

Wellington: 5 inches

Timnath: 4.8 inches

Estes Park (2 miles west-northwest): 4.8 inches

Laporte: 4.5 inches

Severance: 4.2 inches

Poudre Park: 4 inches

Gould: 2 inches

Colorado statewide snowfall totals

Crested Butte (7 miles west): 48 inches

Monarch Pass: 15 inches

Elizabeth: 12 inches

Iliff: 10.5 inches

Castle Rock: 10 inches

Denver International Airport: 9.2 inches

Winter Park: 9 inches

Julesburg: 8.5 inches

Holyoke: 8 inches

Aurora: 7.5 inches

Longmont: 7.2 inches

Denver: 6 inches

Boulder (National Weather Service office): 5.6 inches

Sterling: 4.5 inches

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: How much snow did Fort Collins get? See snowfall totals in Colorado