Crestone Weather Center
Keno's Home and Crestone's Official Weather Station

Snow reports for two major snowstorms

Crestone and the surounding area was hit by two snowstorms in just five days, on April 12, and April 17, 2009. Below are the snow total reports that came in from several locals.

Easter snowstorm reports from in and around the Crestone area

April 12, 2009

On Easter Sunday, April 12, 2009, Crestone Colorado had one big snowstorm. The heavy snows fell mainly in the northern part of San Del Cristo Mountains and in the connected foothills on its western slope, but only from about Valley View Hot Springs south to about the Crestone area. The Great Sand Dunes National Park, located just south of Crestone, also got heavy snow, but not anywhere as much as we received in Crestone. In the middle of the San Luis Valley, below Crestone, about 6" fell on average, and on the western edge of the valley by the San Juan Mountains, only about 2" were reported. Here are all of the snow reports sent in while the storm was on-going.

Reports from emails sent in from locals, the latest reports are noted last ...

15"  at Rocky View Way, half way down the hill from Camino Baca Grande @ 6am.
14" at 479 Arrowhead Way at 724am.......
14" of new snow at 7:30am at Willow Creek Way, Chalet 1 in the Baca, altitude about 8,500'...
15" reported at 9000 feet (above Crestone) at 730am....
10" and falling fast 3 miles south of Valley View Hot Springs, off SE corner of CR 65 and DD - 815am.
12"  of snow about 715am in Chalet II on Splendid Terrace (off Enchanted Way and Cameno Del Rey).
7.5"  out on Homestead Road about a half mile from the western edge of the Grants at 805am.
12" of fresh snow at  Brooktrout Trail, .8 mile S. of Spanish Creek off Wagon Wheel. At 7:45am
13" in the Grants of Two Trees just past the tree line at 8:10am
12" at Valley View Hot Springs office at 850am
13" at Brooktrout Trail by Spanish Creek off Wagon Wheel, update at 8:56am
15.5" at 8:40am. We are at Ridgeview and Moonlight in Chalet I.
12"  - Cty Rd 66T at 7800' - 1/4mi S. of San Isabel Creek @932am
16.5" at 930am at Ridgeview and Moonlight in Chalet I
18" at 938am at Rendezvous near Camino Baca Grande (main road), Chalet I
18-20" downtown Crestone opposite the post office at 940am.
16" About a half mile down Lone Pine Way from Camino Baca Grande @ 940am
18"  at 9:45am Badger Rd, Chalet I
11” From the Grants at 945am
14.5" at 947am update from Spanish Creek off Wagon Wheel
16" 1 mile from Moffat school at 950pm
17.3" On Baca Grant Way, between upper and lower Skyview,  at 10:00 a.m.
21" at our Crestone weather station @ 10:15am, Chalet I
21" at Rocky View Way @1045am
22" - 23" at E. Badger Road  (8300') 11:45 AM
18" at 11:45 AM; Serene Way and Camino Baca Grande - Chalet II
20" at Sunburst Overlook off Panorama @1146am, Chalet I
18" at noon at Brooktrout Trail, .8 miles south of Spanish Creek off Wagon Wheel, altitude 7,960 ft.
16"-18" in the Valley View Hot Springs tent campground at Noon
20" at 1245pm at Ridgeview Way (Near Brookview) in Chalet I
17' at 110pm at Chaparral and East Badger
21" at 9000 feet at 115pm
26.8" total at our weather station (but no more than 20" on ground because of warm temps) @ 115pm
18.5" on ground at Panorama, just above Moonlight in Chalet I at 130pm
27" reported on E Twinview, Chalet 2, at 130pm.

Note: Snow stopped falling around 10 PM, but there were no new added accumulations after 1:20 PM because of temperatures around 40° in the afternoon.

April 17, 2009 snowstorm

Second major snowstorm hits Crestone in less than a week. Here are reports from locals as they came in on April 17...

8" on the ground at 0900 at 479 Arrowhead.
10.8" at Ridgeview and Moonlight at 10:15am
14" of snow measured at 1295 Brookside Overlook (off Moonlight Way), approximately 8400 feet, 10:45 am.
10" southwestern end of the Grants (off two trees) at 1045am
18" reported in Chalet 3 at 9000 feet at 1045am
12.5 to 14 inches - 6 measurements taken @10:45am Brookside Overlook - Chalet I - by Willow Creek,  8400'
16.1 at our Crestone weather station at 1115am, 3.8" in the last hour
14.4" at Ridgeview and Moonlight at 1120am
15" at Valley View, at 11:30 am, about  2" an hour coming down there
17" to 18" at E. Badger Rd at 8300'@ 1140am
15.6" at Ridgeview and Moonlight at 5:30pm
17.5" at the weather station at 725pm, but only 12" left on the ground

By Saturday, April 18, the snows lightened up, with another 0.9" falling in the morning hours at our weather station. It should be noted that the very first piece of the storm actually started up on April 16, when one-half inch was recorded.

Thanks so much to those who sent in all of these reports for these two storms!! 

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