NWS records coldest U.S. temperature last weekend in this Colorado county
It is also one of the coldest spots in the nation, recording below freezing temps every calendar day
The National Weather Service announced that a weather station in Grand County logged the coldest temperature in the continental United States this past weekend.
A low of 19 degrees Fahrenheit was recorded Sept. 23 at a weather station on Berthoud Pass. Then on Sunday, Sept. 24, a weather station approximately 4 miles northwest of Grand Lake observed a low temperature of 17 degrees Fahrenheit, according to tweets from the National Weather Service’s Boulder Office.
In addition, NWS says that the Fraser River Valley is one of the few locations in the U.S. that had below freezing temperatures on every calendar day, and is one of the most consistently coldest spots in the nation.
While the high elevation in the Fraser Valley plays a factor for the cold mountain air, the surrounding mountains drive the conditions into effect.
“When night falls, frigid mountain air descends into the valley given its higher density and radiational cooling,” a NWS graphic stated that was posted on its Facebook page. “Eventually strong morning inversions form, meaning lighter, warmer air is pushed high above the valley floor.”
Tara Alatorre is the editor of Sky-Hi News. You can reach her at 970-557-6031 or talatorre@skyhinews.com.
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