For 12/20/08: The best thing that I can say about this current system is that it will be moving through quickly. We are seeing high gusting winds spreading the moisture pretty thin but we will see snow through the better part of the day with skies clearing into tonight. We can expect a gap between pacific systems building thanks to the high winds and we may actually see some sunshine tomorrow though the colder temperatures will persist.

Temperatures overnight stayed fairly moderate if you are just looking at the thermometer with Crested Butte hitting 11 degrees while Gunnison stay a bit warmer at 14 degrees. The reality is that winds gusting to 35 mph in the town of Crested Butte are creating some super cold windchill values. This will continue through the day with a high in the teens expected valley wide with the wind chill dropping well below 0. By tonight we will see the winds relaxing as we gap systems but clear skies will mean super cold temperatures dropping to the negative teens.

Today might be on of those very illusive days here where it’s alright to just throw a log on the fire and watch the weather blow through. If that’s not in your plan then definitely be prepared as you head out for very cold wind chill values and sketchy travel conditions. If are driving anywhere outside the valley check flyingcracker.com’s road report for the current conditions because wind like this will likely close 285 with complications everywhere else. Hello winter.

Look for a complete Crested Butte and Gunnison weather report, 24 hour trends and real time weather information now available at WWW.CBTV.TV.