Buffalo Pass (Continental Divide)

Buffalo Pass

The continental divide sign at the pass

Elevation| 10,180 ft (3,103 m)[1]
Traversed by| Unimproved road
Location| Jackson / Routt counties, Colorado, U.S.
Range| Park Range
Coordinates| 40°32′37″N 106°41′06″W﻿ / ﻿40.54361°N 106.68500°W﻿ / 40.54361; -106.68500
Topo map| USGS Buffalo Pass

Buffalo Pass, elevation 10,180 ft (3,100 m), is a mountain pass that crosses the Continental Divide in the Park Range of the Rocky Mountains of northern Colorado in the United States.

## History

[edit]

On December 4, 1978, Rocky Mountain Airways Flight 217 crashed on Buffalo Pass after encountering severe icing conditions and downdrafts. 20 out of the 22 passengers and crew would survive the crash, which prompted media to call the "Mircale on Buffalo Pass".[2][3]

## Climate

[edit]

Tower is a weather station at the summit of Buffalo Pass. Tower has a subalpine climate (Köppen Dfc).

Climate data for Tower, Colorado, 1991–2020 normals, 1986-2020 extremes: 10500ft (3200m)

Month  | Jan  | Feb  | Mar  | Apr  | May  | Jun  | Jul  | Aug  | Sep  | Oct  | Nov  | Dec  | Year
Record high °F (°C)  | 52
(11)  | 56
(13)  | 62
(17)  | 66
(19)  | 72
(22)  | 78
(26)  | 80
(27)  | 78
(26)  | 74
(23)  | 64
(18)  | 63
(17)  | 50
(10)  | 80
(27)
Mean maximum °F (°C)  | 38.9
(3.8)  | 40.3
(4.6)  | 47.4
(8.6)  | 54.6
(12.6)  | 62.4
(16.9)  | 69.2
(20.7)  | 71.8
(22.1)  | 72.8
(22.7)  | 67.3
(19.6)  | 57.7
(14.3)  | 47.1
(8.4)  | 38.4
(3.6)  | 73.9
(23.3)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)  | 22.7
(−5.2)  | 25.1
(−3.8)  | 32.5
(0.3)  | 39.7
(4.3)  | 48.9
(9.4)  | 58.2
(14.6)  | 65.5
(18.6)  | 63.8
(17.7)  | 55.4
(13.0)  | 42.5
(5.8)  | 30.0
(−1.1)  | 22.1
(−5.5)  | 42.2
(5.7)
Daily mean °F (°C)  | 15.8
(−9.0)  | 17.2
(−8.2)  | 24.2
(−4.3)  | 29.9
(−1.2)  | 39.0
(3.9)  | 48.4
(9.1)  | 55.7
(13.2)  | 54.2
(12.3)  | 46.5
(8.1)  | 34.3
(1.3)  | 22.9
(−5.1)  | 15.4
(−9.2)  | 33.6
(0.9)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)  | 8.7
(−12.9)  | 9.3
(−12.6)  | 15.3
(−9.3)  | 20.1
(−6.6)  | 29.3
(−1.5)  | 38.6
(3.7)  | 45.9
(7.7)  | 44.6
(7.0)  | 37.3
(2.9)  | 26.1
(−3.3)  | 16.1
(−8.8)  | 8.5
(−13.1)  | 25.0
(−3.9)
Mean minimum °F (°C)  | −8.7
(−22.6)  | −8.0
(−22.2)  | −0.5
(−18.1)  | 5.1
(−14.9)  | 15.2
(−9.3)  | 26.5
(−3.1)  | 37.0
(2.8)  | 36.3
(2.4)  | 22.3
(−5.4)  | 8.8
(−12.9)  | −3.3
(−19.6)  | −10.4
(−23.6)  | −15.1
(−26.2)
Record low °F (°C)  | −19
(−28)  | −30
(−34)  | −13
(−25)  | −10
(−23)  | 2
(−17)  | 19
(−7)  | 25
(−4)  | 28
(−2)  | 8
(−13)  | −7
(−22)  | −19
(−28)  | −29
(−34)  | −30
(−34)
Average precipitation inches (mm)  | 7.96
(202)  | 7.20
(183)  | 6.20
(157)  | 6.92
(176)  | 4.77
(121)  | 2.47
(63)  | 1.68
(43)  | 1.58
(40)  | 3.06
(78)  | 4.47
(114)  | 6.36
(162)  | 6.94
(176)  | 59.61
(1,515)
Average extreme snow depth inches (cm)  | 91.8
(233)  | 113.4
(288)  | 123.2
(313)  | 127.2
(323)  | 111.3
(283)  | 76.8
(195)  | 8.9
(23)  | 0.5
(1.3)  | 3.9
(9.9)  | 16.2
(41)  | 35.3
(90)  | 64.9
(165)  | 128.1
(325)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 19.7  | 18.7  | 18.1  | 18.5  | 15.1  | 8.7  | 6.7  | 7.5  | 9.5  | 12.5  | 15.4  | 18.8  | 169.2
Source 1: XMACIS2 (normals, extremes & 2004-2020 snow depth)[4]
Source 2: NOAA (precip/precip days)[5]

## See also

[edit]

* United States portal
* Colorado portal
* Mountains portal

* Southern Rocky Mountains
* Park Range
* Colorado mountain passes

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Buffalo Pass". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2013-05-18.
2. ^ Heffel, Nathan (December 19, 2017). "Miracle on Buffalo Pass Remembered Nearly 40 Years After Plane Crash". Colorado Public Radio. Retrieved October 13, 2024.
3. ^ Shapiro, Gary (September 30, 2018). "Hope on Buffalo Pass: The incredible rescue of flight 217". 9News. Retrieved October 13, 2024.
4. ^ "xmACIS2". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
5. ^ "Tower, Colorado 1991-2020 Monthly Normals". Retrieved November 3, 2023.

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