The storm moved into the Rocky Mountains on Saturday, March 13, dumping up to 2–3 feet (61–91 cm) of snow in some areas.

The system quickly split off from the parent low, and over the next couple of days, the storm moved southeastward while gradually intensifying, before reaching a peak intensity of 980 millibars (29 inHg) on March 6.

[7][8] On the next day, the storm slowly began to approach the West Coast, while developing multiple central lows in the process.

[1] Afterward, the storm gradually began to weaken as it slowly moved eastward, even as it continued expanding in size.

[18] From March 14 to 15, another extratropical cyclone moving in from the Pacific Northwest helped speed up the storm's eastward motion.

On March 10, as the system was moving ashore in the West Coast, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) advised motorists to stay off the roads during the peak of the storm, due to potential whiteout and blizzard conditions being possible.

[23] The city of Denver prepared to deploy snowplows ahead and during the storm to clear residential streets as needed.

[23] Governor Mark Gordon of the state of Wyoming posted a warning on Twitter on March 13, advising residents to stay off the roads at all costs during the storm.

[26] On the morning of March 13, the Storm Prediction Center issued a moderate risk severe weather outlook for the Texas Panhandle, noting the potential for strong tornadoes.

[27] The storm brought Cheyenne their largest two-day snowfall on record, with 30.8 inches (78 cm) falling from March 13–14.

[4] The Aurora Police Department in Colorado reported 25 to 30 vehicles were stranded on the E-470 toll road east of Denver.

[26] The snowstorm also prevented the Los Angeles Kings to fly out of Denver, postponing a game against the St. Louis Blues.

[26] In Wyoming, schools in Laramie and Natrona counties announced they would be closed through the middle of the week as travel was nearly impossible.