Alert archive / Colorado / Snow Squall Warnings in 2021

Snow Squall Warning 3, NWS Pueblo, CO

December 15, 20215 counties in Colorado

NWS Pueblo, CO issued this snow squall warning at Dec 15, 2021, 6:02 AM MST for 5 counties in Colorado. It was in force for 43 min. 2 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued: Dec 15, 2021, 6:02 AM MST (13:02 UTC)
Expired: Dec 15, 2021, 6:45 AM MST
In force: 43 min
Issued by: NWS Pueblo, CO
Area: Storm-based polygon

Counties Alamosa County, CO, Conejos County, CO, Costilla County, CO, Rio Grande County, CO, Saguache County, CO

The radar

The Pueblo radar (KPUX), 193 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 13:04 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

What was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Dec 15, 6:07 AM MST	NON-TSTM WND GST 64	4 Wnw Alamosa, CO	MESONET STATION TT566 ALAMOSA.
Dec 15, 6:09 AM MST	NON-TSTM WND GST 68	2 S Alamosa, CO	ASOS STATION KALS ALAMOSA AIRPORT.

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

The nearest sounding before it

Albuquerq/Krtlnd, NM (KABQ), launched 12:00Z, 1.0 hours before the alert went out and 275 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.

Mixed-layer CAPE: 9 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -44 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1356 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 89 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 401 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 663 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

720 
WWUS55 KPUB 151302
SQWPUB

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
Snow Squall Warning
National Weather Service Pueblo CO
602 AM MST Wed Dec 15 2021

COC003-021-023-105-109-151345-
/O.NEW.KPUB.SQ.W.0003.211215T1302Z-211215T1345Z/
Alamosa CO-Rio Grande CO-Saguache CO-Costilla CO-Conejos CO-
602 AM MST Wed Dec 15 2021

The National Weather Service in Pueblo has issued a

* Snow Squall Warning for...
  Alamosa County in southeastern Colorado...
  Eastern Rio Grande County in south central Colorado...
  Southeastern Saguache County in central Colorado...
  Southwestern Costilla County in south central Colorado...
  Eastern Conejos County in south central Colorado...

* Until 645 AM MST.

* At 601 AM MST, a dangerous snow squall was located 7 miles west of
  Alamosa, moving northeast at 55 mph.

  HAZARD...Whiteout conditions. Zero visibility in snow.

  SOURCE...Radar indicated.

  IMPACT...Dangerous life-threatening travel.

* Highway 160, Highway 285 and Highway 17 in the San Luis valley 
  will be affected by this snow squall

Locations impacted include...
Alamosa, Monte Vista, Center, Manassa, Sanford, La Jara, Antonito,
Saguache, Romeo, Moffat, Hooper, Capulin, Alamosa East, San Luis
Lake, La Garita, Mosca, Great Sand Dunes, Conejos, Bountiful and
Ortiz.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Reduce your speed and turn on headlights! During snow squalls, the
visibility may suddenly drop to near zero in whiteout conditions.

&&

LAT...LON 3701 10621 3809 10639 3813 10589 3759 10558
      3701 10564
TIME...MOT...LOC 1301Z 240DEG 49KT 3745 10601 

$$

Hodanish

The office that day

Everything else NWS Pueblo, CO issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Dec 15, 7:01 AM MST	Snow Squall Warning	PUB	Las Animas	44 min
Dec 15, 7:11 AM MST	Dust Storm Warning	PUB	Pueblo	49 min
Dec 15, 7:22 AM MST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning Destructive damage threat	PUB	Crowley, El Paso, Huerfano, Las Animas, Otero, Pueblo	23 min
Dec 15, 8:30 AM MST	Snow Squall Warning	PUB	El Paso	45 min
Dec 15, 9:04 AM MST	Dust Storm Warning	PUB	Crowley, El Paso, Pueblo	26 min
Dec 15, 9:27 AM MST	Dust Storm Warning	PUB	Bent, Crowley, El Paso, Kiowa, Otero, Pueblo	63 min
Dec 15, 9:59 AM MST	Blowing Dust Advisory	PUB	Baca, Bent, Crowley, Custer, El Paso, Fremont and 7 more	6 hr
Dec 15, 11:34 AM MST	Blowing Dust Warning	PUB	Baca, Bent, Crowley, Kiowa, Las Animas, Otero and 1 more	4 hr

Nearby

Snow Squall Warnings in Colorado, 2021 Every snow squall warning in 2021

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.