Colorado, 2001

Winter Storm in Colorado, January 15 to 16, 2001

January 15 to 16, 2001 · NWS PUB · 11 events in 11 counties and zones

A large, slow moving winter storm produced widespread snow across the majority of southern Colorado. Accumulating snow begin in the late afternoon on the 15th and continued into the early afternoon hours of the 16th.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 11 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
11

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS PUB wrote it up.

A large, slow moving winter storm produced widespread snow across the majority of southern Colorado. Accumulating snow begin in the late afternoon on the 15th and continued into the early afternoon hours of the 16th. the following is a snowfall summary: One to 5 inches of snow fell from Leadville to Canon City, and in the San Luis Valley. The summit of Wolf Creek Pass received 10 inches of the white stuff. In the Colorado Springs area...7 to 10 inches of snow fell. Pueblo county and the Walsenburg area saw 8 to 13 inches of snow, but in the Wet mountains around San Isabel, 17 inches of snow was recorded. The Trinidad area logged 3 to 6 inches, but to the east, Crowley and Otero counties had an 8 to 10 inch snowfall. In Kiowa county, a general 6 inch snowfall occurred. Six to 12 inches of snow fell in central and eastern Las Animas county...and western Prowers county...while over a foot of snow fell over eastern Prowers county and much of Baca county.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

11 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Wet Mountains

When
January 15, 5:00 PM MST to January 16, 12:00 PM MST
Where
Wet Mountains forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
37.578, -106.085 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Northern El Paso County/Monument Ridge

When
January 15, 5:00 PM MST to January 16, 10:00 AM MST
Where
Northern El Paso County/Monument Ridge forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
37.992, -105.637 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Pueblo and Eastern Fremont Counties/Pueblo and Vicinity

When
January 15, 5:00 PM MST to January 16, 12:00 PM MST
Where
Pueblo and Eastern Fremont Counties/Pueblo and Vicinity forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
37.867, -105.544 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Upper Huerfano River Basin/Walsenburg and Vicinity

When
January 15, 5:00 PM MST to January 16, 3:00 PM MST
Where
Upper Huerfano River Basin/Walsenburg and Vicinity forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
37.426, -104.809 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Western Fremont and Northern Custer Counties

When
January 15, 5:00 PM MST to January 16, 12:00 PM MST
Where
Western Fremont and Northern Custer Counties forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
37.484, -106.500 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Southern El Paso County/Colorado Springs and Vicinity

When
January 15, 5:00 PM MST to January 16, 12:00 PM MST
Where
Southern El Paso County/Colorado Springs and Vicinity forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
37.240, -105.810 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Crowley and Otero Counties/La Junta and Vicinity

When
January 15, 8:00 PM MST to January 16, 3:00 PM MST
Where
Crowley and Otero Counties/La Junta and Vicinity forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
38.473, -105.440 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Eastern Las Animas County

When
January 15, 8:00 PM MST to January 16, 12:00 PM MST
Where
Eastern Las Animas County forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
38.473, -105.440 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Baca County/Springfield and Vicinity

When
January 15, 8:00 PM MST to January 16, 5:00 PM MST
Where
Baca County/Springfield and Vicinity forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
38.729, -105.043 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Kiowa County

When
January 15, 8:00 PM MST to January 16, 1:00 PM MST
Where
Kiowa County forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
37.897, -105.164 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Prowers County/Lamar and Vicinity

When
January 15, 8:00 PM MST to January 16, 5:00 PM MST
Where
Prowers County/Lamar and Vicinity forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
37.989, -104.947 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Winter Storm
A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Colorado in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, January 2001

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5228066, 5228067, 5228070, 5228073, 5228074, 5228307, 5228068, 5228069, 5228071, 5228072, 5228075.