A weather disturbance spread some light snow accumulations across the southwest mountains and eastern mountains and plains. and southern southeast plains.
Every event with a place to put it; 2 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The episode as NWS PUB wrote it up.
A weather disturbance spread some light snow accumulations across the southwest mountains and eastern mountains and plains. Two to 4 inches of snow was seen across the eastern mountains...along the I-25 corridor...and southern southeast plains. A few reports of heavy snow include 6 inches of the white stuff in Walsh in Baca county and 12 inches at the summit of Wolf Creek Pass in Mineral county.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Pueblo, CO wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 14, 2:50 PM MST, 10 hours 10 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO 250 PM MST SUN DEC 14 2003 .SHORT TERM... (TONIGHT AND MONDAY). WEATHER CONCERNS IN THE SHORT TERM WILL BE WINDS AND SNOW. WILL KEEP THIS RELATIVELY SHORT AS TIME LIMITED AND BEEN BUSY WITH DETAILS ON INCOMING SYSTEM. LATEST SHORT RANGE MODELS...MM5/RUC AND MESO-ETA... INDICATE THAT HEALTHY UPPER SYSTEM TO IMPACT CWFA TONIGHT INTO TOMORROW. FAST MOVING UPPER SYSTEM SHOULD BE WELL INTO COLORADO BY 12Z MONDAY BEFORE PUSHING INTO CENTRAL KANSAS AROUND SUNSET MONDAY. RELATIVELY IMPRESSIVE QG ASCENT AND LAPSE RATES NOTED WITH THIS SYSTEM... ESPECIALLY LATER TONIGHT INTO TOMORROW...HOWEVER NOT VERY IMPRESSIVE 295K ISENTROPIC LIFT AND QUICK SPEED OF THE SYSTEM ARE NEGATIVES FOR THE SYSTEM AT THIS POINT...ESPECIALLY FOR THE SOUTHEAST COLORADO PLAINS. WINDS ARE ALSO A CONCERN ON MONDAY...ESPECIALLY ON THE SOUTHEAST PLAINS AND KEPT WIND GUSTS TO AROUND 50 MPH IN UPCOMING GRIDS. SO FOR SENSIBLE WEATHER...HAVE UPGRADED WINTER STORM WATCH TO A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR ZONES 58>61 AND 64>68 DUE TO A COMBINATION OF HIGH WINDS AND SNOW AMOUNTS THREATING TO ENTERING THE LOW END OF WARNING CRITERIA. FURTHER EAST...AM SOMEWHAT CONCERNED THAT WITH HEALTHY WINDS AND SOME AREAS OF GENERALLY LIGHT SNOW THAT CONDITIONS COULD BECOME NASTY FOR PEOPLE OUTDOORS LATER MONDAY...BUT FOR NOW SINCE SNOW ACCUMULATIONS EXPECTED TO BE RATHER LIGHT AND THIS IS IN MY SECOND PERIOD...I WILL HOLD OFF ON ANY HIGHLIGHTS NOW AND LET LATER SHIFTS EVALUATE THE SITUATION. MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES SHOULD BE NOTED FAIRLY EARLY IN THE DAY MONDAY...WITH TEMPERATURES THEN DROPPING DURING THE AFTERNOON IN WAKE OF STRONG FRONT. THANKS SURROUNDING SITES FOR ALL THE COORDINATION. .LONG TERM... (MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY) ...FAST MOVING WEATHER SYSTEM MOVES WELL INTO CENTRAL PLAINS MONDAY EVENING... MON NGT: THE WEATHER SYSTEM AFFECTING CO ON MONDAY SHOULD BE WELL INTO THE CENTRAL PLAINS BY MONDAY EVENING. THE BIGGEST SENSIBLE WEATHER SHOULD BE VERY WINDY CONDITIONS ON SERN CO WITH SOME BLOWING SNOW AND HORIZONTAL SNOWFALL. THE SNOW MAY ACTUALLY BE ALL DONE BY MONDAY EARLY EVENING. COLD AIR ADVECTION SHOULD COME IN FULL FORCE. CURRENT FCST LOOKS GOOD WITH THE MAIN SENSIBLE WEATHER CONCERNS THE WIND AND WIND CHILL READINGS. WIND CHILL VALUES IN THE SAN LUIS VALLEY MAY BE COMING CLOSE TO ADVISORY NUMBERS...SO THIS MAY NEED TO BE WATCHED FOR A POSSIBLE WIND CHILL ADVISORY IN THE SAN LUIS VALLEY. TUE-SUN: WLY FLOW DEVELOP OVER THE CENTRAL ROCKIES VERY QUICKLY WITH CHINOOK FLOW CONTINUING THROUGH MUCH OF THE WEEK. THIS SPELLS RELATIVELY MILD (DAYTIME) CONDITIONS IN MOST LOCATIONS. TOUGH CALL ABOUT THE SAN LUIS VALLEY AS THE COLD AIR COULD CONTINUE TO BE TRAPPED LIKE IN PAST DAYS. THE 00Z/14 GFSS SAT AND SUN SOLUTION IS QUITE A CHANGE FROM PREVIOUS MODEL RUNS AND I CERTAINLY WONT BUY INTO THE GFSS PERFECT SNOW STORM FOR SRN CO JUST YET. THE NOGAPS HAS A BIG RIDGE OVER THE WRN US AND THE ECMWF HAS A FLAT RIDGE WITH THE WLY ULJ MOVING INTO THE CENTRAL ROCKIES. NOW...THE 12Z/14 GFS IS BACK TO THE FLAT WLY FLOW. METZE && .PUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...WINTER STORM WARNING FOR ZONES 058>061 064>068 (THE EASTERN SAN JUAN...LA GARITA...COLLEGIATE MOUNTAINS AND LAKE COUNTY) FROM 12AM TO 6PM MST MONDAY. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO 700 AM MST SUN DEC 14 2003 COZ058>089-093>099-151400- ALAMOSA VICINITY/CENTRAL SAN LUIS VALLEY BELOW 8500 FT- CANON CITY VICINITY/EASTERN FREMONT COUNTY- CENTRAL CHAFFEE COUNTY BELOW 9000 FT- COLORADO SPRINGS VICINITY/SOUTHERN EL PASO COUNTY/RAMPART RANGE BELOW 7500 FT-CROWLEY COUNTY- DEL NORTE VICINITY/NORTHERN SAN LUIS VALLEY BELOW 8500 FT- EASTERN KIOWA COUNTY-EASTERN LAS ANIMAS COUNTY- EASTERN SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS ABOVE 10000 FT- EASTERN SAWATCH MOUNTAINS ABOVE 11000 FT- LA GARITA MOUNTAINS ABOVE 10000 FT-LA JUNTA VICINITY/OTERO COUNTY- LAMAR VICINITY/PROWERS COUNTY-LAS ANIMAS VICINITY/BENT COUNTY- LEADVILLE VICINITY/LAKE COUNTY BELOW 11000 FT- NORTHERN EL PASO COUNTY/MONUMENT RIDGE/RAMPART RANGE BELOW 7500 FT- NORTHERN SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS ABOVE 11000 FEET- NORTHERN SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS BETWEEN 8500 AND 11000 FT- NORTHWESTERN FREMONT COUNTY ABOVE 8500 FT-PIKES PEAK ABOVE 11000 FT- PUEBLO AND VICINITY/PUEBLO COUNTY BELOW 6300 FT- SAGUACHE COUNTY EAST OF CONTINENTAL DIVIDE BELOW 10000 FT- SAGUACHE COUNTY WEST OF CONTINENTAL DIVIDE BELOW 10000 FT- SOUTHERN SAN LUIS VALLEY- SOUTHERN SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS ABOVE 11000 FT- SOUTHERN SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS BETWEEN 7500 AND 11000 FT- SPRINGFIELD VICINITY/BACA COUNTY- TELLER COUNTY/RAMPART RANGE ABOVE 7500 FT/PIKES PEAK BETWEEN 7500 AND 11000 FT- TRINIDAD VICINITY/WESTERN LAS ANIMAS COUNTY BELOW 7500 FT- UPPER RIO GRANDE VALLEY/EASTERN SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS BELOW 10000 FT- WALSENBURG VICINITY/UPPER HUERFANO RIVER BASIN BELOW 7500 FT- WESTERN CHAFFEE COUNTY BETWEEN 9000 AND 11000 FT- WESTERN KIOWA COUNTY- WESTERN MOSQUITO RANGE/EAST CHAFFEE COUNTY ABOVE 9000 FT- WESTERN MOSQUITO RANGE/EAST LAKE COUNTY ABOVE 11000 FT- WESTERN/CENTRAL FREMONT COUNTY BELOW 8500 FT- WET MOUNTAIN VALLEY BELOW 8500 FEET-WET MOUNTAINS ABOVE 10000 FT- WET MOUNTAINS BETWEEN 6300 AND 10000 FT- 700 AM MST SUN DEC 14 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT... ...A WINTER STORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT UNTIL 6 PM MST MONDAY FOR THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST MOUNTAINS... A FAST MOVING WINTER STORM WILL MOVE INTO THE GREAT BASIN TODAY...REACHING THE FOUR CORNERS AREA BY LATE TONIGHT. SNOW IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ACROSS THE EASTERN SAN JUAN...LA GARITA AND SAWATCH MOUNTAINS AND LAKE COUNTY...SOON AFTER MIDNIGHT TONIGHT AND CONTINUE THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT PERIOD. DUE TO THE SPEED AT WHICH THIS SYSTEM IS MOVING...SNOWFALL AMOUNTS WILL BE ESPECIALLY DIFFICULT TO FORECAST. IN ADDITION TO THE SNOW...STRONG WINDS ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS SYSTEM. WEST TO SOUTHWEST WINDS OF 20 TO 30 MPH...WITH GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH...WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE HIGHER TERRAIN LATER TONIGHT. THESE WINDS WILL CREATE AREAS OF BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW...AND HAZARDOUS TRAVEL CONDITIONS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. A FAST MOVING STORM SYSTEM WILL CONTINUE TO AFFECT COLORADO ON MONDAY. THIS STORM WILL PRODUCE HEAVY SNOW OVER PARTS OF THE SOUTHWEST AND CENTRAL COLORADO MOUNTAINS WITH LIGHTER AMOUNTS OF SNOW FALLING ELSEWHERE. IN ADDITION...STRONG WINDS WILL ACCOMPANY THE SYSTEM PRODUCING AREAS OF BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW...REDUCED VISIBILITY AND LOW WIND CHILL TEMPERATURES. ON THE SOUTHEAST PLAINS...WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO GUST OVER 50 MPH ON MONDAY. ANOTHER STORM SYSTEM MAY AFFECT THE REGION THIS WEEKEND BRINGING ANOTHER CHANCE FOR SNOW TO SOUTHERN COLORADO. HOWEVER...THE FORECAST IS HIGHLY UNCERTAIN AT THIS POINT. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR LATEST FORECASTS AND WARNINGS FOR YOUR AREA. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER CONDITIONS THAT MEET REPORTING CRITERIA FOR SPOTTERS WILL BE LIKELY LATE TONIGHT. && FOR MORE INFORMATION...PLEASE VISIT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WEBSITE AT: HTTP://WWW.CRH.NOAA.GOV/PUB MM/LW
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Colorado in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, December 2003
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: 5332096, 5332097.