A winter storm system deposited widespread light snow and some heavy snow accumulations across portions of southern Colorado. Some of the higher snowfall tallies follow.
Every event with a place to put it; 8 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 winter storm system deposited widespread light snow and some heavy snow accumulations across portions of southern Colorado. Some of the higher snowfall tallies follow. Six inches of snow was noted at Del Norte in Rio Grande county...Florence in Fremont county and La Veta in Huerfano county. Eight inches of snow occurred at Walsenburg in Huerfano county....while10 inches covered Trinidad in Las Animas county. Eleven inches of snow was measured 12 miles northwest of Canon City in Fremont county...while 12 inches impacted the Monte Vista area in Rio Grande county. Finally...13 inches of snow graced Beulah and Rye in Pueblo county...and Cuchara and 13 miles south southeast of Walsenburg in Huerfano 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 Feb 11, 4:07 AM MST, 6 hours 53 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
407 AM MST WED FEB 11 2004
.SHORT TERM...
(TODAY AND TONIGHT)
...SNOW AMOUNTS MAIN FCST CHALLENGE...
CURRENTLY...UPPER JET DIVING SOUTHWARD ACROSS ID/UT...WITH AREA OF
ENHANCEMENT IN IR PICKS ACROSS NORTHERN AND CENTRAL CO...COINCIDENT
WITH QG ASCENT IN LF QUAD. KFTG RADAR BEGINNING TO FILL IN WITH
ECHOES PAST HOUR OR SO...WITH SNOW BEGINNING TO FALL AT KAKO...AND
ACROSS CENTRAL MTN LOCATIONS. CIGS ARE STILL MOSTLY VFR ACROSS NE
CO...BUT THESE SHOULD BE DROPPING NEXT 1 TO 3 HOURS. BRUNT OF COLDER
AIR STILL ACROSS NE CO/WY...BUT SHOULD BE MAKING QUICK PROGRESS INTO
SE CO THROUGH THE MORNING HOURS.
UPPER TROF IN FCST MODELS IS NOW SLOWER AND SLIGHTLY FURTHER WEST
WITH TRACK OF UPPER TROF THAN RUNS I SAW FROM YESTERDAY.(UPPER TROF
NOW FCST TO MOVE ACROSS CO/UT.) UPPER JET ROUNDS THE BASE OF THE TROF
BY LATE AFTERNOON/EARLY EVENING...WHICH BRINGS FAVORABLE QG FORCING
ACROSS SOUTHERN AND WESTERN SECTIONS OF CO TODAY AND TONIGHT. WITH
THE FURTHER WEST TRACK...THIS HELPS PULL LOWER LVL WINDS MORE
EASTERLY THROUGH A DEEPER LAYER (THOUGH 06Z MESO-ETA RUN HAS COME IN
WITH A SLIGHTLY MORE NORTHEAST COMPONENT). MODELS QUICKLY SATURATE
LOWER LVLS THROUGH MID MORNING...WITH UNSTABLE LAYER IN MODEL
SOUNDINGS BETWEEN ROUGHLY 800 AND 650 MB. IN ADDITION...TEMPERATURES
IN THE SATURATED LAYER RANGE FROM -14 TO -18 C...WHICH WILL BE
FAVORABLE FOR DENDRITIC SNOW GROWTH. THIS...IN ADDITION TO 15-20
KTS OF EAST TO NORTHEAST UPSLOPE FLOW...AND AFORE MENTIONED DYNAMICS
AND LOW LVL INSTABILITY...SHOULD ALLOW FOR A FAIRLY WIDESPREAD HEAVY
SNOW EVENT ACROSS THE SOUTHERN AND EASTERN MOUNTAINS. FOCUS FOR THE
HEAVIEST SNOWS WILL BE ALONG THE EAST AND NORTHEAST FACING SLOPES OF
THE SANGRES AND WETS...AND DUE TO THE DEEP EASTERLY FLOW...THE EAST
FACING SLOPES OF THE SAN JUANS AND LA GARITA MOUNTAINS AS WELL. EVEN
THE UPPER ARKANSAS RIVER VALLEY WILL SEE SOME DECENT SNOW AMOUNTS
(PRIMARILY 4-8 INCHES) AS EASTERLY FLOW PENETRATES UP THE RIVER
VALLEY. EVENING CREW HAS ALREADY HOISTED THE ADVISORIES AND
WARNINGS...AND CURRENT GRIDS LOOK PRETTY GOOD. ONLY CHANGE WAS TO
DELAY MORNING SNOWS A BIT AS PROGRESS OF SYSTEM APPEARS A BIT SLOWER.
BUT...EXPECT CONDITIONS SHOULD BE DETERIORATING RAPIDLY FROM NORTH
TO SOUTH THROUGH THE MORNING HOURS. ONLY AREA IN QUESTION NOW STANDS
SOUTHERN EL-PASO AND PUEBLO COUNTIES...WHERE IF LOWER LVL FLOW STAYS
MORE NORTHEASTERLY...MAY TEND TO SHADOW LOCATIONS LIKE COLORADO
SPRINGS AND PUEBLO. AM NOT READY TO TREND SNOW AMOUNTS DOWN YET...AS
00Z MESO-ETA RUN AND LATEST RUC40 IS STILL SHOWING MORE EASTERLY
COMPONENT.
OVERNIGHT...TREND WILL BE TOWARDS DECREASING SNOWS FROM NORTH TO
SOUTH. LATEST RUNS SEEM A LITTLE SLOWER IN SHIFTING ALL THE
ACTIVITY SOUTH OF THE AREA...SO WITH MORE CLOUD COVER TEMPS
SHOULD STAY SLIGHTLY WARMER THAN PREVIOUS MIN T GRID DEPICTED ALONG
THE SOUTHERN BORDER AREAS AND THE SAN LUIS VALLEY. WARMED THESE AREAS
IN LOW TEMP GRIDS SOME. LOCATIONS MOST NORTH WILL SEE THE CLEARING
FIRST...HENCE THE COLDEST LOW TEMPS (WELL BELOW ZERO FOR MTN
LOCATIONS AS TEMPERATURES AT 700MB DROP TO -17 TO -20 CELSIUS BY
MORNING. -KT
.LONG TERM...
(THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY).
MAIN FORECAST CHALLENGES CONTINUE TO BE PRECIPITATION AND
TEMPERATURES THROUGH THURSDAY.
THURSDAY...CUTOFF LOW FORECAST TO BE OVER SOUTHEAST UTAH BY 12Z
THURSDAY...AND FORECAST TO MOVE SOUTH INTO NORTHEAST ARIZONA BY
SUNSET. UPSHOT WILL BE THAT PRECIP SHOULD BE ENDING IN THE SOUTHERN
TIER OF ZONES THROUGH THE DAY...AS UPSLOPE WINDS DIMINISH. ONLY
MINOR SNOW ACCUMULATIONS EXPECTED...ESPECIALLY IN THE HIGHER
ELEVATIONS OF THE SOUTHERN MOUNTAINS. SOME CLEARING MAY OCCUR OVER
THE EASTERN ZONES...BUT MOISTURE HANGS IN OVER MUCH OF THE AREA...
SO LOWERED MAX TEMPS JUST A TAD.
THURSDAY NIGHT...UPPER LOW CONTINUES TO SAG SOUTH...AND CLOUDS
SHOULD CONTINUE TO DISSIPATE. PROBLEM IS HOW MUCH. LOWERED MINS
OVER THE AREA AS FRESH SNOW COVER COMBINED WITH ANY CLEARING WILL
ALLOW FOR VERY LOW TEMPS. ALAMOSA COULD DROP BELOW MINUS 20...BUT
DIDNT GO QUITE THAT COLD JUST YET.
FRIDAY...UPPER LOW TRACKS ACROSS NEW MEXICO...AND OVERTOPPING RIDGE
WILL YIELD WARMER NORTHERN AIR TO MOVE INTO THE AREA. KNOCKED MAX
TEMPS DOWN A BIT...CONSIDERING THE POSSIBILITY FOR SOME WARM
ADVECTION CLOUDS AND THE PROSPECT THAT SNOW WILL STILL BE ON THE
GROUND IN MOST AREAS.
SATURDAY...RIDGE BUILDS IN NICELY...AND SHOULD BE A PLEASANT DAY AS
MAX TEMPS FORECAST TO BE IN THE 40S AND LOWER 50S IN THE PLAINS...
AND MAINLY IN THE 30S AND LOWER 40S IN THE MOUNTAINS AND HIGH
VALLEYS...WITH MID LEVEL TEMPS WARMING TO AROUND -3 DEGREES C...
AND PLENTY OF SUN.
SUNDAY INTO MONDAY...THE SHORTWAVE THAT WAS FORECAST TO CUTOFF OVER
THE 4 CORNERS BY THE GFS YESTERDAY...IS NOW PROGRESSIVE...WHICH THE
OTHER MODELS SHOWED...SO GOING FORECAST OF LOW POPS FROM MID SUNDAY
TO MONDAY STILL LOOK GOOD. IF MODELS ON TARGET...MONDAY WILL
FEATURE LIGHT WEST TO NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT...RESIDUAL MOISTURE AND
COOL TEMPS.
TUESDAY...A LARGE MILD RIDGE OF HIGH HEIGHTS EXPECTED TO BEGIN
MOVING IN ON TUESDAY...AND PROVIDE WARMING DRY WEATHER ON TUESDAY
THROUGH MIDWEEK. -TLM-
&&
.PUB...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY ZONES 84>86...77/83...EL PASO /
PUEBLO / SOUTHERN FREMONT COUNTIES 6AM WED TO MIDNIGHT.
WINTER STORM WARNING 76/81/82...NORTHERN FREMONT/TELLER
COUNTIES / PIKES PEAK 6AM WED TO MIDNIGHT.
WINTER STORM WARNING 78>80...72/73...WET MOUNTAIN VALLEY
AND MOUNTAINS...NORTHERN SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS
6AM WED TO 6 AM THURS.
WINTER STORM WARNING 65>68...74/75/87/88...EASTERN SAN JUAN
MOUNTAINS...SOUTHERN SANGRE DE CRISTOS AND SOUTHERN
FOOTHILLS NOON WED TO 6AM THURS.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY 58>64...CENTRAL MOUNTAINS NOON WED TO
MIDNIGHT.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY 69>71...SAN LUIS VALLEY NOON WED TO
6AM THURS.
&&HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO 700 AM MST WED FEB 11 2004 COZ058>089-093>099-121400- 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 WED FEB 11 2004 ...WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL MIDNIGHT FOR TELLER COUNTY AND THE RAMPART RANGE...AND NORTHERN PORTIONS OF FREMONT COUNTY... ...WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 6 AM THURSDAY FOR THE WET MOUNTAINS AND WET MOUNTAIN VALLEY...AND THE NORTHERN SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS... ...WINTER STORM WARNING FROM NOON TO 6 AM THURSDAY FOR THE SOUTHERN SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS AND THE ADJACENT PLAINS...AND THE EASTERN SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS AND THE LA GARITA MOUNTAINS... ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL MIDNIGHT FOR MOST OF EL PASO COUNTY...PUEBLO COUNTY...AND EASTERN FREMONT COUNTY... ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM NOON TO MIDNIGHT FOR ALL OF LAKE AND CHAFFEE COUNTIES... ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM NOON TO 6 AM THURSDAY FOR THE ENTIRE SAN LUIS VALLEY... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. WIDESPREAD SNOW IS EXPECTED TO SPREAD ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST COLORADO THROUGH THE MORNING...WITH SNOW BECOMING HEAVY AT TIMES ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS...HIGH VALLEYS...AND THE INTERSTATE 25 CORRIDOR THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH TONIGHT. THE HEAVIEST ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED ALONG THE EAST FACING SLOPES OF THE WET MOUNTAINS...THE SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS...PIKES PEAK...AND ALONG THE EAST FACING SLOPES AND HIGHER AREAS OF THE EASTERN SAN JUAN AND LA GARITA MOUNTAINS. TOTAL ACCUMULATIONS IN THESE AREAS WILL RANGE FROM 8 TO 16 INCHES. ACROSS THE SAN LUIS VALLEY...THE UPPER ARKANSAS RIVER VALLEY...THE SAWATCH RANGE...AND ALONG THE INTERSTATE 25 CORRIDOR FROM MONUMENT HILL TO JUST SOUTH OF PUEBLO...3 TO 7 INCHES OF ACCUMULATION CAN BE EXPECTED. ACROSS THE SOUTHERN INTERSTATE 25 CORRIDOR FROM SOUTH OF PUEBLO TO THE RATON RIDGE...5 TO 10 INCHES OF SNOW WILL BE POSSIBLE BY EARLY THURSDAY MORNING. A POTENT WINTER STORM SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO MOVE ACROSS THE STATE TODAY AND TONIGHT BRINGING DEEP EASTERLY UPSLOPE FLOW ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST COLORADO. VERY COLD AIR WILL MOVE IN BEHIND THE COLD FRONT...WITH TEMPERATURES TOPPING OUT IN THE TEENS AND 20S BY LATE MORNING...THEN REMAINING STEADY OR FALLING THROUGH MOST OF THE AFTERNOON. LOW TEMPERATURES OVERNIGHT ARE EXPECTED TO DROP BELOW ZERO...ESPECIALLY FOR THE MOUNTAINS AREAS...WITH SINGLE DIGIT READINGS ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST PLAINS. A GRADUAL IMPROVING TREND WILL OCCUR FROM NORTH TO SOUTH LATE TONIGHT AS THE SYSTEM BEGINS TO MOVE SOUTH OF THE AREA. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY. THE WINTER WEATHER SYSTEM WILL PULL OUT OF THE SOUTHERN PART OF THE AREA THURSDAY MORNING...YIELDING SOME LIGHT ACCUMULATIONS OF SNOW...MAINLY ACROSS THE SOUTHERN MOUNTAINS. WIND CHILL READINGS WILL BE BELOW ZERO ACROSS MOST OF THE MOUNTAINS AND HIGH VALLEYS THURSDAY MORNING. THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY MORNING...TEMPERATURES AND WIND CHILL READINGS WILL DROP BELOW ZERO OVER THE MOUNTAINS AND HIGH VALLEYS... AND LIGHT WINDS WILL BRING WIND CHILL READINGS BELOW ZERO OVER THE PLAINS BY EARLY MORNING ON FRIDAY. TEMPERATURES WILL LIKELY FALL BELOW ZERO EACH MORNING FROM SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY IN PARTS OF THE SAN LUIS VALLEY. SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND SUNDAY NIGHT THERE WILL BE A CHANCE FOR SCATTERED ACCUMULATIONS OF SNOW...MAINLY IN THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT WEATHER CONDITIONS THAT MEET REPORTING CRITERIA FOR SPOTTERS WILL BE LIKELY. && TM/KT
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
8 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Colorado in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, February 2004
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: 5385470, 5385471, 5385472, 5385473, 5385474, 5385475, 5385476, 5385610.