Heavy Snow in Colorado, December 18 to 20, 2005

Name: Heavy Snow in Colorado, December 18 to 20, 2005
Start: 2005-12-18T06:00
End: 2005-12-20T06:00
Location: Colorado

December 18 to 20, 2005 · NWS GJT · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A persistent moist Pacific flow resulted in 12 to 19 inches of snowfall across the Upper Yampa River Basin, with local amounts up to 32 inches in the Oak Creek area.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 1

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 GJT wrote it up.

A persistent moist Pacific flow resulted in 12 to 19 inches of snowfall across the Upper Yampa River Basin, with local amounts up to 32 inches in the Oak Creek area.

What forecasters said that day

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 Grand Junction, CO wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 18, 3:02 AM MST, 2 hours 58 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 18, 3:02 AM MST, 2 hours 58 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 18, 4:00 AM MST, 2 hours before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO
400 AM MST SUN DEC 18 2005

COZ001>014-017>023-UTZ022>025-027>029-181100-
ANIMAS RIVER BASIN-ARCHES/GRAND FLAT-CANYONLANDS/NATURAL BRIDGES-
CENTRAL COLORADO RIVER BASIN-
CENTRAL GUNNISON AND UNCOMPAHGRE RIVER BASIN-
CENTRAL YAMPA RIVER BASIN-DEBEQUE TO SILT CORRIDOR-
EASTERN UINTA BASIN-EASTERN UINTA MOUNTAINS-
ELKHEAD AND PARK MOUNTAINS-FLAT TOPS-
FOUR CORNERS/UPPER DOLORES RIVER-
GORE AND ELK MOUNTAINS/CENTRAL MOUNTAINS-GRAND AND BATTLEMENT MESAS-
GRAND VALLEY-LA SAL AND ABAJO MOUNTAINS-LOWER YAMPA RIVER BASIN-
NORTHWEST SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS-PARADOX VALLEY/LOWER DOLORES RIVER-
ROAN AND TAVAPUTS PLATEAUS-SAN JUAN RIVER BASIN-SOUTHEAST UTAH-
SOUTHWEST SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS-TAVAPUTS PLATEAU-
UNCOMPAHGRE PLATEAU AND DALLAS DIVIDE-UPPER GUNNISON RIVER VALLEY-
UPPER YAMPA RIVER BASIN-WEST ELK AND SAWATCH MOUNTAINS-
400 AM MST SUN DEC 18 2005

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EASTERN UTAH AND WESTERN
COLORADO.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT.

LIGHT SNOW WILL DEVELOP OVER THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS TODAY...WHICH
WILL INCREASE AND SPREAD SOUTHWARD TONIGHT TO INCLUDE THE CENTRAL
MOUNTAINS. ACCUMULATIONS BY SUNDAY MORNING OVER THE NORTHERN
MOUNTAIN PASSES WILL BE IN THE 1 TO 3 INCH RANGE. ROADS THROUGH THE
NORTHERN MOUNTAINS WILL BECOME LOCALLY ICY AND SNOWPACKED CAUSING
IN HAZARDOUS DRIVING CONDITIONS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY.

SUNDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT...SNOW IS LIKELY IN PORTIONS OF THE NORTHERN
AND CENTRAL COLORADO MOUNTAINS. FROM 2 TO 6 INCHES OF SNOW
ACCUMULATION IS POSSIBLE CAUSING LOCALLY HAZARDOUS DRIVING
CONDITIONS. THE IS A CHANCE OF SNOW IN THE EASTERN UINTA MOUNTAINS OF
UTAH AND THE BALANCE OF THE WESTERN COLORADO MOUNTAINS.

THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SNOW MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY IN THE
EASTERN UINTA MOUNTAINS OF NORTHEAST UTAH AND WESTERN COLORADO
MOUNTAINS.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED TODAY OR TONIGHT...BUT YOU ARE
ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SNOW AMOUNTS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
IN GRAND JUNCTION.

MC/CJC

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Upper Yampa River Basin

When: December 18, 6:00 AM MST to December 20, 6:00 AM MST
Where: Upper Yampa River Basin forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 40.485, -106.991 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Heavy Snow: Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Colorado in 2005 Every state in 2005 This day in weather history Warnings in Colorado, December 2005

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: 5480073.