A strong upper level low caused widespread snow across southern Colorado causing widespread travel and business issues.
Every event with a place to put it; 23 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 strong upper level low caused widespread snow across southern Colorado causing widespread travel and business issues.
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 Apr 12, 3:49 AM MST, 2 hours 11 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO 449 AM MDT THU APR 12 2007 .SHORT TERM... (TODAY AND TONIGHT) SHORT TERM FORECAST CHALLENGE WILL BE ONSET AND INTENSITY OF PCPN AND SNOW THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT...ALONG WITH POTENTIAL FOR STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS SOUTHEAST PLAINS THIS AFTERNOON/EVENING. UPPER LOW TAKING SHAPE OVER THE WRN US WITH UPPER TROF AND DIGGING BACK SIDE 130+ KT UPPER JET DIVING ALONG THE WEST COAST. THIS IS FCST TO CARVE OUT A CLOSED LOW ACROSS THE SRN TIP OF NV/WRN AZ/SRN UT BY THIS EVENING...WHICH THEN MOVES EASTWARD ACROSS CENTRAL/SRN NM THURSDAY NIGHT. MODELS APPEAR A LITTLE SLOWER WITH THE TIMING OF THE SYSTEM...AND HPC DISCUSSIONS SUGGEST AN SLOWER EJECTION OF THE UPPER LOW INTO THE 3RD PERIOD AND BEYOND. THUS...PLENTY OF CHALLENGES WITH THIS FCST PACKAGE...AS WILL BE FIRST DEALING WITH WAVES OF PCPN ASSOC WITH ISENTROPIC LIFT AND FIRST SHORTWAVE (CURRENTLY OVER AZ) AHEAD OF THE DEVELOPING LOW WHICH MOVES ACROSS THE AREA THIS AFTN. PCPN SO FAR THIS MORNING HAS BEEN SLOW TO GET GOING...AND AS FEARED FCST QPF FROM NAM12 HAS BEEN TOO QUICK TO SPREAD IT ACROSS THE AREA OVERNIGHT. THERE IS A BAND OF SHOWERS DEVELOPING ACROSS NRN NM AND WRN CO...BUT HAVE BEEN HARD PRESSED TO SEE MUCH IN THE WAY OF PCPN SHOWING UP IN AREA OBS. THIS BAND IS FORECAST TO WEAKEN AS IT LIFTS NORTHWARD ACROSS CO THIS MORNING. CURRENT GRIDS HAVE POPS INCREASING ACROSS THE WEST QUICKLY THIS MORNING. HAVE CUT BACK POPS SOME THIS MORNING...BUT THEY SHOULD RAMP UP QUICKLY BY LATE MORNING/EARLY AFTN. THERE IS SOME POTENTIAL INSTABILITY THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS WRN AREAS AS UPPER LEVELS COOL AND LAPSE RATES STEEPEN. WITH CONVECTIVE POTENTIAL...WESTERN MOUNTAINS (SAWATCH...MOSQUITO...EASTERN SAN JUANS...LA GARITAS) COULD SEE A QUICK ACCUMULATIONS OF HEAVY WET CONVECTIVE SNOW. THUS...WILL UPGRADE THE WATCH TO A SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW ADVISORY...GENERALLY FOR ELEVATIONS ABOVE 9KFT. SINCE WE ARE STILL IN THE WARM SECTOR OF THE STORM...SNOW LEVELS WILL PROBABLY WAVER UP AND DOWN THIS AFTN BETWEEN 8-9 KFT (DROPPING WITH CONVECTIVELY HEAVY SNOW SHOWERS). ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST PLAINS...EASTERLY LOW LVL FLOW INTENSIFIES THIS MORNING...ADVECTING MID 30 DEW POINTS INTO EASTERN CO. 00Z NAM RUN INDICATING A FEW HUNDRED J/KG OF CAPE ACROSS BACA COUNTY ALONG A SFC BOUNDARY WHICH SHIFTS NORTHWARD OFF THE RATON RIDGE WHERE SOUTHERLY WINDS INCREASE DURING THE AFTN. 06Z RUN HAS BACKED OFF ON THE CAPE SOME...KEEPING BEST INSTABILITY FARTHER SOUTH. SHEARS CERTAINLY SUFFICIENT FOR SUPERCELLS...RUNNING AROUND 50KTS OR GREATER. HOWEVER INSTABILITY MAY BE LACKING. PLAN TO MENTION SOME STRONG THUNDERSTORMS IN THE HWO...WITH MARGINAL SEVERE HAIL AND WIND THE MAIN THREATS. FOR TONIGHT...UPPER LOW MOVES INTO CENTRAL NM WITH TROWAL DEVELOPING ACROSS EASTERN COLORADO. INITIALLY SNOW LEVELS START OUT RATHER HIGH ACROSS THE EASTERN MOUNTAINS...AROUND 8KFT IN THE EVENING...BEFORE DROPPING TO AROUND 5500 FT BY 12Z. APPEARS...SOUTHEAST PLAINS WILL STAY RAIN FOR THE MAJORITY OF THE NIGHT...WITH POTENTIAL FOR MCS TO DEVELOP ACROSS FAR SE CO/ AND TX/OK PANHANDLES WHERE ISENTROPIC LIFT INTENSIFIES ALONG SFC BOUNDARY. WINDS DONT REALLY CRANK UP UNTIL THE 3RD PERIOD...AND CONUNDRUM IS WHETHER TO UPGRADE A LATE 2ND PERIOD/3RD PERIOD WARNING...OR TO LET THE WATCH RIDE. WITH SLOWER TIMING OF THE UPPER LOW...THINK SE CO WILL SEE BANDS OF SHOWERS OVERNIGHT WHICH MAY FILL IN ALONG THE NRN I-25 CORRIDOR QUICKLY AFTER 09Z. WINDS ALSO LOOK LIGHTER IN THE TONIGHT PERIOD...WITH POSSIBLE BLIZZARD CONDITIONS HOLDING OFF UNTIL LATER FRI MORNING. GIVEN THERE ARE STILL MODEL OSCILLATIONS WITH THE TRACK OF THIS SYSTEM...WILL HOLD OFF ON UPGRADING THE WATCHES TO WARNINGS AND LET DAY SHIFTS GET A LOOK AT ONE MORE MODEL RUN. THIS IS ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT IN ORDER TO ACCURATELY HONE DOWN THE WIND FCST AND DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN BLIZZARD CONDITIONS...AND WINTER STORM WARNING/SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW CONDITIONS FOR MORE POPULATED AREAS SUCH AS COS AND PUB. ANOTHER TRICKY AREA WILL BE THE SAN LUIS VALLEY...WHERE VALLEY EDGES COULD SEE SOME HEAVIER SNOW AMOUNTS AND BLOW OVER SNOW FROM THE SANGRES ALONG ITS EASTERN FRINGE. SO...WILL MAINTAIN THE WATCH FOR THIS AREA AS WELL. GIVEN CURRENT SET OF RUNS...SAN LUIS VALLEY MAY NEED AN ADVISORY...BUT SNOW ACCUMS MAY STAY FAIRLY LIGHT IN THE VALLEY CENTER. HEAVY SNOW FOR THE EASTERN MTS APPEAR TO HOLD OFF UNTIL LATER SO WILL WAIT HERE AS WELL. FINALLY FOR THE UPPER ARKANSAS RIVER VALLEY...HEAVIER DEFORMATION BAND SNOW APPEARS TO SET UP FARTHER TO THE EAST...WHICH WOULD KEEP SNOW ACCUMS BELOW WARNING CRITERIA. HOWEVER IF LATER RUNS BRING THIS AXIS BACK TO THE WEST...THEN SOME AREAS MAY NEED TO BE UPGRADED TO A WINTER STORM WARNING. GIVEN ONSET OF SNOW IN THE LATE 1ST PERIOD...WILL CALL IT LIKE I SEE IT FOR NOW...AND LET LATER SHIFTS REVISE IF NECESSARY. -KT .LONG TERM... (FRIDAY THROUGH NEXT WEDNESDAY) ISSUES FOR THE LONGER TERM WILL BE AMOUNT OF IMPACT CLOSED UPPER LOWS WILL HAVE ON CWFA FRIDAY INTO EARLY SATURDAY MORNING AND THEN AGAIN BY NEXT MONDAY AND TUESDAY. METEOROLOGICAL EYES WILL INITIALLY BE ON CLOSED UPPER LOW WHICH IS PROJECTED TO BE ENTERING WEST-CENTRAL NEW MEXICO AT 12Z FRIDAY AND THEN PUSH INTO EAST-CENTRAL NEW MEXICO BY 21Z FRIDAY BEFORE MOVING INTO NORTH-CENTRAL OKLAHOMA BY 09Z SATURDAY AND INTO EASTERN KANSAS BY 15Z SATURDAY. THIS FORECAST TRACK IS RELATIVELY FAR SOUTH AND EAST OF CWFA AND FAVORS HEAVIEST QPF FROM FRIDAY INTO FRIDAY NIGHT OVER SOUTHERN AND EASTERN SECTIONS. FORECAST 700 MB WINDS A BIT LOWER THAN EARLIER MODELS SUGGESTED WITH 30 TO 40 KNOTS INDICATED...ESPECIALLY FROM FRIDAY AFTERNOON INTO FRIDAY EVENING. FOR NOW...WILL ALLOW INHERITED BLIZZARD AND WINTER STORM WATCHES TO CONTINUE IN FORCE. IN ADDITION...A SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW ADVISORY WILL BE IN EFFECT THROUGH 6 PM FRIDAY FOR ZONES 58>63 AND ZONES 65>68. IMPROVING METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS ARE THEN EXPECTED TO RETURN TO THE CWFA FROM LATER SATURDAY INTO SUNDAY AS AN UPPER RIDGE MOVES ACROSS THE REGION. THEN NEXT IN A SERIES OF CLOSED UPPER LOWS IS THEN EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO SOUTHERN UTAH AND NORTHERN ARIZONA BY 06Z MONDAY AND THEN PUSH ACROSS SOUTHERN COLORADO ON MONDAY BEFORE MOVING INTO THE WESTERN OKLAHOMA/WESTERN KANSAS REGION BY SUNSET TUESDAY. THIS IS EXPECTED TO GENERATE ANOTHER ROUND OF UNSETTLED WEATHER...ESPECIALLY ON MONDAY AND TUESDAY. COOLEST TEMPERATURES OF THE LONG TERM EXPECTED TO OCCUR FRIDAY...WHILE WARMEST TEMPERATURES SHOULD BE NOTED ON SUNDAY AND AGAIN BY NEXT WEDNESDAY. && .PUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... BLIZZARD WATCH FROM FRIDAY MORNING THROUGH FRIDAY AFTERNOON FOR COZ086>089-093>099. SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW ADVISORY FROM NOON TODAY TO 6 PM MDT FRIDAY FOR COZ058>061-063-065>068. WINTER STORM WATCH FROM THIS EVENING THROUGH FRIDAY AFTERNOON FOR COZ069>083. BLIZZARD WATCH FROM LATE TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY AFTERNOON FOR COZ084-085. SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW ADVISORY FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 6 PM MDT FRIDAY FOR COZ062. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO 649 AM MDT THU APR 12 2007 COZ058>089-093>099-131300- WESTERN MOSQUITO RANGE/EAST LAKE COUNTY ABOVE 11000 FT- LEADVILLE VICINITY/LAKE COUNTY BELOW 11000 FT- EASTERN SAWATCH MOUNTAINS ABOVE 11000 FT- WESTERN CHAFFEE COUNTY BETWEEN 9000 AND 11000 FT- CENTRAL CHAFFEE COUNTY BELOW 9000 FT- WESTERN MOSQUITO RANGE/EAST CHAFFEE COUNTY ABOVE 9000 FT- SAGUACHE COUNTY WEST OF CONTINENTAL DIVIDE BELOW 10000 FT- SAGUACHE COUNTY EAST OF CONTINENTAL DIVIDE BELOW 10000 FT- LA GARITA MOUNTAINS ABOVE 10000 FT- UPPER RIO GRANDE VALLEY/EASTERN SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS BELOW 10000 FT- EASTERN SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS ABOVE 10000 FT- DEL NORTE VICINITY/NORTHERN SAN LUIS VALLEY BELOW 8500 FT- ALAMOSA VICINITY/CENTRAL SAN LUIS VALLEY BELOW 8500 FT- SOUTHERN SAN LUIS VALLEY- NORTHERN SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS BETWEEN 8500 AND 11000 FT- NORTHERN SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS ABOVE 11000 FEET- SOUTHERN SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS BETWEEN 7500 AND 11000 FT- SOUTHERN SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS ABOVE 11000 FT- NORTHWESTERN FREMONT COUNTY ABOVE 8500 FT- WESTERN/CENTRAL FREMONT COUNTY BELOW 8500 FT- WET MOUNTAIN VALLEY BELOW 8500 FEET- WET MOUNTAINS BETWEEN 6300 AND 10000 FT- WET MOUNTAINS ABOVE 10000 FT- TELLER COUNTY/RAMPART RANGE ABOVE 7500 FT/PIKES PEAK BETWEEN 7500 AND 11000 FT-PIKES PEAK ABOVE 11000 FT- CANON CITY VICINITY/EASTERN FREMONT COUNTY- NORTHERN EL PASO COUNTY/MONUMENT RIDGE/RAMPART RANGE BELOW 7500 FT- COLORADO SPRINGS VICINITY/SOUTHERN EL PASO COUNTY/RAMPART RANGE BELOW 7400 FT-PUEBLO AND VICINITY/PUEBLO COUNTY BELOW 6300 FT- WALSENBURG VICINITY/UPPER HUERFANO RIVER BASIN BELOW 7500 FT- TRINIDAD VICINITY/WESTERN LAS ANIMAS COUNTY BELOW 7500 FT- CROWLEY COUNTY-LA JUNTA VICINITY/OTERO COUNTY- EASTERN LAS ANIMAS COUNTY-WESTERN KIOWA COUNTY- EASTERN KIOWA COUNTY-LAS ANIMAS VICINITY/BENT COUNTY- LAMAR VICINITY/PROWERS COUNTY-SPRINGFIELD VICINITY/BACA COUNTY- 649 AM MDT THU APR 12 2007 ...MAJOR SPRING STORM HEADED FOR SOUTHERN COLORADO... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL...EAST CENTRAL...SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT WIDESPREAD SNOW WILL MOVE INTO THE SOUTHWEST AND CENTRAL MOUNTAINS THIS MORNING...BECOMING HEAVY AT TIMES THROUGH TONIGHT. SNOW LEVELS WILL WAVER BETWEEN 8000 AND 9000 FEET WITH SNOW LEVELS DROPPING UNDER THE MORE INTENSE SNOW SHOWERS. ISOLATED EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE BY AFTERNOON PRODUCING LOCALLY INTENSE SNOWFALL RATES OF UP TO 2 INCHES PER HOUR. IN ADDITION...INCREASING SOUTHWEST WINDS OF 15 TO 30 MPH WILL CREATE AREAS OF BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW AND WHITE OUT CONDITIONS...ESPECIALLY OVER THE MOUNTAIN PASSES. ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST MOUNTAINS AND PLAINS BY THIS AFTERNOON. ONE OR TWO STRONG STORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST PLAINS...MAINLY ALONG AND SOUTH OF HIGHWAY 50. WIND GUSTS UP TO 45 MPH...AND SMALL HAIL UP TO 1/2 INCH IN DIAMETER WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THE STRONGER STORMS. SNOW WILL SPREAD ACROSS THE HIGH VALLEYS AND EASTERN MOUNTAINS TONIGHT...WITH SNOW LEVELS DROPPING DOWN TO AROUND 5500 FEET TOWARDS FRIDAY MORNING. SIGNIFICANT ACCUMULATIONS OF HEAVY WET SNOW WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST MOUNTAINS...SAN LUIS VALLEY...AND NORTHERN EL PASO COUNTY LATE TONIGHT. SOME UNCERTAINTY STILL REMAINS CONCERNING THE TRACK AND INTENSITY OF THIS DEVELOPING STORM SYSTEM. IF YOU HAVE TRAVEL PLANS ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL OR SOUTHEAST COLORADO TODAY OR TONIGHT...PLEASE MONITOR THE LATEST FORECASTS CONCERNING THIS POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS SPRING STORM. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY SNOW...HEAVY AT TIMES...IS EXPECTED OVER THE EASTERN MOUNTAINS AND PLAINS ON FRIDAY. SIGNIFICANT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE POSSIBLE...ESPECIALLY AT ELEVATIONS ABOVE 6000 FEET. IN ADDITION TO SNOW...STRONG NORTH TO NORTHEAST WINDS WILL CAUSE SIGNIFICANT BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW. TRAVEL ALONG THE INTERSTATE 25 CORRIDOR...PARTICULARLY RATON PASS AND MONUMENT HILL...COULD BECOME TREACHEROUS FRIDAY INTO FRIDAY EVENING. RESIDENTS AND TRAVELERS SHOULD PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE LATEST FORECASTS REGARDING THIS STORM FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OR LOCAL MEDIA. PERIODS OF SNOW...HEAVY AT TIMES...IS ALSO EXPECTED OVER THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS AND THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE FRIDAY...INCLUDING THE SAN JUAN...LA GARITA...AND SAWATCH RANGES. TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OVER THIS REGION FROM THIS MORNING THROUGH FRIDAY AFTERNOON SHOULD RANGE FROM 5 TO 10 INCHES...WITH LOCALLY HIGHER SNOW AMOUNTS POSSIBLE. TRAVEL OVER THE MOUNTAIN PASSES IS EXPECTED TO BECOME DIFFICULT IF NOT IMPOSSIBLE. LATEST COMPUTER PROJECTIONS INDICATE THAT ANOTHER STORM SYSTEM COULD IMPACT THE REGION MONDAY INTO TUESDAY. HEAVY MOUNTAIN SNOWS AND POSSIBLY SNOW AT THE LOWER ELEVATIONS COULD OCCUR WITH THIS STORM. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER CONDITIONS THAT MEET REPORTING CRITERIA FOR SPOTTERS WILL BE LIKELY TODAY AND TONIGHT...ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS AND HIGH VALLEYS.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
23 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Colorado in 2007Every state in 2007This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, April 2007
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: 26361, 26364, 26365, 26375, 26378, 26379, 26381, 26382, 26400, 26403, 26405, 26406, 26407, 26409, 26411, 26408, 26413, 26415, 26416, 26418, 26420, 26423, 26425.