A storm system brought heavy snow to portions of the North Central Mountains. The heaviest snowfall was reported in Summit County.
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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 BOU wrote it up.
A storm system brought heavy snow to portions of the North Central Mountains. The heaviest snowfall was reported in Summit County. Storm totals included: 13 inches at the Eisenhower Tunnel, 11.5 inches, 7.5 miles northwest of Silverthorne, with 8 inches at Frisco.
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 Denver/Boulder, CO wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 13, 4:00 AM MST, 8 hours earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO 400 AM MST SAT DEC 13 2008 .SHORT TERM...SATELLITE LOOP SHOWS VIGOROUS UPPER LEVEL TROUGH DIGGING SOUTHEASTWARD THROUGH THE WESTERN U.S...WHILE ARCTIC FRONT WAS MOVING THROUGH MONTANA AND JUST RECENTLY WENT THROUGH GREAT FALLS. EVERYTHING IS STILL ON TRACK FOR A DRASTIC CHANGE IN THE WEATHER LATER TODAY AND TONIGHT. STRONG Q-G LIFT AND AN INCREASINGLY MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIRMASS WILL MOVE INTO COLORADO TODAY AND ESPECIALLY THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING AS MID LEVEL FRONT MOVES ACROSS. MOISTURE ASSOCIATED WITH A LEAD SHORT WAVE THAT THE MODELS ARE NOT HANDLING TOO WELL WAS ALREADY SPREADING ACROSS EASTERN UTAH AND WESTERN COLORADO. APPEARS ATMOSPHERE IS ALREADY MORE MOIST THAN WHAT MODELS WERE SUGGESTING...SO SNOW SHOULD GET GOING IN EARNEST AS UPPER LEVEL DYNAMICS INCREASE THIS AFTERNOON. ONLY DRAWBACK FROM A VERY HEAVY SNOW EVENT IN THE HIGH COUNTRY OF NORTHERN COLORADO IS THE SOUTHWEST FLOW AHEAD OF THE MID LEVEL FRONT. HOWEVER...DYNAMICS ARE VERY STRONG AS SEEN IN THE Q-G FIELDS SHOWING 20-25 MB/HOUR OF DEEP LIFT FOR THE LATE AFTERNOON/OVERNIGHT PERIOD AS STRONG 140 KNOT JET MAX NOSES THROUGH SOUTHERN COLORADO. THIS ALONE SHOULD PROVIDE FOR A LONG DURATION OF MODERATE SNOWFALL...AND AS FLOW SWITCHES AROUND TO MORE WESTERLY AND COLD ADVECTION KICKS IN THIS EVENING...WE SHOULD SEE A 3-6 HOUR PERIOD OF VERY HEAVY SNOWFALL. WILL UPGRADE ZONE 31 WATCH TO A WARNING AND ALSO INCLUDE ZONES 33 AND 34 FOR THE MEDICINE BOW RANGE...INDIAN PEAKS...AND SUMMIT COUNTY AREA. THIS STORM SHOULD HAVE A MAJOR IMPACT ON TRAVEL IN THE I-70 CORRIDOR THIS WEEKEND. FURTHER ADVISORIES MAY BE NEEDED LATER TODAY FOR THE MOUNTAIN VALLEYS AND PERHAPS FRONT RANGE FOOTHILLS SINCE THIS EVENT IS SO DYNAMICALLY DRIVEN. ON THE PLAINS...ARCTIC FRONT IS STILL FORECAST TO REACH DENVER AROUND MIDNIGHT WITH TEMPERATURES FALLING SHARPLY BEHIND THE FRONT. SNOW WILL ALSO DEVELOP RAPIDLY CONSIDERING THE AMOUNT OF LIFT AND INSTABILITY ABOVE THE LOW LEVEL FRONTAL INVERSION. EXPECT AT LEAST AN INCH OR TWO OF SNOW BEFORE DAYBREAK SUNDAY IN THE I-25 CORRIDOR. GUSTY NORTH WINDS WILL ALSO PRODUCE BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW. AGAIN...FEEL THE NAM IS TOO DRY GIVEN THE SUSTAINED DEEP LIFT... WHILE GFS HAS A BETTER HANDLE ON THE SITUATION. FINALLY...40-45 KNOT CROSS MOUNTAIN FLOW AND REVERSE SHEAR PROFILE HAS RESULTED IN A MOUNTAIN WAVE SIGNATURE ACROSS THE FRONT RANGE. SO FAR...RADAR SHOWS THE WAVE ENHANCEMENT HAS STAYED UP ABOVE THE PEAK TO PEAK HIGHWAY. WAVE SHOULD GRADUALLY BREAK DOWN TODAY AS REVERSE SHEAR PROFILE WANES...BUT OCCASIONAL GUSTY WINDS ARE STILL EXPECTED IN/NEAR THE FRONT RANGE WITH DOWNSLOPE WARMING AND LEE TROUGHING. .LONG TERM...SEVERAL DAYS OF ACTIVE/UNSETTLED WEATHER APPEARS TO BE COMING OUR WAY. FIRST OFF...SNOWFALL SHOULD BE WIDESPREAD ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA SUNDAY MORNING AS STRONG DYNAMICS ALOFT AND A COLD...MOIST AIRMASS WORK THEIR MAGIC. ACCORDING TO THE QUASI-GEOSTROPHIC DIAGNOSTIC PACKAGE FROM THE GFS MODEL...THE 12Z-18Z TIME PERIOD WILL BE THE MOST FAVORABLE HOURS FOR SNOW ACCUMULATION. 600 MB TEMPERATURES WILL BE AROUND -15C ALONG WITH THE DYNAMIC FORCING AND A SATURATED AIRMASS. ALOFT...COLORADO WILL LIE UNDER THE NORTHERN SIDE OF A 120 KNOT JET WITH A LOW AND MID LEVEL COLD FRONT IN THE VICINITY. TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE PLAINS ON SUNDAY LOOK LIKE THEY WILL BE NEARLY CONSTANT...IN THE LOWER TO MID TEENS ALL DAY. BY AFTERNOON...SUBSIDENT FORCING IS FORECAST TO MOVE OVER THE REGION WHILE THE ZONE OF FAVORABLE TEMPERATURES FOR SNOW CRYSTAL GROWTH SAGS TO OUR SOUTH. THIS SHOULD BRING AN END TO THE HEAVIER SNOWFALL. IN THE MOUNTAINS...THE ENTIRE DAY SHOULD FEATURE MODERATE SNOWFALL AS THE DYNAMICS OF THE UPPER TROUGH AND JET STREAM INTERACT WITH THE HIGHER TERRAIN. THE WINTER STORM WARNING WILL CONTINUE THROUGH 00Z. GIVEN THE STRONG DYNAMICS ASSOCIATED WITH THE STORM...EVEN VALLEY LOCATIONS IN NORTH...MIDDLE AND SOUTH PARK MAY PICK UP APPRECIABLE SNOWFALL. LATER SHIFTS MAY NEED TO ISSUE AN ADVISORY TO COVER THE POSSIBLE SNOW ACCUMULATIONS IN THESE AREAS. IF THE NAM MODEL WAS GENERATING A BIT MORE QPF...OUR CONFIDENCE IN HEAVIER SNOW AMOUNTS WOULD BE HIGHER...AND ADDITIONAL HIGHLIGHTS COULD BE ISSUED LATER TODAY. BEYOND SUNDAY...LOW LEVEL COLD ADVECTION INTO NORTHEAST COLORADO WILL BE CONTINUING WITH TEMPERATURES HEADING FOR THE ZERO MARK OVERNIGHT. MEANWHILE...NEUTRAL FORCING WILL BE OVER THE STATE WHICH COULD ALLOW OCCASIONAL SNOW FLURRIES TO DEVELOP. ON MONDAY...THE ARCTIC HIGH PRESSURE ON THE CENTRAL PLAINS INDUCE LOW LEVEL SOUTHEASTERLY FLOW ACROSS EASTERN COLORADO. THIS WILL ALLOW FOR SOME MODERATION OF THE AIRMASS THROUGH THE DAY. ON MONDAY NIGHT...THE GFS AND ECMWF BOTH INDICATE ANOTHER SHORT WAVE ROTATING THROUGH THE MEAN UPPER TROUGH THAT WILL BE CARVED OUT OVER THE WESTERN U.S. INDICATIONS ARE THAT AN EVEN STRONGER JET STREAK WILL ACCOMPANY THIS IMPULSE...SO ANOTHER ROUND OF SNOWFALL ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA LOOKS TO BE A PRETTY GOOD BET. FOR THE TIME BEING WILL STICK WITH 30 PERCENT POPS ACROSS THE PLAINS. BEYOND TUESDAY I DID NOT MAKE ANY CHANGES...BECAUSE THERE IS ALMOST NO CERTAINTY OF WHAT THE UPPER PATTERN WILL LOOK LIKE BEYOND THE SECOND SHORT WAVE THAT MOVES THROUGH THE TROUGH. FOR THE TIME BEING THE ECMWF IS SHOWING AN UPPER LOW BRIEFLY CUTTING OFF FROM THE MAIN WESTERLIES AND MOVING OVER SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA DURING THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK BEFORE EJECTING ACROSS COLORADO NEXT THURSDAY NIGHT OR FRIDAY. STAY TUNED AND STAY WARM. && .AVIATION...VFR CONDITIONS CAN BE EXPECTED THROUGH ABOUT 06Z-08Z TONIGHT. THEN ARCTIC FRONT WILL BRING A RAPID DECREASE IN CEILINGS AND VISIBILITIES DUE TO SNOW WITH IFR CONDITIONS PREVAILING ALONG WITH A CHANCE OF LIFR CONDITIONS. AN AVERAGE OF SOUTHWESTERLY WINDS SHOULD PREVAIL UNTIL COLD FRONT...THEN GUSTY NORTH/NORTHEAST WINDS AROUND 15-20 KNOTS WITH GUSTS UP TO 30 KNOTS POSSIBLE WITH THE FRONTAL PASSAGE AND A COUPLE HOURS THEREAFTER. GUSTY WINDS ALSO PRODUCING BLOWING SNOW. && .BOU WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...WINTER STORM WARNING NORTHERN MOUNTAINS FROM 12 NOON MST TODAY UNTIL 5 PM MST SUNDAY...ZONES 31..33..AND 34. BARJENBRUCH/KDRBY
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO 1118 AM MST SAT DEC 13 2008 COZ030>051-141300- JACKSON COUNTY BELOW 9000 FEET-WEST JACKSON AND WEST GRAND COUNTIES ABOVE 9000 FEET-GRAND AND SUMMIT COUNTIES BELOW 9000 FEET-SOUTH AND EAST JACKSON/LARIMER/NORTH AND NORTHEAST GRAND/ NORTHWEST BOULDER COUNTIES ABOVE 9000 FEET-SOUTH AND SOUTHEAST GRAND/WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST BOULDER/GILPIN/CLEAR CREEK/ SUMMIT/NORTH AND WEST PARK COUNTIES ABOVE 9000 FEET-LARIMER AND BOULDER COUNTIES BETWEEN 6000 AND 9000 FEET-JEFFERSON AND WEST DOUGLAS COUNTIES ABOVE 6000 FEET/GILPIN/CLEAR CREEK/NORTHEAST PARK COUNTIES BELOW 9000 FEET-CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST PARK COUNTY-LARIMER COUNTY BELOW 6000 FEET/NORTHWEST WELD COUNTY-BOULDER AND JEFFERSON COUNTIES BELOW 6000 FEET/WEST BROOMFIELD COUNTY-NORTH DOUGLAS COUNTY BELOW 6000 FEET/DENVER/WEST ADAMS AND ARAPAHOE COUNTIES/ EAST BROOMFIELD COUNTY-ELBERT/CENTRAL AND EAST DOUGLAS COUNTIES ABOVE 6000 FEET-NORTHEAST WELD COUNTY-CENTRAL AND SOUTH WELD COUNTY-MORGAN COUNTY-CENTRAL AND EAST ADAMS AND ARAPAHOE COUNTIES- NORTH AND NORTHEAST ELBERT COUNTY BELOW 6000 FEET/NORTH LINCOLN COUNTY-SOUTHEAST ELBERT COUNTY BELOW 6000 FEET/SOUTH LINCOLN COUNTY-LOGAN COUNTY-WASHINGTON COUNTY-SEDGWICK COUNTY-PHILLIPS COUNTY- 1118 AM MST SAT DEC 13 2008 ...WINTER STORM WARNING FOR THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH SUNDAY... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST AND NORTH CENTRAL COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SNOW WILL INCREASE OVER THE MOUNTAINS THIS AFTERNOON AND BECOME WIDESPREAD THIS EVENING...CONTINUING INTO SUNDAY. OVER THE PLAINS...A COLD FRONT WILL PUSH SOUTHWARD JUST AFTER MIDNIGHT WITH LIGHT SNOW DEVELOPING BEHIND IT EARLY SUNDAY MORNING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY AREAS OF LIGHT SNOW ARE EXPECTED ON THE PLAINS SUNDAY...MAINLY IN THE MORNING. SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL IS STILL EXPECTED IN THE HIGHER MOUNTAINS DURING THE DAY. VERY COLD TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED WITH TEMPERATURES STEADY OR FALLING THROUGH THE DAY...ONLY IN THE LOWER TO MID TEENS ACROSS THE PLAINS. SUNDAY NIGHT WILL BE VERY COLD ACROSS THE REGION...WITH LOW TEMPERATURES FALLING TO AROUND THE ZERO DEGREE MARK. IT WILL REMAIN COLD THROUGH THE WEEK WITH PERIODS OF SNOW IN THE MOUNTAINS...AND A CHANCE OF LIGHT SNOW ON THE PLAINS. AT THIS TIME THE MOST LIKELY PERIODS FOR SNOW APPEAR TO BE MONDAY NIGHT AND AROUND THURSDAY. THE COLD UPPER TROUGH WILL REMAIN OVER THE WESTERN HALF OF THE UNITED STATES WITH ARCTIC HIGH PRESSURE COVERING THE NORTHERN AND EASTERN PARTS OF THE COUNTRY THROUGH THE WEEK. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED TODAY OR TONIGHT. RJK/GIMMESTAD
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Colorado in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, December 2008
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: 142304.