and portions of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. and 13 inches near the summit of Wolf Creek Pass (Mineral County).
Every event with a place to put it; 3 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.
Strong upslope flow...accompanied with abundant moisture...impacted mainly the eastern San Juan and La Garita Mountains...and portions of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Some of the higher snow amounts were...6 inches in and near Cuchara (Huerfano County)...7 inches 7 miles west of Westcliffe (Custer County)...8 inches on Monarch Pass (Chaffee County)...and 13 inches near the summit of Wolf Creek Pass (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 15, 3:48 PM MST, 2 hours 12 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO 348 PM MST MON DEC 15 2008 .SHORT TERM... (TONIGHT AND TUESDAY) CURRENTLY...COLD ARCTIC AIR HAS BEEN VERY SLOW TO MODIFY OVER THE PLAINS...AS THICKENING CIRRUS LAYER AND PATCHY STRATUS HAVE LIMITED INSOLATION...ESPECIALLY ALONG AND SOUTH OF THE ARKANSAS RIVER AND ACROSS EL PASO COUNTY. LOOKS LIKE RECORD LOW MAXES WILL BE SET AT BOTH KCOS AND KPUB...AS TEMPS HAVE YET TO REACH 10F AT BOTH LOCATIONS. HAVE SEEN SOME WARMING OVER THE MOUNTAINS AND ALONG THE HIGHER TERRAIN...WITH READINGS AT LEAST REACHING THE 20S OVER THE PALMER DIVIDE...TELLER COUNTY AND THE WET MOUNTAINS. SNOW HAS BEEN SLOW TO BREAK OUT OVER WESTERN SECTIONS...WITH MAIN PRECIP BAND HANGING OUT OVER NEW MEXICO MOST OF THE DAY. FAIRLY WIDESPREAD PRECIP BACK WEST OVER UT/AZ NOW SPREADING INTO WRN CO...SO EXPECT SNOW TO REALLY PICK UP NEXT FEW HOURS ALONG THE DIVIDE. TONIGHT...LEFT THE HIGHLIGHTS UNCHANGED FOR WESTERN MOUNTAIN AND VALLEY ZONES...WITH WIDESPREAD HEAVY SNOWFALL ALONG THE DIVIDE BY MIDNIGHT. SNOW A LITTLE SLOWER TO BREAK OUT OVER THE SANGRES...THOUGH SHOULD SEE AT LEAST STEADY LIGHT SNOW BY EARLY MORNING. VALLEYS INITIALLY LOOK SHADOWED...THOUGH AS AIR MASS SATURATES AND DYNAMIC LIFT INCREASES AFTER MIDNIGHT...WILL SEE SNOW INCREASE OVER THE UPPER ARKANSAS AND SAN LUIS VALLEYS BY MORNING AS WELL. MODEL QPFS SUGGEST LITTLE OR NO PRECIP OVER THE WETS/TELLER COUNTY PLUS THE I-25 CORRIDOR...BUT LOOK AT FORECAST SOUNDINGS AND CURRENT COLDER THAN PROGGED AIR MASS SUGGEST SATURATION WILL BE FAIRLY EASY TO OBTAIN LATER TONIGHT...WITH AT LEAST SOME LIGHT SNOW POSSIBLE. DID TRIM BACK THE POPS SLIGHTLY FROM KCOS TO KPUB...BUT WILL KEEP AT LEAST A HIGH CHANCE GOING. COULD ALSO SEE A SEEDER/FEEDER PROCESS DEVELOP OVER THE PLAINS...WITH SNOWFALL FROM HIGH LEVEL CLOUDS EVENTUALLY SEEDING COLD/MOIST BOUNDARY LAYER AND PRODUCING AT LEAST SOME LIGHT SNOW. WITH INCREASING CLOUDS/MOISTURE...SUSPECT MIN TEMPS WILL OCCUR THIS EVENING...WITH STEADY OR SLOWLY RISING VALUES THROUGH THE NIGHT. TUESDAY...FORECAST OUT WEST REMAINS THE SAME...SNOW...HEAVY AT TIMES ALONG THE DIVIDE...WITH PERHAPS SOME DECREASE IN COVERAGE BY LATE AFTERNOON AS UPPER JET LIFTS NORTH. TOUGHER FORECAST FOR THE EASTERN MOUNTAINS AND PLAINS...AS MODELS ALL DEVELOP DOWNSLOPE WINDS AND ERODE THE COLD AIR...ESPECIALLY NEAR THE MOUNTAINS. STRONGLY SUSPECT MODELS ARE WAY TOO QUICK TO GET RID OF SHALLOW COLD AIR...ESPECIALLY ALONG AND NORTH OF THE ARKANSAS VALLEY. TRIED TO LIMIT WARMING TO EASTERN MOUNTAIN SLOPES AND IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT PLAINS...BUT UNDERCUT GUIDANCE TEMPS SOME 10-20F MOST AREAS...THOUGH MAY NOT HAVE GONE COLD ENOUGH FOR AREA AROUND KPUB IF CLOUDS HOLD IN PLACE. KEPT THE LOW POPS IN PLACE FOR THE EAST...THOUGH PRECIP WILL LIKELY BE LIMITED TO LOCALIZED FLURRIES/SNOW SHOWERS. ADDED SOME MENTION OF BLOWING SNOW TO THE WET MOUNTAIN VALLEY AND SOUTHERN I-25 CORRIDOR...AS USUAL WINDY SPOTS WEST OF WESTCLIFFE AND AROUND WALSENBURG WILL SEE AT LEAST OCCASIONAL STRONG WINDS. .LONG TERM... (TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY) TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY...DEEP UPPER TROUGH REMAINS OFF THE CA COAST ESSENTIALLY THROUGH WED NIGHT...WITH A 140-160 KT UPPER JET DIRECTLY OVER THE 4 CORNERS AND COLORADO. CONSTANT OCEANIC TAP REMAINS IN PLACE THROUGH THIS PERIOD...KEEPING SNOW ACROSS THE HIGHER TERRAIN AND ESPECIALLY OVER THE SW MTS. NAM...GFS AND ECMWF MODELS INDICATE A LESSENING OF SNOWFALL INTENSITY TUES NIGHT...BUT THEN ALL AGREE ON RAMPING UP THE SNOW ONCE AGAIN ON WED. SNOW WILL MOST LIKELY BE MEASURED IN FEET OVER THE WOLF CREEK SKI AREA...AND CURRENT WARNING IN PLACE LOOKS GOOD. IN FACT...CURRENT ENDING TIME OF THU MORNING MIGHT HAVE TO BE EXTENDED AS LATEST MODEL RUNS CONTINUE TO SHOW IMPRESSIVE QPF FOR THAT AREA. THE UPPER EJET RIGHT OVER US WILL KEEP STRONG GUSTY WINDS IN PLACE OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN...AND BLOWING SNOW WILL BE A PROBLEM. LATE WED NIGHT INTO EARLY THU MORNING THE UPPER LOW FINALLY BEGINS TO MOVE...SLIDING ACROSS S NV THU AM...THEN UT AND CO THU EVE. ECMWF SHOWS THIS AS WELL THOUGH IT IS A BIG STRONGER WITH THE LOW AND ABOUT 6 HRS SLOWER. REGARDLESS...AS THE LOW MOVES FROM SW TO NE CO THE HEAVY SNOW MACHINE SHOULD FINALLY SLOW DOWN FOR THE SW MTS...WITH AN INCREASED CHANCE FOR SOME SNOW ACROSS THE PLAINS THU AFTN. TEMPS THROUGH THIS PERIOD ARE GOING TO BE A GREAT CHALLENGE. THE COMBINATION OF SNOW COVER...ONGOING SNOWFALL...CLOUD COVER...COLD POOL...AND STRONG WINDS ALOFT ALL COMBINE TO CREATE A TEMP GRID WHICH IS ANYONES GUESS. FELT THAT GFS NUMERICAL GUIDANCE WAS FAR TOO WARM ON WED AND THU...MOST LIKELY A REFLECTION OF THE STRONG WINDS ALOFT PRODUCING DOWNSLOPE FLOW...AND SIDED WITH THE MUCH COLDER NAM. FRIDAY THROUGH MONDAY...LONG RANGE MODELS HINT AT WESTERLY ZONAL FLOW FRI...THEN ANOTHER LONGWAVE TROUGH OVER CANADA AND THE NORTH ROCKIES MOVING EAST JUST BRUSHING THE NORTH PART OF COLORADO SAT AND SUN. THIS WOULD PRODUCE AT LEAST ISOLATED SNOW FOR THE CENT MTS...THEN A SFC COLD FRONT SAT LEADING INTO NW FLOW ALOFT SUN AND MON. OVERALL...LOOKS AS IF AN UNSETTLED PATTERN MIGHT CONTINUE INTO NEXT WEEK. MOORE && .AVIATION...LOWER CLOUDS AND SNOW HAVE BEEN SLOW TO DEVELOP NEAR KALS...BUT STILL EXPECT LOWERING CLOUDS AND INCREASING PRECIP OVERNIGHT...WITH MVFR CONDITIONS DEVELOPING AFTER 03Z...WITH SOME LOCAL IFR VIS AFTER 10Z. EXPECT WIDESPREAD PRECIP AND MOUNTAIN OBSCURATION ALONG THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE AND ACROSS THE SANGRES THROUGH TUESDAY...WITH AT LEAST PATCHY MVFR/IFR FARTHER EAST OVER TELLER COUNTY AND THE WET MOUNTAINS. FOR KCOS AND KPUB...ALREADY HAVE PATCHY MVFR STRATUS AT KPUB AS OF 22Z...AND EXPECT CLOUDS TO EXPAND AND LOWER OVERNIGHT AS BOUNDARY LAYER SATURATES. EXPECTING MOSTLY MVFR CONDITIONS THIS EVENING...LOWERING TO IFR AFTER 06Z AS CLOUD LOWER. SNOWFALL OVERNIGHT WILL BE LIGHT...BUT COULD SEE SOME AREAS BELOW 3SM VIS...ESPECIALLY IN THE 06Z-15Z TIME FRAME. VERY SLOW IMPROVEMENT ON TUESDAY...WITH KPUB/KCOS LIKELY LAST TO CLEAR AFTER 20Z. && .PUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM MST TUESDAY FOR COZ072>075. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM MST TUESDAY FOR COZ062>065. WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 5 AM MST THURSDAY FOR COZ068. WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 6 PM MST TUESDAY FOR COZ058>061-066- 067. && 10/27
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO 639 AM MST MON DEC 15 2008 COZ058>089-093>099-161400- 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- 639 AM MST MON DEC 15 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL...EAST CENTRAL...SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT ANOTHER ROUND OF HEAVY SNOW WILL MOVE INTO THE SOUTHWEST AND CENTRAL BY THIS AFTERNOON AND CONTINUE THROUGH TONIGHT. THE HEAVIEST SNOWFALL WILL OCCUR ACROSS THE EASTERN SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS WHERE ANOTHER 12 TO 20 INCHES CAN BE EXPECTED BY EARLY TUESDAY MORNING. ADDITIONAL SNOWFALL AMOUNTS OF 8 TO 16 INCHES CAN BE EXPECTED ACROSS THE SAWATCH AND MOSQUITO RANGES AS WELL AS THE LOWER ELEVATIONS OF LAKE COUNTY...AND ACROSS THE LA GARITA MOUNTAINS ABOVE 10000 FEET. GUSTY SOUTHWEST WINDS OF 15 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH WILL CAUSE AREAS OF BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW...ESPECIALLY OVER THE MOUNTAIN PASSES WHERE WHITE OUT CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED AT TIMES. THE LOWER ELEVATIONS OF THE LA GARITA MOUNTAINS BELOW 10000 FEET..AND THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN PORTIONS OF CHAFFEE COUNTY WILL RECEIVE ANOTHER 4 TO 8 INCHES OF SNOWFALL BY EARLY TUESDAY MORNING. PERIODS OF LIGHT TO MODERATE SNOWFALL WILL SPREAD ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST COLORADO BY TONIGHT WITH 3 TO 7 INCHES OF SNOWFALL EXPECTED ACROSS THE SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS AND ANYWHERE FROM 2 TO 5 INCHES ACROSS THE SAN LUIS VALLEY...WET MOUNTAIN VALLEY AND PORTIONS OF THE I-25 CORRIDOR. LESS THAN AN INCH OF SNOWFALL IS EXPECTED ACROSS THE FAR SOUTHEAST PLAINS. COLD TEMPERATURES WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE AREA TODAY. MORNING TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN IN THE SINGLE DIGITS TO AROUND 15 BELOW ZERO IN THE MOUNTAIN VALLEYS. DRESS WARMLY IF YOU MUST SPEND TIME OUTSIDE THIS MORNING TO AVOID FROSTBITE. USE EXTREME CAUTION IF YOU MUST TRAVEL OR HAVE OUTDOOR PLANS ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST COLORADO TODAY OR TONIGHT. SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS THE SOUTHWEST AND CENTRAL MOUNTAINS WHERE TRAVEL CONDITIONS MAY BECOME DIFFICULT TO IMPOSSIBLE LATER TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY SNOW WILL CONTINUE ACROSS A GOOD PORTION OF CENTRAL...SOUTH CENTRAL...EAST CENTRAL...AND SOUTHEAST COLORADO...ESPECIALLY ALONG AND WEST OF INTERSTATE 25 ON TUESDAY WITH ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATIONS OF 3 TO 12 INCHES ACROSS THE EASTERN SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS...3 TO 6 INCHES ACROSS THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS...1 TO 4 INCHES ACROSS THE SANGRE DE CRISTO AND WET MOUNTAINS...1 TO 2 INCHES ACROSS THE WET MOUNTAIN VALLEY...1 TO 3 INCHES ACROSS THE SAN LUIS VALLEY...AND AROUND 1 INCH ALONG THE INTERSTATE 25 CORRIDOR. ACCUMULATING SNOW IS FORECAST FOR THE TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT TIME PERIOD ACROSS MUCH OF CENTRAL...SOUTH CENTRAL...EAST CENTRAL...AND SOUTHEAST COLORADO. SNOW...HEAVY AT TIMES...AND BLOWING SNOW IS FORECAST ACROSS THE EASTERN SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS AT AND ABOVE 10000 FEET WITH ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATIONS OF 1 TO 3 FEET FOR TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT. THE LA GARITA...SAWATCH...MOSQUITO...SANGRE DE CRISTO...WET...AND PIKES PEAK MOUNTAIN RANGES COULD SEE AN ADDITIONAL 1 TO 8 INCHES OF SNOWFALL TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT...AND THE SAN LUIS VALLEY AND SOUTHEAST COLORADO 1 TO 2 INCHES. THERE IS A VERY LOW PROBABILITY FOR ACCUMULATING SNOW ACROSS THE SOUTHWEST AND CENTRAL MOUNTAINS ALONG THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER CONDITIONS THAT MEET REPORTING CRITERIA FOR SPOTTERS WILL BE LIKELY ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST COLORADO THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH TONIGHT. 31/17
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 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: 146048, 146049, 146050.