and the eastern Sawatch Range. and 33 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...with abundant moisture impacted the eastern San Juan and La Garita Mountains...and the eastern Sawatch Range. The higher accumulations ranged from 10 to 14 inches on Monarch Pass and points north...and 33 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 21, 3:08 PM MST, 12 hours 52 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO 308 PM MST SUN DEC 21 2008 .SHORT TERM... (TONIGHT AND TOMORROW) ...MAIN CONCERN IS INCOMING STORM FOR THE CONTDVD... CURRENTLY OVER THE REGION...HIGH CLOUDS GRADUALLY INCREASING OVER THE CWA. TEMPS ARE QUITE COOL...WITH READINGS IN THE 20S MOSTLY EVERYWHERE. ON THE LARGER SCALE...WX SYSTEM THAT WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BRING MORE HEAVY SNOW TO THE CONTDVD WAS MOVING ONSHORE THE PAC NW. TONIGHT AND TOMORROW...BESIDES INCREASING CLOUDS...MAIN NOTABLE SENSIBLE WX TO AFFECT THE REGION IS THE MUCH WARMER AIR MOVING IN AOA THE THE 700 MB LAYER. THIS WILL HAVE A NOTABLE AFFECT ON THE HIGHER ELEVATION TEMPERATURES TONIGHT. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THE TOP OF PIKES PEAK MAY BE WARMER THAN DOWNTOWN KCOS TOMORROW MORNING. AS FOR THE INCOMING STORM...THERE WILL BE 2 BANDS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS SYSTEM IN THE SHORT RUN. THE FIRST BAND WILL COME IN LATE TONIGHT AND LAST INTO MID MORNING. THINGS WILL THEN SLACKEN UP A BIT AND THEN THE REALLY HEAVY STUFF MOVES IN. BOTH THE GFS AND NAM SOLUTIONS SHOWED THIS PATTERN MAINLY FOR THE SW MTNS. I TOYED AROUND WITH MAYBE DELAYING THE WSW UNTIL MID AFTERNOON MONDAY...BUT THOUGHT THIS MAY CREATE MORE CONFUSION IN THE LONG RUN. FOR NOW PLAN TO MENTION IN THE WSW TEXT THAT WE WILL SEE ONE BAND EARLY TOMORROW...THEN IT WILL SLACKEN UP A BIT...AND WILL GET GOING ONCE AGAIN TOMORROW AFTERNOON. AS FOR THE PLAINS TOMORROW...IT SHOULD WARM UP CONSIDERABLY. EXCEPT FOR PUEBLO COUNTY...MOST AREAS ON THE PLAINS SHOULD BE BREEZY TOMORROW WITH THE STRONGEST SW SFC FLOW OVER THE FAR SE CO PLAINS. THIS SHOULD ALLOW FOR CONSIDERABLE MIXING AND WE SHOULD WARM UP INTO THE 40S NEARLY ALL AREAS WITH A 50 OR TWO DOWN NEAR KTAD REGION. BY LATE TONIGHT OR EARLY TOMORROW MORNING...WINDS WILL BE ON THE INCREASE ACROSS THE MTNS AND EXPECT WINDS IN TH3 35-45 MPH RANGE BY MIDDAY TOMORROW ACROSS THE HIGHER TRRN. ALONG WITH THE INCREASING SNOWFALL...BLOWING SNOW WILL BE AN ISSUE. TRAVEL WILL BE DIFFICULT IN THE MTNS BY LATER TOMORROW. /HODANISH .LONG TERM... (MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY) ...HEAVY SNOW CONTINUES ACROSS THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY... VERY ACTIVE PATTERN CONTINUES AS A SERIES OF UPPER LEVEL TROFS MOVE ACROSS THE AREA. STILL LOOKS LIKE HEAVIEST SNOW POTENTIAL WILL BE ACROSS THE WESTERN/CEN MTS MON NIGHT/TUES AS NEXT TROF MOVES IN AND LAPSE RATES STEEPEN. NAM12 IS PRINTING OUT 4-8 INCHES EVERY 6 HRS FOR THE EASTERN SAN JUAN MTS...AND WITH WITH STRONG SOUTHWEST FLOW OVER THE AREA...OROGRAPHICS IS LIKELY ENHANCING MODEL SNOW OUTPUT AT LEAST THROUGH 18Z TUES. WILL KEEP INHERITED WINTER STORM WARNING HEADLINES CONTINUING. ONE TO TWO FEET WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS THIS AREA WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS ALONG THE SOUTHWEST FACING SLOPES. WILL SPREAD WINTER WEATHER ADVISORIES INTO THE REMAINDER OF THE EASTERN SAN JUAN AND LA GARITA MOUNTAINS...AND ACROSS THE MOSQUITO RANGES AND LOWER ELEVATION OF THE SAWATCH RANGE ALONG WITH THE LOWER ELEVATIONS OF LAKE COUNTY. TOTAL SNOWFALL AMOUNTS IN THESE AREAS WILL RANGE FROM 5-12 INCHES OVER THE 36 HR EVENT. SOME LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF THE LA GARITA MTS. GUSTY SOUTHWEST TO WEST WINDS WILL CREATE AREAS OF BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW. MONDAY NIGHT 60+ KT WIND BARBS NOT TOO FAR OFF THE DECK ACROSS THE SW MTS AS UPPER JET TRANSLATES IN ALOFT. THIS WILL BE THE WINDOW FOR THE STRONGEST WINDS AND LIKELY THE WORST OF THE BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW. THIS SIMILAR SCENARIO HAS PLAYED OUT FOR SEVERAL OF THE PAST FEW SYSTEMS...AND IT RAISES CONCERNS FOR POTENTIAL WHITE OUT CONDITIONS OVER THE MTS. MON NIGHT WILL BE WINDY FOR THE EASTERN MTS AS WELL...WITH LEE TROF DEEPENING AHEAD OF INCOMING SYSTEM. LOTS OF FORWARD SHEAR ALOFT THOUGH...SO NOT ANTICIPATING ANY HIGH WIND HIGHLIGHTS IN SPITE OF 60 KT FLAGS AT H7 ACROSS THE SRN SANGRES. IT WILL UNDOUBTEDLY BE WINDY BUT WITHOUT MTN WAVE SET UP ITS DIFFICULT TO GET THESE STRONG GUSTS DOWN THE LOWER EASTERN SLOPES. WARMEST NIGHT OF THE WEEK WILL BE THIS ONE...ESP FOR THE LOWER EASTERN SLOPES/ADJACENT PLAINS. COLD FRONT MAKES ITS WAY SOUTHWARD EARLY ON TUES. 18Z NAM HAS SLOWED SOUTHERN PROGRESSION OF THE FRONT AND BRINGS IT TO NEAR THE ARKANSAS RIVER BY 21Z. 12Z RUNS OF NAM AND GFS WERE A TAD FASTER WITH FRONT TO THE SRN CO BORDER BY 21-00Z. HAVE GONE WITH SLIGHTLY FASTER SOLN FROM THE 12Z RUNS. ANTICIPATE HIGH TEMPS WILL BE IN THE MORNING WITH STEADY OR FALLING TEMPS IN THE AFTERNOON. AS TROF EJECTS ACROSS THE AREA TUESDAY EVENING...COULD SEE A BRIEF ROUND OF SNOW BEHIND THE FRONT ACROSS A PORTION OF THE PLAINS AS AREA OF ISENTROPIC UPGLIDE OVERSPREADS COLD SFC AIR. THIS SHOULD START AROUND 18Z ACROSS THE PALMER DIVIDE/NE TELLER COUNTY THEN SPREAD SOUTHWARD THROUGH THE LATE AFTN/EARLY EVENING. LATEST 18Z NAM IS EVEN A LITTLE DEEPER WITH THE NE FLOW BEHIND THE FRONT...AND IS NOW PROVIDING A PERIOD OF NE UPSLOPE FOR THE PALMER DIVIDE AS WELL. HAVE INCREASED POPS FOR THESE AREAS TUES AFTN/TUES EVENING. ONCE TROF AXIS PASSES...FLOW ALOFT SHIFTS AROUND FROM THE WEST WHICH SHOULD HELP SHUT DOWN PCPN ACROSS THE PIKES PEAK REGION. COULD SEE ANYWHERE FROM 1-3 INCHES OF SNOW ACROSS THE PIKES PEAK REGION...WITH UP TO AN INCH AND A HALF POSSIBLE FARTHER SOUTH AND EAST ACROSS CUSTER...CROWLEY...PUEBLO...KIOWA COUNTIES. WILL BE IN BETWEEN SYSTEMS FOR WED...HOWEVER WESTERN MTS WILL SEE ANOTHER UPSWING IN PCPN WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING AS NEXT SHORTWAVE TROF MOVES IN FROM THE WEST. THIS SYSTEM APPEARS WEAKER THAN THE PREVIOUS ONE...SO ONLY ANTICIPATING A BRIEF SHOT OF LIGHT SNOW FOR THE WESTERN MTS THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT. CHRISTMAS DAY STILL LOOKS WARM AND RELATIVE DRY...ESPECIALLY FOR THE EASTERN PORTIONS OF THE FCST AREA. TROF RELOADS IN THE WEST AS NEXT SYSTEM DROPS IN FROM THE NORTHWEST. WILL MAINTAIN AT LEAST SOME ISOLATED POPS OVER THE WESTERN MTS ON THURS WHERE MOISTURE INCREASES ONCE AGAIN IN SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW ALOFT. SE PLAINS WILL BE BREEZY BUT FAIRLY MILD FOR CHRISTMAS DAY. POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR A BIGGER SYSTEM FRIDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. 06Z AND 12Z GFS40 CONTINUED TREND OF AMPLIFYING THE NEXT SYSTEM AS IT DROPS INTO THE GREAT BASIN ON FRI WITH CLOSED LOW MOVING ACROSS THE 4 CORNERS REGION ON SATURDAY. 00Z ECMWF BY CONTRAST IS MUCH MORE PROGRESSIVE WITH THE SYSTEM MOVING ACROSS CO AS AN OPEN TROF ON FRI. GFS SUGGESTS THE PROBABILITY FOR A HIGH IMPACT EVENT TO AFFECT COLORADO ESP FRI NIGHT/SAT AS COLD FRONT DROPS ACROSS THE SE PLAINS WITH ISENTROPIC UPGLIDE AND TROWAL DEVELOPING ACROSS EASTERN CO BY SAT. THIS SOLN COULD PUT SEVERAL INCHES OF SNOW ACROSS THE SE MTS/PLAINS. ITS HARD TO IGNORE THE TREND THE GFS HAS BEEN INDICATING. HOWEVER IF ECMWF IS CORRECT...THEN LITTLE MORE THAN CONTDVD SNOWS EXPECTED ALONG WITH WINDY CONDITIONS AS OPEN TROF QUICKLY MOVES ACROSS ON FRI. NOT READY TO BITE COMPLETELY ON THE OPERATIONAL GFS RUN AS ENSEMBLE MEANS STILL SUPPORT A SLOWER BUT OPEN TROF. HOWEVER...THE 12Z ECMWF WHILE STILL AN OPEN WAVE SEEMS TO BE TRENDING TOWARDS SOME AMPLIFICATION OF THE SYSTEM. WILL BEGIN TO INTRODUCE SOME LOW POPS INTO THE EASTERN PLAINS FOR SATURDAY UNTIL BETTER CONSENSUS IS REACHED. DRIER WEATHER INDICATED FOR MOST OF THE AREA BY SUN. NW FLOW ALOFT WILL KEEP SOME ISOLATED TO SCT POPS ALONG THE CONTDVD WHERE CLIMO FAVORS THIS POTENTIAL. -KT && .AVIATION... KCOS AND KPUB SHOULD REMAIN IN VFR CONDITIONS THROUGH THE NEXT 24 HOURS. && .PUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 6 AM MONDAY TO 6 PM MST TUESDAY FOR COZ058-059-061-064>067. WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 6 AM MONDAY TO 6 PM MST TUESDAY FOR COZ060-068. && 34/31
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO 332 PM MST SUN DEC 21 2008 COZ058>089-093>099-222245- 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- 332 PM MST SUN DEC 21 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL...EAST CENTRAL...SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST COLORADO. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT THE FIRST WAVE OF SNOW WILL SPREAD ACROSS THE SOUTHWEST AND CENTRAL MOUNTAINS TONIGHT WHERE LIGHT SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS WILL OCCUR. SNOWFALL AMOUNTS OF 1 TO 2 INCHES WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE WESTERN SAWATCH AND EASTERN SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS BY EARLY MONDAY MORNING. ISOLATED SNOW SHOWERS WILL ALSO SPREAD INTO THE SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS TONIGHT WHERE LOCAL ACCUMULATIONS SHOULD REMAIN LESS THAN ONE INCH. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY SNOW WILL INCREASE ACROSS THE SOUTHWEST AND CENTRAL MOUNTAINS ON MONDAY WITH SNOW BECOMING HEAVY AT TIMES ACROSS THE WESTERN SAWATCH AND EASTERN SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS BY MONDAY AFTERNOON. HEAVY SNOW WILL CONTINUE THROUGH TUESDAY WHERE TOTAL SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS WILL RANGE FROM 1 TO 2 FEET ACROSS THE EASTERN SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS...AND 8 TO 16 INCHES ACROSS THE SAWATCH RANGE. GUSTY WINDS WILL CAUSE AREAS OF BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW WITH WHITE OUT CONDITIONS AT TIMES OVER THE MOUNTAIN PASSES...ESPECIALLY MONDAY NIGHT AND EARLY TUESDAY. MODERATE SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE LA GARITA MOUNTAINS...THE LOWER EASTERN SLOPES OF THE SAWATCH RANGE...THE MOSQUITO RANGE...AND THE CENTRAL PART OF LAKE COUNTY. GENERALLY 6 TO 12 INCHES WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH UP TO 16 INCHES POSSIBLE ACROSS THE HIGHER PEAKS OF THE LA GARITA MOUNTAINS. GUSTY SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL CAUSE POOR VISIBILITIES IN BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW AT TIMES. SNOW WILL ALSO SPREAD ACROSS THE SANGRE DE CRISTO RANGE MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY WHERE 3 TO 6 INCHES OF ACCUMULATION WILL BE POSSIBLE. A BAND OF LIGHT SNOW WILL SPREAD ACROSS THE PIKES PEAK REGION...WET MOUNTAINS AND ADJACENT I-25 CORRIDOR MAINLY NORTH OF THE ARKANSAS RIVER...TUESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH TUESDAY EVENING. SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF 1 TO 3 INCHES WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS THESE AREAS WITH THE HEAVIEST AMOUNTS ALONG THE PALMER DIVIDE. ANOTHER WINTER SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO APPROACH THE STATE ON THURSDAY...AND HAS THE POTENTIAL OF PRODUCING SIGNIFICANT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS ONCE AGAIN FOR THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER CONDITIONS THAT MEET REPORTING CRITERIA FOR SPOTTERS WILL BE POSSIBLE LATER TONIGHT ACROSS THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST MOUNTAINS. 31/31
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: 146053, 146052, 146051.