Two snowmobilers were killed on the side of Gravel Mountain near Grand Lake. The avalanche occurred when one of the men tried to assist the other, after his snowmobile had become stuck in the snow.
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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.
Two snowmobilers were killed on the side of Gravel Mountain near Grand Lake. The avalanche occurred when one of the men tried to assist the other, after his snowmobile had become stuck in the snow. Both men were buried by the slide and died at the scene of the accident. Another snowmobiler was partially buried in the avalanche, but was not injured.
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 26, 3:15 AM MST, 11 hours 25 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO 315 AM MST FRI DEC 26 2008 .SHORT TERM...A LARGE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH IS CURRENTLY CENTERED OVER THE GREAT BASIN WITH A STRONG SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT OVER COLORADO. QG ASCENT AHEAD OF THE TROUGH IS PRODUCING WIDESPREAD SNOW OVER WESTERN COLORADO AND IN THE MOUNTAINS OF NORTH CENTRAL COLORADO. SATELLITE IS SHOWING LIFT FROM A 120 KNOT JET IS ENHANCING SNOW OVER PARTS OF THE STATE. THE GREATEST QG ASCENT AND LIFT FROM THE JET STREAM WILL BE EARLY THIS MORNING. AMPLE MOISTURE...OROGRAPHIC LIFT FROM THE STRONG SOUTHWEST FLOW AND LAPSE RATES OF AROUND 8 C/KM WILL KEEP SNOW GOING FOR MOST OF THE DAY ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS. DECREASING MOISTURE...WEAKENING FLOW ALOFT AND A STABILIZING AIR MASS WILL CAUSE SNOW TO DECREASE LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND WILL COME TO AN END AFTER MIDNIGHT TONIGHT. WILL KEEP THE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY GOING THROUGH 5 PM THIS AFTERNOON WHERE ANOTHER 3 TO 6 INCHES OF SNOW IS EXPECTED IN FAVORED UPSLOPE AREAS. LESSER AMOUNTS WILL BE FOUND IN THE VALLEYS AND ALSO ALONG NORTHEAST FACING SLOPES. FOR THE PLAINS...GUSTY SOUTHWEST WINDS HAVE FORMED OVER SOUTHERN AND EASTERN PARTS OF THE FORECAST AREA THIS MORNING IN RESPONSE TO A SURFACE LOW OVER WYOMING. THIS LOW WILL MOVE EAST INTO SOUTH DAKOTA AND NEBRASKA LATE THIS MORNING. AS THE LOW PROGRESSES EAST IT WILL CAUSE WINDS TO TURN TO THE WEST AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT. THE FRONT IS POISED TO MOVE ACROSS NORTHEAST COLORADO DURING THE AFTERNOON BRINGING NORTH TO NORTHWEST WINDS. THE AIRMASS WILL BECOME UNSTABLE THIS AFTERNOON AND COULD SEE A FEW SNOW SHOWERS. NOT MUCH IN THE WAY OF MOISTURE WILL BE OVER THE PLAINS SO WILL CUT POPS BACK INTO THE ISOLATED CATEGORY FOR TODAY AND THIS EVENING. IF ANY SNOW DEVELOPS IT WILL BE SHORT LIVED AND LIGHT. .LONG TERM...THE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WILL MOVE QUICKLY EAST OF THE AREA ON SAT WITH WNW FLOW ALOFT. CROSS-SECTIONS SHOW MOISTURE DECREASING IN THE MTNS IN THE MORNING BUT INCREASING AGAIN LATE SAT AFTN AND SAT NIGHT AND LINGERING INTO SUN MORNING. DESPITE FAVORABLE OROGRAPHICS LAPSE RATES ARE FCST TO BE RATHER STABLE SO THIS SHOULD KEEP SNOW AMOUNTS ON THE LIGHTER SIDE. WINDS WILL INCREASE AS WELL SAT NIGHT INTO SUN ACROSS THE HIGHER MTNS AND OVER THE FRONT RANGE FOOTHILLS HOWEVER SPEEDS SHOULD REMAIN BLO HIGH WIND CRITERIA. OVER NERN CO IT WILL BY DRY ON SAT WITH FAIRLY DECENT COOLING IN THE 850-700 MB LAYER WHICH SHOULD KEEP HIGHS AROUND 10 DEGREES BLO NORMAL. BY SUN A FLAT UPPER LEVEL RIDGE WILL BUILD OVER THE AREA WITH WNW FLOW OVER THE AREA. CROSS-SECTIONS SHOW MOISTURE DECREASING BY AFTN IN THE MTNS ALONG WITH MID LVL WARMING WHICH SHOULD DECREASE SNOW CHANCES. OVER NERN CO RATHER LOW LEVEL DOWNSLOPE FLOW WILL DVLP WITH STG WARMING SHOWN IN THE 850-700 MB LAYER. THIS WILL ALLOW FOR HIGHS TO RISE AT FM 15-20 DEGREES. HOWEVER ALONG THE PLATTE RIVER VALLEY LINGERING SNOWPACK MAY KEEP TEMPS FROM WARMING AS MUCH. NOT MUCH CHANGE EXPECTED FOR MON AS A FLAT UPPER LEVEL RIDGE WILL BE OVER THE AREA WITH LIMITED MOISTURE AND WRM MID LEVEL TEMPS WHICH SHOULD KEEP THE MTNS AND PLAINS DRY. ONCE AGAIN WITH DOWNSLOPE LOW LEVEL FLOW ALONG WITH A FEW MORE DEGREES OF WARMING IN THE LOWER LEVELS AFTN HIGHS OVER NERN CO SHOULD RISE A FEW MORE DEGREES. WITH STABLE LAYER NR MTN TOP WILL SEE PERIODS OF GUSTY WINDS IN THE MTNS AND FOOTHILLS BOTH DAYS AS WELL. FOR TUE THE FLOW ALOFT WILL REMAIN WNW WITH SOME INCREASE IN MOISTURE WHICH COULD LEAD TO A SLIGHT CHC OF SNOW IN THE MTNS. OVER NERN CO A CDFNT IS FCST TO MOVE ACROSS ON TUE WHICH WILL BRING COOLER TEMPS AS READINGS DROP BACK TO NR SEASONAL NORMAL. LATEST GFS IS SHOWING SOME WEAK UPSLOPE TUE NIGHT ALONG WITH SOME MOISTURE OVER NERN CO SO THERE COULD BE A SLIGHT CHC OF SNOW. BY WED THE FLOW ALOFT WILL BECOME MORE NWLY WITH A GRADUALLY INCREASE IN MOISTURE IN THE MTNS ALONG WITH IMPROVING LAPSE RATES FROM WED NIGHT INTO THU AS A FAIRLY STG UPPER JET MOVES INTO THE AREA. THUS WILL LIKELY SEE A BETTER CHC OF SNOW IN THE MTNS WED NIGHT INTO THU. OVER LOWER ELEVATIONS IT WILL BE DRY ON WED WITH LITTLE CHG IN TEMPS HOWEVER BY THU THE GFS SHOWS A STRONGER FNT MOVING INTO NERN CO ALONG WITH SOME UPSLOPE FLOW. THUS EXPECT COLDER TEMPS WITH POTENTIALLY A CHC OF SNOW IF ENOUGH MOISTURE IS AVAILABLE. .AVIATION...VFR CONDITIONS TO PREVAIL THROUGH THE NEXT 24 HOURS. A SURFACE LOW IS BRINGING SOUTHWEST WINDS THIS MORNING WITH GUSTS UP TO 25 KNOTS. WINDS WILL TURN WESTERLY AS THE LOW MOVES EAST AROUND 18Z. WINDS WILL SHIFT NORTHERLY THIS AFTERNOON BEHIND A COLD FRONT THAT WILL PUSH THROUGH THE AREA BETWEEN 19Z AND 22Z. WINDS BEHIND THE FRONT MAY GUST AS STRONG AS 35 KNOTS. THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE FOR A SNOW SHOWER THROUGH THIS EVENING. && .BOU WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR THE MOUNTAINS OF NORTH CENTRAL COLORADO THROUGH 5 PM FRIDAY. (ZONES 31...33...AND 34.) MEIER/RPK
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO 1033 AM MST FRI DEC 26 2008 COZ030>051-271300- 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- 1033 AM MST FRI DEC 26 2008 ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR THE NORTH CENTRAL MOUNTAINS UNTIL 5 PM MST TODAY... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST AND NORTH CENTRAL COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT OCCASIONAL SNOW WILL CONTINUE IN THE MOUNTAINS TODAY...ESPECIALLY ALONG AND WEST OF THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE. AN ADDITIONAL 3 TO 6 INCHES OF SNOW CAN BE EXPECTED IN THE MOUNTAINS...WITH UP TO 3 INCHES IN THE VALLEYS. WIND GUSTS TO 50 MPH WILL CAUSE AREAS OF BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW. THE SNOW WILL DECREASE THIS EVENING AS THE AIRMASS DRIES. WESTERLY WINDS OF 15 TO 25 MPH WILL PUSH ACROSS THE PLAINS THIS AFTERNOON...WITH SOME GUSTS TO 40 MPH POSSIBLE. THE WINDS WILL DECREASE THIS EVENING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED TODAY OR TONIGHT. D-L/BARJENBRUCH
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 avalanche. Local standard time, as filed.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avalanche, S & E Jackson / Larimer / N & Ne Grand / Nw Boulder Counties Above 9000 Feet | 2008-12-26 | 19 | Male | Outside/Open Areas | Direct |
| Avalanche, S & E Jackson / Larimer / N & Ne Grand / Nw Boulder Counties Above 9000 Feet | 2008-12-26 | 38 | Male | Outside/Open Areas | Direct |
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: 146179.