A Pacific storm system, coupled with upslope winds; produced heavy snow in and near the foothills of Boulder, Jefferson and Douglas Counties, and along the Palmer Divide. In the Front Range Foothills, storm totals included: 15 inches, 3 miles southwest of Roxborough State Park and Strontia Springs Dam; 14 inches at Ken Caryl; 13 inches, 3 miles southwest of Conifer, Genesee, 3 miles southeast of…
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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 Pacific storm system, coupled with upslope winds; produced heavy snow in and near the foothills of Boulder, Jefferson and Douglas Counties, and along the Palmer Divide. In the Front Range Foothills, storm totals included: 15 inches, 3 miles southwest of Roxborough State Park and Strontia Springs Dam; 14 inches at Ken Caryl; 13 inches, 3 miles southwest of Conifer, Genesee, 3 miles southeast of Indian Hills, 6 miles west of Littleton and Lookout Mountain; 11 inches, 3 miles southwest of Morrison; 10 inches, 7 miles southwest of Boulder and 6 miles southwest of Evergreen.
In Boulder and in locations west and south of Denver, storm totals included: 13 inches near Kassler, 10 inches, 2 miles southwest of Larkspur; 8.5 inches, 8 miles south of Franktown, Louisville and 7 miles south of Sedalia; 8 inches in Boulder and 1 mile east of Castle Rock, 7 inches at Lafayette and 3 miles south of Littleton, 6.5 inches in Arvada and 3 miles east of Highlands Ranch, with 6 inches at Lakewood and Wheat Ridge.
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 7, 3:10 PM MST, 22 hours 50 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO 310 PM MST SUN DEC 7 2008 .SHORT TERM...ONE MORE MILD NIGHT IN STORE WITH PREFRONTAL DOWNSLOPE FLOW AND HIGH LEVEL CLOUDINESS STREAMING ACROSS THE AREA. THEN FOCUS SHIFTS TOWARD NEXT STORM. Q-G VERTICAL MOTION FIELDS SHOW A NICE BATCH OF MODERATE TO STRONG LIFT OF 10-20 MB/HOUR MOVING INTO COLORADO MONDAY AFTERNOON. IN ADDITION...A RATHER STRONG COLD FRONT WILL PUSH THROUGH NORTHEASTERN COLORADO BY MID DAY TOMORROW WITH UPSLOPE FLOW INCREASING TO 20-30 KNOTS THROUGH 13-14 THOUSAND FEET. LAPSE RATES ARE MOIST ADIABATIC AND CLOUD PHYSICS LOOK FAVORABLE FOR DENDRITIC CRYSTAL GROWTH WITH MAX VERTICAL MOTION THROUGH THE -12C TO -18C TEMPERATURE LAYER. THEREFORE...EVERYTHING SEEMS PRIMED FOR A GOOD THREAT OF AT LEAST MODERATE SNOWFALL BY LATE IN THE DAY. WE EARLIER ISSUED A WINTER STORM WATCH FOR THE SOUTHERN FRONT RANGE FOOTHILLS AND PALMER DIVIDE AREA FOR MONDAY AFTERNOON/NIGHT...AS THESE LOCATIONS HAVE THE BEST Q-G LIFT AND ARE FAVORED IN THIS REGIME. MAY ALSO EVENTUALLY HAVE TO ISSUE ADVISORIES FOR THE AREAS BORDERING THE WATCH IN THE NORTHERN FOOTHILLS AND BOULDER/DENVER METRO AREA...BUT WILL HAVE TO WATCH HOW FAR SOUTH THE CORE OF THE BEST LIFT GOES AS THIS COULD PREVENT ADVISORY AMOUNTS. TEMPERATURES WILL TURN SHARPLY COLDER TOMORROW COMPARED TO TODAYS MILD READINGS. IF THERE IS ANY RAIN INITIALLY MIXED IN...A QUICK CHANGEOVER SHOULD OCCUR SHORTLY AFTER ONSET OF PRECIP AS SUGGESTED IN MODEL SOUNDINGS AND STRONG COLD ADVECTION. .LONG TERM....SNOWFALL SHOULD BE OCCURRING OVER MOST OF THE FORECAST AREA MONDAY EVENING. THE STRONGEST DYNAMIC FORCING ALOFT WILL COMBINE WITH MODERATE UPSLOPE FLOW AT LOWER LEVELS AND 600 MB TEMPERATURES BETWEEN -12C AND -16C TO PRODUCE FAVORABLE CONDITIONS FOR DENDRITIC SNOW CRYSTAL GROWTH. THE NAM...GFS AND ECMWF SHOW GOOD AGREEMENT IN MOVING THE DYNAMICS OUT OF THE STATE RATHER QUICKLY...EXITING THE STATE TO THE SOUTH BY MIDDAY TUESDAY. GIVEN THE PROGRESSIVE NATURE OF THE PASSING DYNAMICS...THE POTENTIAL FOR HEAVY SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE SOMEWHAT LIMITED ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA. HOWEVER...IN ZONES 36 AND 41 WHERE DYNAMIC LIFT AND UPSLOPE EFFECTS SHOULD BE MAXIMIZED...THERE WILL BE A CHANCE FOR 6 TO 12 INCHES OF SNOWFALL. THESE AREAS ARE COVERED BY THE WINTER STORM WATCH. THE OTHER CONCERN LATER ON MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY WILL BE INCREASING NORTHERLY WINDS ON THE PLAINS AS STRONG CYCLOGENESIS OCCURS OVER THE TEXAS PANHANDLE. WINDS MAY BECOME STRONG ENOUGH TO CAUSE SOME BLOWING AND DRIFTING OF THE RECENTLY FALLEN SNOW. AT THIS TIME IT IS TOO EARLY TO ISSUE A SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW ADVISORY...BUT EVENTUALLY ONE MAY BE NEEDED. THIS CAN BE ADDRESSED TOMORROW. THE REST OF TUESDAY SHOULD BE COLD...IN THE WAKE OF MONDAY NIGHTS COLD FRONT. WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY SHOULD SEE SOME MODIFICATION OF TEMPERATURES...BACK TO SEASONAL NORMALS. ON THURSDAY NIGHT...THE GFS AND ECMWF SHOW AN UPPER LEVEL JET STREAM MOVING OVER WYOMING AND NEBRASKA. COLORADO WILL LIE UNDER THE RIGHT ENTRANCE REGION OF THE JET WHICH MAY LEAD TO SOME BANDED SHOWER ACTIVITY. THE PRIMARILY ZONAL FLOW ALOFT WILL NOT FEATURE VERY MUCH DYNAMICS...SO WILL ONLY MENTION LOW POPS FOR THURSDAY AND THURSDAY NIGHT. ON THE FAR HORIZON...WILL BE KEEPING AN EYE ON NEXT WEEKENDS WEATHER...WHICH MIGHT FEATURE AN ARCTIC OUTBREAK ON SUNDAY. SO FAR...THE GFS AND ECMWF SHOW SOME AGREEMENT IN DROPPING THE VERY COLD AIR ACROSS THE PLAINS. .AVIATION...VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL THROUGH MONDAY MORNING. VARIABLE WINDS THIS AFTERNOON WILL TURN TO SOUTH/SOUTHWESTERLY DRAINAGE THIS EVENING. WHILE THERE MAY BE A WEAK PREFRONTAL WIND SHIFT MONDAY MORNING...STRONGER NORTH/NORTHEAST WINDS WILL DEVELOP WITH COLD FRONT AROUND MID DAY MONDAY. PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED TO START BY MID/LATE AFTERNOON MONDAY WITH VFR CONDITIONS QUICKLY BECOMING IFR IN VISIBILITY AND CEILING WITH ONSET OF SNOW AROUND 21Z. && .BOU WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...WINTER STORM WATCH SOUTHERN FRONT RANGE FOOTHILLS AND PALMER DIVIDE MONDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH LATE MONDAY NIGHT...ZONES 36 AND 41. BARJENBRUCH/KDRBY
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO 1109 AM MST MON DEC 08 2008 COZ030>051-091300- 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- 1109 AM MST MON DEC 08 2008 ...SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW ADVISORIES OVER THE CENTRAL COLORADO MOUNTAINS AND PALMER DIVIDE THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST AND NORTH CENTRAL COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SNOW WILL DEVELOP IN THE MOUNTAINS AND HIGH VALLEYS THIS AFTERNOON...AND BECOME WIDESPREAD DURING THE EVENING. LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND DURING THE EVENING...NORTHWEST WINDS OF 20 TO 30 MPH AND GUSTS TO AROUND 45 MPH WILL ALSO PRODUCE AREAS OF BLOWING SNOW IN THE HIGH COUNTRY...PARTICULARLY ON THE HIGH MOUNTAIN PASSES. OVERNIGHT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED TO RANGE FROM 3 TO 6 INCHES OVER THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS UP TO 5 TO 10 INCHES OVER THE MOUNTAIN AREAS SOUTH OF THE INTERSTATE 70 CORRIDOR. ON THE PLAINS...THE PASSAGE OF A COLD FRONT THROUGH THE EARLY AFTERNOON WILL BRING GUSTY NORTH WINDS AND MUCH COOLER TEMPERATURES TO THE AREA BY SUNSET. AREAS OF SNOW WILL DEVELOP BY EVENING... ESPECIALLY ALONG THE FOOTHILLS AND OVER THE I-25 CORRIDOR. BY EVENING...SNOW WILL ALSO SPREAD TO THE PALMER DIVIDE. LIGHT TO MODERATE SNOWFALL IS EXPECTED THROUGH THE EVENING AND OVERNIGHT HOURS ON THE PLAINS AS UPSLOPE NORTHERLY WINDS CONTINUE BEHIND THE COLD FRONT. THE HEAVIEST SNOW IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP OVER THE FOOTHILLS OF JEFFERSON...PARK AND DOUGLAS COUNTIES AND OVER THE PALMER DIVIDE IN DOUGLAS AND ELBERT COUNTIES. TOTAL ACCUMULATIONS IN THESE AREAS COULD BE 4 TO 8 INCHES OVERNIGHT WHILE THE REMAINDER OF THE METRO AREA AND I-25 CORRIDOR RECEIVES 2 TO 4 INCHES. FARTHER EAST ON THE PLAINS...ACCUMULATIONS OF 1 TO 3 INCHES ARE EXPECTED. IN ADDITION TO THE SNOWFALL...NORTHERLY WINDS OF 20 TO 30 MPH WITH SOME HIGHER GUSTS MAY PRODUCE SOME BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW WITH POOR VISIBILITIES. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY SNOW SHOWERS WILL END EARLY TUESDAY MORNING ACROSS THE SOUTHERN FOOTHILLS AND PALMER DIVIDE WITH ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATIONS UNDER AN INCH. COLDER TEMPERATURES WILL FOLLOW THE FRONT ON TUESDAY WITH HIGHS ONLY IN THE 30S. DRY AND WARMER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED ON WEDNESDAY THEN ANOTHER SLIGHT CHANCE FOR SNOW ON THURSDAY AND AGAIN ON SUNDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED TODAY OR TONIGHT. DANKERS/MEIER
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 heavy snow, 1 winter weather. 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: 142143, 142144, 142216, 142217.