A winter storm brought heavy snow to the high country; with damaging winds and blizzard conditions to the Northeast Plains. In the mountains storm totals ranged from 5 to 12 inches, with wind gusts to 86 mph recorded above timberline.
Every event with a place to put it; 17 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 BOU wrote it up.
A winter storm brought heavy snow to the high country; with damaging winds and blizzard conditions to the Northeast Plains. In the mountains storm totals ranged from 5 to 12 inches, with wind gusts to 86 mph recorded above timberline. Across the Northeast Plains, peak wind gusts ranging from 60 to 70 mph damaged crops and property. In addition to the wind, bands of moderate to heavy snow brought blizzard conditions to eastern Logan, Sedgwick, Phillips and northern Washington Counties. Snowfall totals in those counties ranged from 2 to 4 inches.
Multiple accidents occurred over Sedgwick County with whiteout conditions reported. At least 40 vehicles slid of Interstate 76 and other area highways. Three jack-knifed semis were also reported. Several roads and highways were closed across Phillips, Sedgwick and Washington Counties. Some of the closures included: State Highway 85, from Julesburg to Wray; U.S. Highway 6; and State Highway 23, from Holyoke to the Nebraska state line. The dangerous weather conditions also forced the closure of all Sedgwick County schools. Power outages were reported in Julesburg for much of the day. On Interstate 70 near Watkins, localized whiteout conditions were partially to blame for a multi-car crash involving 14 vehicles. One person was killed.
Further west, strong winds toppled a semi-trailer at the I-76 exit at Fort Morgan. Trees and power lines were downed causing scattered electrical outages. Wind damage to crops and property in Weld County was estimated to surpass the $400,000 mark. The majority of the crops that were planted three weeks prior to this event, were blown away.
Peak wind gusts in the mountains included 86 mph atop Niwot Ridge, and 85 mph at Berthoud Pass. Across the Urban Corridor and Northeast Plains, peak wind gusts included: 71 mph at the Natural Fort Rest Area, 69 mph at Briggsdale, 67 mph at Sterling, 65 mph at Wiggins, 63 mph at Bennett and Loveland, 60 mph at Limon and Mead, 58 mph at Watkins and 54 mph at Denver International Airport.
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 Apr 30, 2:40 PM MST, 11 hours 20 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO 340 PM MDT WED APR 30 2008 SHORT TERM...SOUTHWEEST WINDS FINALLY MIXED DOWN ACROSS PLAINS... THOUGH GUSTS BEGINNING TO REACH RED FLAG CRITERIA. HUMIDITY READINGS REMAIN LOW...WILL CONTINUE RED FLAG WARNING THROUGH 02Z. WINDS DECREASING AND BECOMING WESTERLY BY 03Z...SO CONDITIONS SHOULD IMPROVE. SOME CUMULUS BEGINNING TO FORM ACROSS PLAINS. WITH LAPSE RATES AROUND 8 C/KM...WILL KEEP THE SLIGHT CHANCE FOR HIGH BASED STORMS THIS EVENING. SATELLITE LOOPS SHOWING UPPER TROUGH OVER NORTHERN GREAT BASIN BEGINNING TO MOVE INTO UTAH. MODELS DEVELOP A STRONG UPPER LOW OVER UTAH THIS EVENING AS TROUGH PUSHES TOWARD COLORADO. MODELS BRING UPPER LOW ACROSS AREA TONIGHT AND THURSDAY. MOISTURE INCREASES ACROSS MOUNTAINS WITH GOOD OROGRAPHICS AND COLD AIR. QG VERTICAL VELOCITY PROGS SHOW GOOD ASCENT WITH SYSTEM. LOOKS LIKE A GOOD BOUT OF SNOW FOR THE MOUNTAINS THROUGH MUCH OF THE PERIOD. WILL ISSUE WINTER STORM WARNING FOR MOUNTAINS...BEGINNING AT 09Z. MOST MOUNTAIN LOCATIONS SHOULD SEE UP TO A FOOT OF SNOW BY WEDNESDAY EVENING. AS FOR PLAINS...COLD FRONT TO MOVE ACROSS AREA BY 09Z...THOUGH MAY BE EARLIER IF CONVECTION MATERIALIZES. MODELS SHOWED AN AREA OF MOISTURE CONVERGENCE ALONG WYOMING BORDER OVERNIGHT AS WELL AS SOME QPF. UPPED POPS TO LIKELY IN THIS AREA AS A RESULT...KEPT THE CHANCE POPS ELSEWHERE. WILL KEEP THE MIX OF RAIN AND SNOW AS BUFFER SOUNDINGS SHOWING SNOW LEVEL AROUND 6000 FEET BY 12Z. FOR THURSDAY...BOTH THE NAM AND GFS SHOW SURFACE WINDS BECOMING NORTHWEST BY 18Z. THOUGH THIS MAY LIMIT PRECIP CHANCES...THERE IS DECENT QG ASCENT ALONG WITH GOOD LAPSE RATES. WILL INCREASE THE POPS TO LIKELY ACROSS MOST OF PLAINS. BUFFER SOUNDINGS SHOW TEMPERATURES IN THE LOWER TO MID 40S ACROSS MUCH OF AREA THROUGH THE DAY. SO PRECIP SHOULD BE MOSTLY RAIN...BUT CANT RULE OUT SOME SNOW MIXED IN. TEMPERATURE AND THICKNESS PROGDS SHOWING HIGHS ACROSS PLAINS E ABOUT 30-35 DEGEES COLDER THAN TODAYS READINGS. CURRENT TEMPERATURE GRIDS ARE ON TRACK...AND ARE SIMILAR TO GUIDANCE. WILL CHANGE LITTLE. LONG TERM...AT 00Z EARLY THURSDAY EVENING...MODELS HAVE THE UPPER CIRCULATION NEAR THE NORTHEAST CORNER OF COLORADO. THE 12Z NAM HAS COME SOUTHWARD SOMEWHAT FROM YESTERDAYS 12Z RUN. THE GFS HAS CHANGED LITTLE FROM YESTERDAYS 12Z RUN. THE ECMWF HAS THE CENTER VERY SIMILAR TO THE GFS. ONE SIGNIFICANT CHANGE FROM YESTERDAY...ON ALL THREE MODELS...IS HOW THE UPPER CIRCULATION STALLS SOMEWHAT JUST EAST OF THE FORECAST AREA INTO FRIDAY MORNING. ON FRIDAY NORTHEASTERLY FLOW ALOFT IS OVER THE FORECAST AREA. FRIDAY NIGHT...ITS LIGHT WEST-NORTHWESTERLY. ON SATURDAY WEAK UPPER RIDGING MOVES OVER...WITH LIGHT WEST-SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW ALOFT. THE QG VERTICAL VELOCITY FIELDS HAVE UPWARD MOTION OVER THE NORTHEAST CORNER EARLY THURSDAY EVENING ...OTHERWISE THEY HAVE ALL DOWNWARD MOTION FOR THE FORECAST AREA THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT. THE BOUNDARY LAYER FLOW IS ALL NORTHWESTERLY THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY EVENING. ON FRIDAY...THE SPEEDS ARE PRETTY STRONG..ESPECIALLY THE FURTHER EAST YOU GO ON THE PLAINS. THE PRESSURE GRADIENT IS FAIRLY WEAK SATURDAY SO NORMAL DIURNAL BOUNDARY LAYER WINDS ARE A GOOD BET. FOR MOISTURE...THE GFS HAS PRETTY DEEP MOISTURE OVER MUCH OF THE FORECAST AREA THURSDAY NIGHT. THE NAM DECREASES IT OVER THE MOUNTAINS AFTER 06Z. BOTH SHOW DRYING IN THE LOW LEVELS FOR THE FOOTHILLS AND IMMEDIATE PLAINS THURSDAY NIGHT. ON FRIDAY...MOISTURE STAYS PRETTY DEEP OVER THE EAST ON BOTH MODELS...THERE IS SOME LINGERING OVER THE MOUNTAINS...ANY MORE DOWNSLOPING DRYNESS FROM THE DIVIDED EASTWARD INTO THE IMMEDIATE PLAINS. BY FRIDAY EVENING...THE CLOUD SHIELD FROM THE UPPER CIRCULATION MOVES EASTWARD OUT OF THE FORECAST AREA. THERE IS A BIT OF MID AND UPPER LEVEL MOISTURE FOR THE FORECAST AREA FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY. LATE SATURDAY... MOISTURE INCREASES FORM THE WEST. THE QPF FIELDS HAVE SOME MEASURABLE PRECIPITATION FOR MUCH OF THE FORECAST AREA THURSDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY. THE NAM HAS A BIT MORE. FOR POPS...WILL UP MOUNTAIN POPS THURSDAY NIGHT AND GO WITH WARNING HIGHLIGHTS AS PER SHORT TERM FORECASTER. THERE IS DECENT MOISTURE AND DECENT OROGRAPHIC ENHANCEMENT. THE SYNOPTIC SCALE ENERGY IS OF THE DOWNWARD VARIETY AND THE LAPSE RATES ARE NOT VERY STEEP OVERNIGHT THURSDAY BUT THE SNOW MODEL STILL YIELDED FROM 3 TO 8 INCHES IN THE HIGH MOUNTAINS ZONES. THAT COUPLED WITH THURSDAYS DAYTIME TOTALS...WARRANTS KEEPING THE WARNING GOING THROUGH 12Z FRIDAY MORNING. WILL UP POPS A BIT FRIDAY AND KEEP THEM LINGERING INTO THE EVENING AS PER THE SPEED OF THE SYSTEM. FOR THE PLAINS AND FOOTHILLS...WILL MAINLY STICK WITH CHANCES OF SNOW THURSDAY NIGHT. THE BOUNDARY LAYER DOWNSLOPING IS HARD TO IGNORE. WILL GO WITH LIKELYS FOR THE NORTHEAST CORNER. WILL KEEP SOME POPS GOING WELL INTO FRIDAY...THE BEST OVER THE NORTHEAST BORDER. LATER FRIDAY EVENING THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT WILL GO WITH NO POPS FOR ALL THE FORECAST AREA. FOR TEMPERATURES...FRIDAYS HIGHS ARE WELL BELOW NORMALS...AND ABOUT 1-2.5 C WARMER THAN THURSDAYS. SATURDAYS HIGHS WARM UP 5-8 C OVER FRIDAYS. FOR THE LATER DAYS...SUNDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY...THERE IS SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW ALOFT SUNDAY AND MONDAY. ON TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY AND UPPER TROUGH IS PROGGED INTO COLORADO. TEMPERATURES WARM-UP CLOSE TO SEASONAL NORMALS THROUGH MUCH OF THE PERIOD. WILL GO WITH LIMITED POPS IN THE HIGH MOUNTAINS SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY. WILL HAVE LOW POPS IN THE PLAINS MONDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. && .BOU WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...RED FLAG WARNING FOR VERY LOW HUMIDITIES AND GUSTY WINDS ALONG THE FRONT RANGE AND PALMER DIVIDE (ZONES 238 THROUGH 241...243...245 THRU 247) THRU 8 PM THIS EVENING. ...WINTER STORM WARNING THURSDAY AND THURSDAY NIGHT FOR ZONES 31..33..34. && DL/RJK
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO 1101 AM MDT WED APR 30 2008 COZ030>051-011200- 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- 1101 AM MDT WED APR 30 2008 ...RED FLAG WARNING FOR VERY LOW HUMIDITIES AND GUSTY WINDS ALONG THE FRONT RANGE AND PALMER DIVIDE FROM NOON TODAY THRU 8 PM THIS EVENING... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST AND NORTH CENTRAL COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT VERY DRY CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE PLAINS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. GUSTY WINDS AND WARM TEMPERATURES WILL COMBINE WITH THE DRY FUELS ALONG THE FRONT RANGE AND OVER THE PALMER DIVIDE TO PRODUCE CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS INTO THE EARLY EVENING HOURS. BY TONIGHT A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL MOVE ACROSS NORTHEAST COLORADO AND BRING MUCH COOLER TEMPERATURES ALONG WITH GUSTY NORTH WINDS AND A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS. IN THE MOUNTAINS SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS WILL DEVELOP THIS EVENING...INCREASING IN COVERAGE AFTER MIDNIGHT. SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF UP TO 5 INCHES CAN BE EXPECTED BY THURSDAY MORNING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY SNOW IS EXPECTED IN THE MOUNTAINS THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY MORNING WITH THIS NEXT STORM. SNOWFALL AMOUNTS OF 6 TO 12 INCHES CAN BE EXPECTED BY FRIDAY MORNING IN THE HIGH COUNTRY. THE PLAINS AND FOOTHILLS CAN EXPECTED A GOOD CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION. TEMPERATURES WILL BE MUCH COLDER ON THURSDAY. PRECIPITATION ACROSS THE NORTHEAST COLORADO PLAINS ON THURSDAY MAY FALL AS EITHER RAIN OR SNOW. SNOW ACCUMULATIONS WILL NOT BE SIGNIFICANT. THE STORM WILL MOVE OUT SLOWLY ON FRIDAY WITH PRETTY STRONG NORTHWESTERLY WINDS OVER THE PLAINS. SATURDAY THROUGH TUESDAY...TEMPERATURES WILL MODERATE SOMEWHAT...BUT REMAIN COOLER THAN NORMAL ALONG WITH A SLIGHT CHANCE OF AFTERNOON OR EVENING SHOWERS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED TODAY OR TONIGHT. D-L/RJK
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
11 high wind, 4 blizzard, 2 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Storm totals ranged from 6 to 12 inches. Peak wind gusts above timberline ranged from 70 to 80 mph.
Storm totals ranged from 5 to 11 inches. Peak wind gusts included 86 mph atop Niwot Ridge and 85 mph at Berthoud Pass.
A peak gusts to 73 mph was reported in Fort Collins.
A peak gust to 69 mph was reported in Briggsdale.
Peak wind gusts included: 70 mph at Keenseburg, 66 mph at Eaton, and 60 mph at Greeley and Mead.
A peak gust to 65 mph was observed in Wiggins.
A peak gust to 63 mph was observed in Bennett.
A peak gust to 63 mph was observed in Limon.
A peak gust to 58 mph was observed in Karval.
A peak gust to 58 mph was observed in Sterling.
A peak gust to 58 mph was recorded in Akron.
A peak wind gust to 66 mph was observed 4 miles east of Haxtun.
A peak wind gusts to 67 mph was observed in Sterling. Light snow produced whiteout conditions over eastern Logan County.
Whiteout conditions were reported by the Sedgwick County Sheriff. Multiple accidents and numerous road closures also occurred. Strong winds and snow downed power lines and caused scattered electrical outages.
A peak wind gust to 66 mph was observed 4 miles east of Haxtun. Whiteout conditions were also observed.
A peak wind gust to 59 mph was measured in Akron. Snowfall amounts ranged from 1 to 5 inches.
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, May 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: 91533, 91537, 91506, 91507, 91509, 91510, 91511, 91512, 91513, 91514, 91515, 91516, 91517, 91521, 91530, 91532, 91526.