A late season snow event deposited isolated heavy snow amounts of 8 inches west northwest of Buena Vista in Chaffee County and 15 inches just northeast of Leadville.
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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 PUB wrote it up.
A late season snow event deposited isolated heavy snow amounts of 8 inches west northwest of Buena Vista in Chaffee County and 15 inches just northeast of Leadville.
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 May 12, 8:13 PM MST, 4 hours 47 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO 913 PM MDT MON MAY 12 2008 .UPDATE... AS OF 03Z...COLD FRONT IS LYING ALONG A LINE FROM JUST SOUTH OF WALSENBURG...TO THATCHER TO ABOUT 10 MILES SOUTH OF KLAA. DEW POINTS BEHIND THE FRONT HAVE JUMPED INTO THE 30S AND 40S...CAUSING HUMIDITIES TO INCREASE ABOVE CRITICAL THRESHOLDS FOR MOST AREAS. ELSEWHERE...WINDS HAVE BEEN ON THE DECREASE...AND AS SYSTEM MOVES IN FROM THE WEST...COOLING ALOFT HAS ALLOWED RHS TO COME UP IN SPITE OF FAIRLY POOR RH RECOVERY IN THE SAN LUIS VALLEY...AT LEAST INITIALLY. LATEST EVENING NAM12 RUN SEEMS TO TRACK UPPER LOW FARTHER TO THE WEST...WHICH IS HINTING AT LESS PRECIPITATION FOR THE EASTERN MOUNTAINS AND ADJACENT PLAINS THAN ORIGINALLY THOUGHT. HOWEVER...COOLER TEMPERATURES AND HIGHER HUMIDITIES FOR TUESDAY ARE A CERTAINTY...WITH AT LEAST A WETTING RAIN/SNOW POTENTIAL FOR FOR THE EASTERN SLOPES OF THE SE MTS. MAIN CHANGE TO GRIDS WAS TO INCREASE TIMING OF FRONT...AND TO LET THE FIRE WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS EXPIRE. -KT && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 333 PM MDT MON MAY 12 2008/ SHORT TERM... (TONIGHT AND TUESDAY) ..DANGEROUS CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS THROUGH THIS EVENING... ..DRAMATIC 24 HOUR WEATHER CHANGE STILL ON TRACK... ..ACCUMULATING SNOW EXPECTED IN THE HIGH COUNTRY TONIGHT-TUESDAY... CURRENTLY...18Z/12 HAND-ANALYZED SURFACE CHART HAD SURFACE LOW FORMING IN EXTREME NORTHEASTERN CO. DRY LINE HAS MIXED OUT WELL INTO WESTERN KS WITH A SECONDARY DRY LINE ACROSS THE FAR EASTERN CO PLAINS. VERY LOW SURFACE DEW POINTS WERE OCCURRING ACROSS MUCH OF CO WITH SUB-ZERO SINGLE DIGITS TO TEENS ACROSS MUCH OF SOUTHERN CO EARLY THIS AFTERNOON. WINDS SUSTAINED 15-30 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH STARTED ACROSS THE HIGHER TERRAIN...PALMER DIVIDE AND ALONG THE CO/NM/OK BORDER BY MIDMORNING AND SPREADING ACROSS THE REST OF SOUTHERN CO. AS USUAL...THE LOWER AR RIVER VALLEY FROM PUB-LHX-LAA WINDS ARE HAVING TROUBLE PICKING UP EARLY THIS AFTERNOON...BUT OCCASIONAL BECOMES BREEZY-WINDY AT TIMES. SURFACE COLD FRONT IS JUST SOUTH OF WY/CO BORDER WITH TEMPERATURES IN THE 30S/40S/50S IN WY. VISIBLE SATELLITE IMAGERY HAD A BAND OF CU DEVELOPING ALONG THE COLD FRONT IN NORTHEASTERN CO. TEMPERATURES WERE WELL INTO THE 80S FOR ELEVATIONS BELOW 6.5K FT MSL. THE RED FLAG WARNING IS BEING MET...AND WILL CONTINUE. WATER VAPOR IMAGERY AND RUC MODEL UPPER AIR ANALYSES SHOWED BROAD TROUGH ACROSS THE GREAT BASIN AND ABOUT TO CLOSE OFF INTO A LOW OVER NV AND DRIFTING INTO AZ EARLY THIS AFTERNOON. VIGOROUS MIDDLE AND UPPER LEVEL SOUTHWEST FLOW CONTINUES ACROSS ALL OF CO WITH SIGNIFICANT DOWNSLOPE DRYING NOTED ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST 1/4 OF CO. NO WILDFIRES REPORTED OR SEEN ON SATELLITE YET...WHICH IS A GOOD THING. CURRENTLY...ANY PRECIPITATION(REACHING THE GROUND) IS WELL INTO THE TROUGHS COLD CORE AND JUST TO ITS EAST ACROSS WY-UT...SO IT IS GOING TO BE A WHILE. LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT...WEATHER SYSTEM OVER THE GREAT BASIN WILL MOVE VERY SLOWLY TO THE EAST AND SOUTH OVER THE NEXT 12 HOURS. RELATIVELY DEEP AND VIGOROUS SOUTHWEST FLOW WILL REMAIN OVER CO MUCH OF THE NIGHT. IT STILL APPEARS THE COLD FRONT ACROSS NORTHEASTERN CO WILL BLAST THROUGH EASTERN CO LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. GFS AND NAM-WRF DO NOT HAVE MUCH IN THE WAY OF QPF...IF AT ALL...EXCEPT ACROSS THE WESTERN AND NORTHERN PARTS OF CO IN THE RESPECTIVE COLDER AIR MASS AND BETTER SYNOPTIC SCALE LIFT REGIMES DURING THE EVENING. WILL MAINTAIN SOME VERY LOW POPS WITH THE COLD FRONT THIS EVENING. HINTS OF A FEW SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLY DEVELOPING ALONG AND JUST BEHIND THE COLD FRONT ACROSS THE PALMER DIVIDE INTO NORTHEAST CO LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. NICE 30S/40S DEW POINT SURGE BEHIND THE FRONT AS IT PLOWS THROUGH EAST CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST CO. THE COMBINATION OF SURFACE BASED CAPES AROUND 500 J/KG...SURFACE BASED LIFTED INDICES 0C TO -3C... AND 0-6KM BULK SHEARS AROUND 60KTS WOULD SUPPORT HIGH CLOUD BASED SUPERCELLS ON OR JUST BEHIND THE FRONT. THE MAIN THREAT WOULD BE HAIL...AND DAMAGING WIND GUSTS GIVEN DOWNDRAFT CAPES AROUND 1K J/KG. THE THREAT FOR TORNADOES WOULD BE PRETTY LOW GIVEN LCL HEIGHTS GREATER THAN 3K FT AGL. THIS WAY PROVIDE SOME EXTRA MOMENTUM TO DRIVE THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY SOUTHWARD. AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT...DANGEROUS CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS WILL EXIST...SO WILL MAINTAIN THE RED FLAG WARNING UNTIL 900 PM. IF THERE ARE FIRES ACROSS SOUTHEAST CO...THEN FAST MOVING STRONG COLD FRONT WILL CAUSE EXTREME ERRATIC FIRE BEHAVIOR DESPITE COOLING TEMPERATURES AND INCREASING HUMIDITY VALUES. OVERNIGHT...THE UPPER LEVEL CLOSED LOW MOVES NEAR THE FOUR CORNERS AREA. AGAIN...THE BEST PRECIPITATION CHANCES APPEAR TO THE WITHIN THE COLD TROUGH AND BETTER SYNOPTIC SCALE ASCENT PER 700-600MB AND 600-500MB FRONTOGENETICAL FORCING(IMPLIED UPWARD MOTION). SOME SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS SHOULD SPREAD AND/OR DEVELOP FROM THE CO NORTHERN FRONT RANGE INTO TELLER AND EL PASO COUNTIES. THE SNOW LEVEL WILL REMAIN FAIRLY HIGH TONIGHT WITH THE RAIN/SNOW LINE STARTING AROUND THE MOUNTAIN PEAKS AND POSSIBLY LOWERING TO AROUND 7K-9K FT MSL...DEPENDING ON THE STRENGTH OF THE LIFT AND DIABATIC COOLING. GENERALLY AT AND ABOVE 9K FT MSL...THERE COULD BE SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 1-4 INCHES. ALSO...THERE COULD BE SOME SNOW ACCUMULATIONS ACROSS THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF THE PALMER DIVIDE VERY LATE TONIGHT AND EARLY TUESDAY MORNING...MAINLY ON NON-PAVEMENT SURFACES PROBABLY. TUESDAY...THE BROAD UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM...TROUGH...MOVES INTO THE CENTRAL ROCKIES WITH THE CLOSED LOW DROPPING INTO THE DESERT SOUTHWEST. SIGNIFICANT COOLING ALOFT AND AT THE SURFACE WILL OCCUR. TUESDAY AFTERNOON TEMPERATURES WILL BE SOME 15-35 DEGREES COLDER THAN TODAY. THE RAIN/SNOW LINE WILL START OUT AROUND 7K-9K FT MSL... AND DEPENDING ON THE STRENGTH OF THE LIFT AND DIABATIC COOLING... COULD INCREASE IN ELEVATION THROUGH THE DAYLIGHT TIME DESPITE CLOUD COVER. MIDLEVEL LAPSE RATES ARE LOW TO MODERATE WITH 7.5 C/KM OVER THE MOUNTAINS AND HIGH VALLEYS. THE CONVECTIVE SWITCH GETS TURNED ON BY THE LATE MORNING AND AFTERNOON WITH SHOWERS ACROSS MOST OF THE MOUNTAINS AND HIGH VALLEYS. COULD NOT RULE OUT A LIGHTNING STRIKE OR TWO DURING TUESDAY AFTERNOON. ANY SIGNIFICANT SNOW ACCUMULATION WOULD BE AT OR ABOVE 9K FT MSL WITH AN ADDITIONAL 1-5 INCHES OF SNOW ACCUMULATION. WILL MAINTAIN THE SNOW ADVISORY FOR THE HIGHER TERRAIN ACROSS THE SOUTHWEST AND CENTRAL MOUNTAINS CONTINENTAL DIVIDE. OVERALL...IT SHOULD BE A CHILLY AND WET DAY ALONG THE I-25 CORRIDOR COMPARED TO TODAYS DRY AND FIRE WEATHER DAY. LITTLE DIURNAL TEMPERATURE SWINGS...ESPECIALLY IF THERE IS CONTINUOUS PRECIPITATION. MAY IS A DANGEROUS TIME OF THE YEAR TO BE IN THE MOUNTAINS GIVEN DRAMATIC WEATHER CHANGES IN A 24 HOUR PERIOD. THIS WILL BE ONE OF THOSE EVENTS. 17 LONG TERM... (TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY) SOMEWHAT C51ENGING FORECAST CYCLE CONTINUES FOR THE LONG TERM WITH THE PRIMARY METEOROLOGICAL CONCERN BEING UNSETTLED CONDITIONS RETURNING FROM LATER WEDNESDAY INTO THURSDAY...UNSEASONABLY COOL MID-MAY TEMPERATURES FROM TUESDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY AND THEN UNSEASONABLY WARM TEMPERATURES FROM THE UPCOMING WEEKEND INTO NEXT MONDAY. MOST RECENT LONGER TERM MODELS SUGGEST THAT CLOSED UPPER LOW WILL BE LOCATED OVER SOUTHWESTERN NEW MEXICO BY 06Z WEDNESDAY AND THEN MOVE ACROSS THE MAJORITY OF FAR SOUTHERN NEW MEXICO DURING WEDNESDAY BEFORE PUSHING INTO THE TEXAS PANHANDLE BY 03Z THURSDAY AND THEN SHIFTING INTO SOUTHEASTERN KANSAS BY LATER THURSDAY MORNING. WITH THE PROJECTED TRACK OF THIS UPPER SYSTEM WILL CONTINUE WITH ISOLATED POPS TUESDAY NIGHT(WITH ADDITIONAL HIGHER ELEVATION SNOW ACCUMULATIONS GENERALLY UNDER 2 INCHES) A BRIEF LULL IS EXPECTED WEDNESDAY MORNING WITH ISOLATED POPS RETURNING TO MANY AREAS BY WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. NEXT MOIST AND COOL NORTHERLY SURGE PROJECTED TO IMPACT CWFA FROM WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY AND HAVE PAINTED SCATTERED TO HIGH SCATTERED POPS THIS TIME-FRAME. HAVE DEPICTED HIGHER ELEVATION TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS IN THE TRACE TO 5 INCH RANGE FROM WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY. IN ADDITION...UNSEASONABLY COOL MID-MAY TEMPERATURES ANTICIPATED FROM TUESDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY. DRIER AND WARMER CONDITIONS IMPACT CWFA FROM THE UPCOMING WEEKEND INTO MONDAY AS THE UPPER FLOW BECOMES MORE NORTHWESTERLY AND SURFACE LEE SIDE TROUGHING DEVELOPS. TEMPERATURES FROM SATURDAY AND MONDAY EXPECTED TO RUN ABOVE MID-MAY CLIMATOLOGICAL AVERAGES...ESPECIALLY BY SUNDAY AND MONDAY WHERE MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES IN THE 80S SHOULD BE COMMONPLACE. FINALLY...GUSTY GRADIENT WINDS WILL BE POSSIBLE FROM WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY NIGHT. AVIATION... VFR CLOUDY CONDITIONS WILL DEVELOP FROM NORTH TO SOUTH AND WILL GIVE WAY TO AREAS OF MVFR LOW CLOUDS AND VISIBILITIES IN SHOWERS AFTER 06Z/13 FOR KCOS AND POSSIBLY SPREAD TO KALS AND KPUB POSSIBLY AFTER 12Z/13. ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLY THROUGH 06Z/13 FOR KCOS...KPUB...AND KALS. STRONG COLD FRONT WILL PASS THROUGH KCOS BETWEEN 23Z-01Z/13...AND KPUB 01Z-03Z/13. 17 && .PUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... SNOW ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM MDT TUESDAY FOR COZ058>061-063-066-068. && 31/77
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO 929 PM MDT MON MAY 12 2008 COZ058>089-093>099-140330- 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- 929 PM MDT MON MAY 12 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL...EAST CENTRAL...SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT AN INCOMING STORM SYSTEM WILL BRING SNOW TO THE MOUNTAINS AND PALMER DIVIDE. THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS COULD SEE 1 TO 4 INCHES OF NEW SNOW BY EARLY TUESDAY. PIKES PEAK AND THE PALMER DIVIDE AROUND 7500 FEET COULD SEE AN INCH OR TWO OF SNOW BY EARLY TUESDAY MORNING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY SNOWFALL IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE ACROSS THE HIGH COUNTRY ON TUESDAY...WITH TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS ACROSS THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST MOUNTAINS RANGING FROM 3 TO 10 INCHES BY THE EVENING. IN ADDITION...A SHARP DROP IN MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE IS FORECAST FOR THE REGION FROM MONDAY TO TUESDAY. HIGH TEMPERATURES ON TUESDAY WILL BE A NOTABLE 20 TO 25 DEGREES COLDER. THERE IS A VERY LOW PROBABILITY FOR A THUNDERSTORM TO DEVELOP ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL COLORADO TUESDAY AFTERNOON WITH THE MAIN THREAT BEING CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL THEN BE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE AREA WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT...AS ANOTHER WEATHER SYSTEM DROPS DOWN ACROSS THE NORTHERN ROCKIES. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER CONDITIONS THAT MEET REPORTING CRITERIA FOR SPOTTERS WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE SOUTHWEST AND CENTRAL MOUNTAINS TONIGHT.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 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, 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: 102270, 102271.