accompanied by abundant moisture brought heavy snow accumulations to the eastern San Juan Mountains and moderate accumulations to the La Garita Mountains and eastern Sawatch Range. and near the summit of Wolf Creek Pass (Mineral County) over a foot of snow fell.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 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.
Upslope flow...accompanied by abundant moisture brought heavy snow accumulations to the eastern San Juan Mountains and moderate accumulations to the La Garita Mountains and eastern Sawatch Range. The eastern Sawatch Range and La Garita Mountains received 5 to 10 inches of snow...and near the summit of Wolf Creek Pass (Mineral County) over a foot of snow fell.
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 Jan 25, 7:44 PM MST, 16 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO 744 PM MST SUN JAN 25 2009 .UPDATE... HAVE UPGRADED THE WINTER WX ADVISORY TO A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR THE SAN JUANS...AND ADDED THE LA GARITAS AND THE REST OF NRN LAKE COUNTY TO THE ADVISORIES. 00Z DATA DOES NOT PEG THE PEAKS WITH AS HIGH QPF AS EARLIER RUN...BUT IT DOES SPREAD A BROADER SWATH OF QPF OVER THE DVD...ESPECIALLY NRN LAKE COUNTY. THIS AREA SHOULD PICK UP 4-8 INCHES OF SNOW OR MORE BY TUE MORNING. JET IS FAIRLY FAR SOUTH BUT IS QUITE STRONG...WOULD NOT BE SURPRISED TO SEE SOME CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY OVR THE SAN JUANS WHICH IS ANOTHER GOOD REASON TO UPGRADE. NEW PRODUCTS ARE IN BETTER AGREEMENT WITH SURROUNDING WFOS AS WELL. HAVE EXTENDED THE HEADLINES THRU 12Z TUE SINCE THE TROUGH AXIS WILL NOT BE THRU UNTIL LATER TUE MORNING...ALTHOUGH THE BULK OF THE HEAVIER SNOW SHOULD BE OVER BY THEN. ROSE && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 328 PM MST SUN JAN 25 2009/ SHORT TERM... (TONIGHT AND MONDAY) MAIN CONCERNS INCLUDE SNOW AMOUNTS...MAINLY ALONG THE CONTINENTAL DVD...POPS ACRS THE FORECAST AREA...AND TEMPS OVR THE SERN PLAINS. TEMPS TODAY OVR THE SERN PLAINS HAVE BEEN QUITE A BIT COLDER THAN MODELS HAD PREDICTED...AND LOW CLOUDS HAVE HUNG ON IN ERN FREMONT COUNTY...PORTIONS OF EL PASO AND PUEBLO COUNTIES. THESE LOW CLOUDS HAVE STARTED ERODING FROM THE SOUTH. TONIGHT AN UPR TROF WL MOVE OVR THE GREAT BASIN WITH THE FLOW ALOFT OVR THE FORECAST AREA TURNING MORE SOUTHWESTERLY. MODEL CROSS-SECTIONS OF MSTR ALONG THE CONTINENTAL DVD SHOW THE MSTR DEEPENING LATER TONIGHT...AND ALONG WITH THE BETTER OROGRAPHICS AS THE WINDS BECOME MORE SWRLY...SNOW CHANCES SHOULD INCREASE. OVR THE SERN PLAINS TONIGHT...GENERALLY LIGHT ERLY TO SERLY SFC WINDS WL CONTINUE AND LOW LEVEL MSTR WL INCREASE LATE WITH CLOUDS DEVELOPING AND PROBABLY SOME AREAS OF FLURRIES. ON MON THE UPR TROF WL STILL BE TO OUR WEST...BUT BETTER UPR LIFT WL MOVE OVR THE AREA. ALONG THE CONTINENTAL DVD GOOD MSTR AND FAVORABLE OROGRAPHICS WL CONTINUE. HAVE DECIDED TO ISSUE SNOW ADVISORY FOR ZONES 60 AND 68 BEGINNING AT 06Z TONIGHT. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT ZONE 68 COULD GET MORE SNOW THAN IS IN THE FORECAST...AS THE 18Z RUN OF THE NAM12 IS NOW GOING WITH HYR AMOUNTS...BUT WL START WITH AN ADVISORY AND LET LATER SHIFTS SEE IF IT NEEDS TO BE UPGRADED TO A WARNING. AS THE UPR LIFT INCREASES ON MON OVR THE SERN PLAINS AND MTS...THE CHANCES FOR PCPN WL INCREASE. DEEPER UPSLOPE FLOW ALONG THE RAMPART RANGE AND TELLER COUNTY MAY LEAD TO A FEW INCHES OF SNOW ACCUMULATION. TEMPS MON OVR THE SERN PLAINS WL BE MUCH BELOW NORMAL AND WL EVEN GO BELOW GUIDANCE IN SOME AREAS. LONG TERM... (MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY) ..FORECAST CONCERNS ARE AREAL EXTENT OF SNOWFALL ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS AND PLAINS MONDAY NIGHT...THEN THE GRADUAL RETREAT OF COLD AIR MASS ACROSS THE PLAINS INTO WEDNESDAY... WHILE 12Z NAM BACKED OFF ON SNOW AMOUNTS ACROSS THE PLAINS MON NIGHT...THE 18Z NAM HAS COME INTO BETTER AGREEMENT WITH THE 12Z GFS IN SPREADING A BAND OF SNOW ACROSS THE EAST CENTRAL PLAINS DURING THE EVENING. THIS SCENARIO STILL SEEMS THE MOST LIKELY TO PLAY OUT AS THE UPPER JET KICKS OUT ACROSS AZ/INTO CENTRAL NM DURING THE EVENING...AHEAD OF THE UPPER TROF DROPPING INTO THE GREAT BASIN. THIS PROVIDES SE CO WITH FAVORABLE UPPER JET DYNAMICS UNDER THE LF QUAD...WHICH BRIEFLY INTENSIFIES ISENTROPIC UPGLIDE OVER THE COLD DOME ENTRENCHED ACROSS THE PLAINS. AGAIN...THIS STILL LOOKS LIKE A LIGHT SNOWFALL EVENT FOR THE PLAINS...MAINLY 1 TO 2 INCHES WITH SOME LOCAL AREAS OF UP TO 3 INCHES ACROSS PORTIONS OF TELLER COUNTY. WHERE THESE BANDS SET UP WILL BE DIFFICULT TO PREDICT...AS THERE REALLY ISNT ANY STRONG DEEP UPSLOPE TO HELP PIN SNOWFALL AMOUNTS TO TERRAIN. THIS IS GOING TO BE A MORE SYNOPTICALLY FORCED EVENT...SO BROAD BRUSHED POPS ARE THE BEST WAY TO GO. WILL INCREASE POPS ACROSS THE PIKES PEAK REGION...FREMONT COUNTY AND WESTERN PUEBLO COUNTY TO THE LIKELY CATEGORY SINCE THIS AREA IS MOST LIKELY TO SEE BANDED SNOW. DEPENDING ON THE ORIENTATION/TRACK OF THE UPPER JET...THIS BAND COULD END UP SHIFTING NORTH OR SOUTH AGAIN WITH EACH MODEL RUN...SO STAY TUNED. MODERATE SNOWFALL IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH THE EVENING ALONG THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE REGION AS WELL...SO HIGHLIGHTS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH 06Z. UPPER TROF AXIS GRADUALLY DROPS SOUTHEAST OF THE AREA ON TUES...THOUGH COLD AIR IS LIKELY TO STAY ENTRENCHED ACROSS THE LOWER ARKANSAS RIVER VALLEY AND EASTERN PLAINS. SOME CLEARING WILL LIKELY OCCUR ACROSS THE MTN VALLEYS AND PERHAPS THE SRN I-25 CORRIDOR AS WESTERLY WINDS KICK IN BEHIND DEPARTING TROF. THIS MAY HELP SOME BUMP UP TEMPS INTO THE MID/UPPER 30S BY AFTN. HOWEVER LOWER ARKANSAS RIVER VALLEY IS LIKELY TO STAY IN THE 20S. WILL KEEP SOME SCT POPS ALONG THE CONTDVD REGION WHERE NW FLOW WILL CONTINUE TO PRODUCE SOME OROGRAPHICALLY FORCED SNOW SHOWERS. TUES NIGHT LIKELY TO BE A COLD NIGHT WITH CLEARING SKIES. HAVE DROPPED MIN TEMPS INTO THE NEGATIVE READINGS ACROSS THE MOUNTAIN VALLEYS WITH GENERALLY SINGLE DIGITS ACROSS THE COLD POCKETS OF THE SE PLAINS. TRICKIER FORECAST FOR THE LOWER EASTERN SLOPES AS LEE TROF REDEVELOPS TUES NIGHT AND COLD AIR RECEDES AWAY FROM THE EASTERN SLOPES. MIN TEMPS MAY ACTUALLY OCCUR EARLY IN THE EVENING WITH TEMPS WARMING INTO THE TEENS AND 20S AS WESTERLY WINDS KICK IN. WEDNESDAY STILL PROMISES TO BE SOMEWHAT WARMER...THOUGH MODELS ARE A LITTLE FASTER DROPPING THE NEXT SYSTEM ACROSS IN NW FLOW AND SENDING A COLD FRONT INTO THE SE PLAINS DURING THE AFTN. HAVE COOLED OFF MAX TEMPS A FEW DEGREES FARTHER EAST...AS MIXING SHOULD BE SUFFICIENT TO BRING A WARM UP INTO AT LEAST THE 40S. SYSTEM IS WEAKER THAN PREVIOUS RUNS YESTERDAY WITH COLD AIR MAKING A GLANCING BLOW ACROSS THE SE PLAINS WED NIGHT INTO THURS. THIS SHOULD DROP MAX TEMPS BACK INTO THE 30S ON THURS. ANOTHER ROUND OF SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS EXPECTED ACROSS THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE WED/WED NIGHT...BUT THIS APPEARS TO BE A BRIEF LIGHT SNOW EVENT. A TREND TOWARDS WARMER CONDITIONS EXPECTED FOR FRIDAY THROUGH NEXT WEEKEND AS NORTHWEST FLOW GRADUALLY BECOMES MORE WESTERLY AND LEE TROF REDEVELOPS. SHOULD SEE THE RETURN OF TEMPS IN THE 50S ACROSS THE PLAINS BY THE WEEKEND. -KT AVIATION... MTS WL BE OBSCD BY CLOUDS AND SNOW ALONG THE CONTINENTAL DVD THRU THE PERIOD. LOW CLOUDS WL INCREASE LATER TONIGHT AND WL REMAIN OVR THE AREA MON OVR THE SERN PLAINS WITH IFR OR MVFR CONDITIONS. KCOS WL SEE LIGHT SNOW TONIGHT...AND KPUB WL PROBABLY SEE LIGHT SNOW/FLURRIES LATE TONIGHT/MON MORNING...WITH A BETTER CHANCE FOR SNOW MON AFTERNOON. KALS WL PROBABLY SEE MVFR CONDITIONS DEVELOP MONDAY...ALONG WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS. && .PUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 11 PM THIS EVENING TO 5 AM MST TUESDAY FOR COZ058>060-066. WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 11 PM THIS EVENING TO 5 AM MST TUESDAY FOR COZ068. && 10/44
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO 744 PM MST SUN JAN 25 2009 COZ058>089-093>099-270245- 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- 744 PM MST SUN JAN 25 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL...EAST CENTRAL...SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT SNOW WILL INCREASE AGAIN ALONG THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE TONIGHT AS ANOTHER STORM SYSTEM APPROACHES THE AREA. ADDITIONAL SNOWFALL AMOUNTS OF 2 TO 6 INCHES WILL FALL OVERNIGHT...WITH THE HEAVIEST ACCUMULATIONS ALONG THE SOUTHWEST FACING SLOPES OF THE EASTERN SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS. GUSTY SOUTHWEST WINDS OF 15 TO 30 MPH WILL CAUSE AREAS OF BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW WITH POOR VISIBILITIES AT TIMES. ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF THE MOUNTAINS TONIGHT...WHERE LIGHT ACCUMULATIONS OF UP TO AN INCH WILL BE POSSIBLE. COLD AIR ACROSS THE PLAINS WILL ADVANCE BACK WESTWARD OVERNIGHT SPREADING CLOUDS AND LIGHT SNOW BACK INTO THE I-25 CORRIDOR AFTER MIDNIGHT. ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE SPOTTY AND LIGHT...WITH AMOUNTS RANGING FROM A TRACE TO UP TO ONE HALF INCH ALONG THE LOWER EASTERN SLOPES AND I-25 CORRIDOR. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOWFALL WILL CONTINUE ALONG THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT. THE HEAVIEST SNOWFALL WILL OCCUR ACROSS THE EASTERN SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS...WHERE ACCUMULATIONS OF 10 TO 18 INCHES ARE LIKELY BY EARLY TUESDAY MORNING. TOTAL ACCUMULATIONS OF 7 TO 16 INCHES ARE EXPECTED ACROSS THE SAWATCH AND MOSQUITO RANGES IN CENTRAL COLORADO AS WELL AS THE LA GARITA RANGE IN SOUTHWEST COLORADO. PORTIONS OF THE UPPER ARKANSAS VALLEY AROUND LEADVILLE WILL SEE 7 TO 13 INCHES OF SNOW. GUSTY SOUTHWEST WINDS OF 15 TO 30 MPH WILL CONTINUE TO CAUSE AREAS OF POOR VISIBILITIES IN BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW OVER THE MOUNTAIN PASSES SUCH AS WOLF CREEK AND MONARCH. THE REMAINDER OF THE MOUNTAINS WILL SEE ANYWHERE FROM 2 TO 5 INCHES OF SNOWFALL BY EARLY TUESDAY MORNING. SNOW WILL SPREAD ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST PLAINS MONDAY AFTERNOON AND NIGHT. THE PIKES PEAK REGION...FREMONT COUNTY...AND WESTERN PUEBLO COUNTY COULD SEE UP ANYWHERE FROM A TRACE TO UP TO 4 INCHES UNDER THE HEAVIER SNOW BANDS. ELSEWHERE ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST PLAINS...SNOWFALL AMOUNTS WILL RANGE FROM A TRACE TO UP TO 1 INCH. A FAST MOVING STORM SYSTEM WILL BRING A CHANCE FOR LIGHT SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS TO THE SOUTHWEST AND CENTRAL MOUNTAINS WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER CONDITIONS THAT MEET REPORTING CRITERIA FOR SPOTTERS WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE SOUTHWEST AND CENTRAL MOUNTAINS TONIGHT THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT. 10/44
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Colorado in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, January 2009
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: 147010.