A weather disturbance moving across northern New Mexico produced areas of heavy snow across southern Colorado. and Walsenburg (Huerfano County).
Every event with a place to put it; 4 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.
A weather disturbance moving across northern New Mexico produced areas of heavy snow across southern Colorado. Some of the higher reported snow totals outside of warning areas include 6 to 8 inches near Woodland Park (Teller County)...Beulah and Rye (Pueblo County)...and Walsenburg (Huerfano County). In the warning areas...10 inches of snow was noted at Cuchara (Huerfano County)...while 16 inches of snow covered the summit of Wolf Creek Pass (Mineral County).
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 Mar 14, 4:19 AM MST, 2 hours 41 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO 519 AM MDT SUN MAR 14 2010 .SHORT TERM... ...WINTER WEATHER OVER THE MOUNTAINS... CURRENTLY...WELL ADVERTISED UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE STORM SYSTEM IS SPINNING OVER NORTHEASTERN ARIZONA AND WILL CONTINUE TO PROGRESS SOUTHEAST INTO NEW MEXICO THROUGH TONIGHT. RADAR AND SATELLITE IMAGERY EARLY THIS MORNING HAVE RAIN AND SNOW OVER WESTERN COLORADO. AN AREA OF ENHANCEMENT OVER THE SAN JUANS AND LOCAL OBSERVATIONS INDICATE SNOW STARTING TO SPREAD INTO OUR CWA AND EXPECT THIS TREND TO CONTINUE OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS. FOLLOWED A BLEND OF THE NAM/SREF/WRF/GEM FOR THE SHORT TERM FORECAST WITH REGARDS TO STORM EVOLUTION AND PRECIPITATION. ALL MODELS GENERATING DEEP UPSLOPE FLOW BY MID AFTERNOON WITH SURFACE TO 700 MB FLOW EASTERLY IN THE 20-30 KT RANGE. PLENTY OF MOISTURE TO WORK WITH AS WELL WITH PWAT VALUES NEAR HALF AN INCH. DO THINK MODELS MAY BE OVER DOING DEW PT TEMPS...CURRENT READINGS ARE RUNNING ABOUT 2-4F LOWER THAN MODEL PROGS AND AIR OVER KS/TX THAT WILL BE ADVECTED OUR WAY IS ONLY IN THE 30-33F RANGE...BELOW THE 35F DEW PTS THE MODELS BRING IN. MODELS STILL GENERATING AROUND 200-400 J/KG OF CAPE ALONG THE NM/CO BORDER THIS AFTERNOON AND LAPSE RATES HOVERING AROUND 7C/KM THERE WILL LIKELY BE SEVERAL LIGHTNING STRIKES OVER THE SAN JUANS AND SOUTHERN SANGRE DE CRISTO RANGE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. SNOW IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ALONG THE EASTERN MOUNTAINS BY MIDDAY AND PEAK IN INTENSITY BETWEEN 21Z AND 06Z THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING WHEN THE DEEPEST UPSLOPE AND LIFT MOVE ACROSS THE AREA. MOST MODELS HOLD OFF PRECIPITATION ACROSS THE PLAINS UNTIL AFTER 06Z WITH MUCH OF IT REMAINING SOUTH OF HIGHWAY 50. EXPECT TO SEE OFF AND ON RAIN SHOWERS ALONG THE I-25 CORRIDOR THIS AFTERNOON BEFORE LIGHT RAIN SPREADS ACROSS THE AREA THIS EVENING. COLD AIR IS SLOW TO MOVE INTO THE PLAINS SO MOST AREAS WILL SEE RAIN OVERNIGHT WITH A BRIEF CHANGE OVER TO SNOW BY MORNING. ONE PROBLEM AREA WILL BE THE RATON RIDGE AND WHERE SNOW LEVELS WILL BE BY THIS AFTERNOON WHEN PRECIPITATION GETS GOING. EXPECT TO SEE RAIN THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON WITH A CHANGE OVER TO SNOW THIS EVENING WITH SEVERAL INCHES COULD BE POSSIBLE BY MONDAY MORNING. ELECTED TO GO WITH WINTER WEATHER ADVISORIES FOR THE SAN JUANS...WET MOUNTAINS...RAMPART RANGE AND NORTHERN SANGRE DE CRISTO RANGES FOR THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH MONDAY MORNING WITH GENERALLY 6 TO 10 INCHES OF SNOW WITH LOW SNOW RATIOS...8:1 OR LOWER WILL KEEP MOST SNOWFALL TOTALS LOWER THAN IF THIS SYSTEM WAS COLDER. DO EXPECT THE HEAVIEST SNOW OVER THE SOUTHERN SANGRE DE CRISTO RANGE WITH UP TO A FOOT POSSIBLE BY MONDAY MORNING. MOZLEY .LONG TERM... (MONDAY-SATURDAY) SYSTEM WHICH IS AFFECTING THE REGION IN THE SHORT TERM WILL BE MOVING OUT OF THE REGION EARLY MONDAY MORNING. REMNANT CLOUDINESS AND A FEW SHOWERS WILL BE POSSIBLE IN THE MORNING ALONG THE BORDER...BUT SHOULD CLEAR OUT BY LATE MORNING/EARLY AFTERNOON. THROUGH THE REST OF MONDAY UNTIL THURSDAY IT SHOULD BE DRY AND QUITE NICE AS A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS OVER THE REGION ALOFT. TEMPS TUE SHOULD BE IN THE 60-65F RANGE AND WED HIGHS SHOULD RANGE IN THE 65-70F RANGE. CHANGE COMES THU AS A TROUGH DROPS SE ACROSS THE REGION FROM THE PAC NW. THIS SYSTEM WILL BRING A SHARP FRONT THROUGH BUT...ATTM...LOWER LVL FLOW SHOULD REMAIN OUT OF A W COMPONENT SO DO NOT SEE MUCH OF A CHANCE OF STEADY PRECIP ON THE PLAINS. HOWEVER WOULD NOT BE TOO SURPRISED IF THIS TROUGH COMES IN A BIT SHARPER THAN FCST. BASED ON CURRENT GUIDANCE...IT APPEARS THE C MTNS SHOULD SEE THE BEST SHOT OF PRECIP WITH THIS EVENT. TEMPS THU WILL BE TRICKY DUE TO TIMING OF THE FRONT...BUT FRI SHOULD BE NOTICEABLY COOLER WITH HIGHS IN THE 40S AND 50S. TEMPS SHOULD GRADUALLY START TO WARM UP FOR THE WEEKEND. /HODANISH && .AVIATION... LOW CLOUDS THIS MORNING ARE IMPACTING KCOS AND KPUB EARLY THIS MORNING GENERATING MVFR CONDITIONS. EXPECT TO SEE CIGS LIFT BY 15Z AT BOTH TERMINALS WITH GENERALLY VFR CONDITIONS UNTIL MID AFTERNOON. LIGHT RAIN SHOWERS ARE FORECAST TO IMPACT KPUB AFTER 21Z WITH BRIEF MVFR CONDITIONS THROUGH THIS EVENING. RAIN MAY CHANGE TO SNOW AFTER 07Z WITH BRIEF IFR CONDITIONS THROUGH 12Z. RAIN AND SNOW WILL SPREAD OVER KCOS BY 20Z WITH BRIEF IFR CONDITIONS POSSIBLE LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. KALS WILL SEE VFR CONDITIONS THIS MORNING WITH SNOW SHOWERS MOVING ACROSS THE SAN LUIS VALLEY AFTER 18Z. ANY SNOW SHOWERS THAT MOVE ACROSS THE TERMINALS WILL PRODUCE BRIEF IFR CONDITIONS THROUGH 10Z. WHILE NOT ANTICIPATED...A LIGHTNING STRIKE OR TWO MAY BE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON NEAR THE TERMINAL BUT THINK THE PROBABILITY OF OCCURRENCE IS LOW AT THIS TIME. MOZLEY && .PUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 1 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 9 AM MDT MONDAY FOR COZ072-073-079>082. WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 1 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 9 AM MDT MONDAY FOR COZ074-075. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 6 AM MDT MONDAY FOR COZ067-068. && 88/34
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO 655 AM MDT SUN MAR 14 2010 COZ058>089-093>099-151300- 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- 655 AM MDT SUN MAR 14 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL...EAST CENTRAL...SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A STRONG STORM SYSTEM WILL MOVE ACROSS THE DESERT SOUTHWEST THROUGH TONIGHT BRINGING SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL TO SOUTHERN COLORADO. SNOW HAS ALREADY DEVELOPED OVER THE EASTERN SAN JUANS EARLY THIS MORNING AND WILL SPREAD EAST INTO THE SANGRE DE CRISTO AND WET MOUNTAIN RANGES BY THIS AFTERNOON. THE HEAVIEST SNOWFALL IS FORECAST TO OCCUR OVER THE SOUTHERN SANGRE DE CRISTO RANGE THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT WITH 9 TO 15 INCHES POSSIBLE. HEAVY SNOW IS ALSO FORECAST FOR THE EASTERN SAN JUANS WHERE 6 TO 11 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE AND THE WET MOUNTAIN RANGE WITH 6 TO 10 INCHES. LOCATIONS OVER TELLER COUNTY AND THE RAMPART RANGE WILL GENERALLY SEE 4 TO 6 INCHES OF SNOWFALL WITH UP TO 10 INCHES ON TOP OF PIKES PEAK BY TOMORROW MORNING. LIGHT SNOW WILL FALL OVER THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS WITH ONLY MINOR ACCUMULATIONS. QUITE A BIT OF CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING WILL BE POSSIBLE OVER THE EASTERN SAN JUANS AND SOUTHERN SANGRE DE CRISTO RANGE THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING SO SKIERS AND OTHER OUTDOOR ENTHUSIASTS SHOULD PAY ATTENTION TO CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS. RAIN MAY BRIEFLY CHANGE TO SNOW OVER THE EASTERN PLAINS BY TOMORROW MORNING WITH NO ACCUMULATIONS EXPECTED. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY THE NEXT CHANCE OF SNOW ACROSS THE REGION WILL BE THURSDAY AND FRIDAY WHEN A STORM FROM THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST MOVES ACROSS THE REGION. AT THIS TIME...THE BEST CHANCE OF ACCUMULATING SNOW WILL BE ACROSS THE CENTRAL MOUNTAIN REGION. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER CONDITIONS THAT MEET REPORTING CRITERIA FOR SPOTTERS WILL BE POSSIBLE TODAY AND TONIGHT OVER MOUNTAIN LOCATIONS TODAY AND TONIGHT AND WEST OF THE INTERSTATE 25 CORRIDOR FOR TONIGHT. 88/34
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
755 AM MDT SUN MAR 14 2010
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0712 AM SNOW 1 SSE WOLF CREEK PASS 37.47N 106.79W
03/14/2010 M8.0 INCH MINERAL CO PUBLIC
0724 AM SNOW 1 NNW MONARCH PASS 38.51N 106.33W
03/14/2010 M1.0 INCH CHAFFEE CO PUBLIC
&&
MNThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
4 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Colorado in 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, March 2010
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: 219653, 219654, 219655, 219656.