High winds affected a large portion of southern Colorado. Winds gusted over 80 mph in parts of El Paso County.
Every event with a place to put it; 22 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.
High winds affected a large portion of southern Colorado. Winds gusted over 80 mph in parts of El Paso County. Over 8000 customers lost power for a time in the Colorado Springs area, due mainly to trees and tree branches falling on power lines. Some structures and vehicles were also affected.
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 Apr 2, 7:06 PM MST, 4 hours 54 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO 806 PM MDT SAT APR 2 2011 .UPDATE... BASED OFF HI RES DATA AND POOR RH RECOVERY TONIGHT...HAVE KEPT THE RED FLAG WARNING GOING ALL NIGHT FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONES 221...222 AND 225...GENERALLY TELLER COUNTY...FREMONT COUNTY AND ALL OF THE SOUTHERN MOUNTAINS. MTN WAVE WILL SET UP KEEPING IT VERY WINDY THESE LOCATIONS....ESPECIALLY THE EAST FACING SLOPES. RH RECOVERY WILL BE POOR AT BEST. VERY DANGEROUS FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS EXPECTED TOMORROW. AREA IS IN EXTREME FIRE DANGER CATEGORY BASED ON THE EXPECTED VERY STRONG SURFACE WINDS. STRONG COLD FRONT WILL BLAST THROUGH LATE IN THE DAY TOMORROW SHIFTING THE WINDS TO NORTHERLY. COULD SEE SOME DECENT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS ACROSS ALL OF THE S MTNS AND POSSIBLY THE PALMER DIVIDE AND RATON MESA. \/HODANISH && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 358 PM MDT SAT APR 2 2011/ SHORT TERM... (TONIGHT AND SUNDAY) ..ANOTHER CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER DAY EXPECTED ON SUNDAY... DEEP LAYER OF DRY AND WARM AIR HAS SPREAD OVER ALL OF SOUTHERN COLORADO THIS AFTERNOON...WITH EARLY APRIL MAX TEMP RECORDS SMASHED AT PUEBLO...COLORADO SPRINGS AND ALAMOSA. MIXED LAYER HAS DEEPENED TO ABOVE 15K FEET OVER THE PLAINS...WITH WIND GUSTS APPROACHING 40 KNOTS AS LEE TROUGH STRENGTHENS. EXPECT WINDS OVER THE PLAINS TO SLOWLY DIMINISH THIS EVENING AS MIXING SUBSIDES...WHILE HIGHER EXPOSED TERRAIN REMAINS BREEZY TO WINDY THROUGH MUCH OF THE NIGHT. STILL APPEARS TO BE A VERY SMALL TIME WINDOW FOR MOUNTAIN WAVE INDUCED HIGH WINDS OVER EAST MOUNTAIN SLOPES...WITH A SHORT-LIVED STABLE LAYER DEVELOPING IN THE 06Z-09Z TIME FRAME. HOWEVER...WITH CROSS-SECTIONS SUGGEST STRENGTHENING FORWARD WIND SHEAR OVERNIGHT...POTENTIAL FOR DAMAGING WINDS LOOKS ISOLATED AND BRIEF...SO WILL HOLD OFF ON A HIGH WIND HIGHLIGHT FOR NOW. WILL STILL BE VERY WINDY...WITH BRUTE FORCE MIXING PRODUCING SOME GUSTS IN THE 50-60 KNOT RANGE WEST OF I-25. ON SUNDAY...UPPER TROUGH DIGS TOWARD COLORADO...WITH INCREASING UPWARD MOTION OVER THE NORTHERN AND WESTERN PORTION OF THE AREA BY AFTERNOON. SYSTEM LOOKS FAIRLY VIGOROUS...THUS EXTENDED THE SNOW ADVISORY SOUTHWARD INTO THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF THE SOUTHWEST MOUNTAINS BEGINNING SUNDAY MORNING. EXPECT MOST OF THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE WILL SEE AT LEAST SOME BURSTS OF HEAVIER SNOW BY LATE AFTERNOON. OVER THE EAST...MODELS IN FAIRLY GOOD AGREEMENT WITH THE TIMING OF THE COLD FRONT...KEEPING THE BOUNDARY NORTH OF THE PALMER DIVIDE THROUGH MID-AFTERNOON...THEN PUSHING THE WIND SHIFT QUICKLY SOUTHWARD TOWARD THE ARKANSAS RIVER TOWARD 00Z. PRECIP WILL FILL IN RAPIDLY BEHIND THE FRONT...WITH A QUICK CHANGE OVER TO SNOW ALONG THE PALMER DIVIDE TOWARD 00Z. WINDS AHEAD OF THE FRONT IN THE WARM SECTOR WILL BE VERY STRONG...WITH DEEP MIXING PRODUCING GUSTS TO 50 MPH OVER MUCH OF THE PLAINS...WITH THE EASTERN MOUNTAINS PUSHING 60 MPH AT TIMES. MAX TEMPS SHOULD BE WARM ONCE AGAIN...GENERALLY WENT HIGHER THAN WARMEST GUIDANCE NUMBERS. LONG TERM... (SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY) ..SNOW CON TINING ALONG CONTINENTAL DIVIDE SUNDAY NIGHT... ..BETTER CHANCES FOR MOISTURE SUNDAY NIGHT OVER EASTERN MOUNTAINS AND NEARBY PLAINS... SUNDAY NIGHT...THE 12Z MODELS ARE CONTINUING A TREND OF A SLIGHTLY FURTHER SOUTH TRACK OF THE TROUGH MOVING INTO THE REGION. AS A RESULT...THE MODELS ARE SHOWING STRONGER NORTHEAST WINDS SUNDAY NIGHT INTO THE EASTERN MOUNTAINS. THERE IS THE POTENTIAL FOR A SEVERAL HOUR PERIOD OF MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOW OVER THE EASTERN MOUNTAINS AS THE COLD AIR DEEPENS AND THE ATMOSPHERE BECOMES LESS STABLE. KEPT SNOW AMOUNTS BELOW ADVISORY CRITERIA OVERNIGHT. THE 12Z EC IS EVEN FURTHER SOUTH WITH THE SYSTEM...AND SUGGESTS A HEAVIER SNOWFALL. A QUICK LOOK AT THE 18Z NAM SHOWS MORE SNOW THAN THE 12Z NAM. SNOW IS ALSO LIKELY ALONG THE PALMER DIVIDE WITH AMOUNTS BELOW ADVISORY CRITERIA. GUSTY NORTH WINDS WILL ACCOMPANY THE SNOW MAKING FOR POTENTIALLY POOR VISIBILITY. DEPENDING ON HOW QUICKLY ATMOSPHERE COOLS...SNOW IS ALSO POSSIBILITY ALONG THE SOUTHERN INTERSTATE 25 CORRIDOR ESPECIALLY LATER IN THE EVENING. MAIN CONCERN IS HOW RAPIDLY THE AIR COOLS TO BELOW FREEZING WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR THE ROADS TO BECOME ICY. OVER THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE...SNOW WILL CONTINUE OVERNIGHT...AND WILL CONTINUE SNOW ADVISORIES UNTIL 12Z MONDAY. AM MORE LIKELY TO BELIEVE THE SOUTHWARD TREND OF MODELS WITH THE SYSTEM THAN WITH PAST SYSTEMS. MODELS ARE IDENTIFYING A DISTURBANCE MOVING NORTHEAST FROM THE UPPER LOW SPINNING OFF THE WEST COAST AT 30N. THIS DISTURBANCE WILL INTENSIFY THE SUBTROPICAL JET AND ALLOW THE SYSTEM TO MOVE FURTHER SOUTH. AS THE FRONT PASSES EARLY SUNDAY EVENING ON THE PLAINS...A VERY NOTICEABLE TEMPERATURE CHANGE WILL OCCUR WITH TEMPERATURES FALLING FROM NEAR 80F DURING THE DAY TO THE 30S BY THE LATE EVENING. MONDAY AND TUESDAY...TROUGH MOVES EAST OF THE STATE BY MID MORNING WITH MOST OF THE PRECIPITATION ENDING DURING THE MORNING. PRECIPITATION WILL MOST LIKELY LINGER ALONG THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE AND THE SOUTHEAST MOUNTAINS. AFTER A CHILLY START...TEMPERATURES WILL REBOUND. THE AMOUNT OF WARMING WILL DEPEND ON ANY SNOW COVER AND AMOUNT OF WARMING ALOFT. ON TUESDAY...WARM RIDGE ALOFT WILL BE OVER THE REGION WITH 700MB TEMPERATURES APPROACHING 8C TO 10C. FOLLOWED GUIDANCE WITH HIGHS IN THE 70S ON THE PLAINS. WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY...A DISTRUABCNE WILL PASS OVER THE REGION WEDNESDAY NIGHT. THIS MAY BE A TRICKY FORECAST AS THE SURFACE FRONT WILL BE IN THE VICINITY. MODELS SUGGEST A WEAK UPSLOPE SURGE ON WEDNESDAY AS WEAK HIGH PRESSURE MOVES INTO WYOMING. A SURFACE LOW WILL DEVELOP WEDNESDAY NIGHT NEAR EASTERN COLORADO...WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR PRECIPITATION TO THE NORTH OF THE SURFACE LOW. CURRENT GRIDS HAVE MOST OF THE PRECIPITATION STAYING TO THE NORTH OF THE CWA WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT...WITH TEMPERATURES STAYING MILD. BY THURSDAY ...THE SYSTEM MOVES EAST OF THE REGION. MORE SNOW IS LIKELY ALONG THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE...ESPECIALLY IN LAKE AND CHAFFEE COUNTIES. WOULD NOT BE TOO SURPRISED IF SNOWFALL AMOUNTS REACH ADVISORY CRITERIA. FRIDAY AND SATURDAY...MODEST PATTERN CHANGE CONTINUES WITH A DEEP TROUGH DEVELOPING IN THE INTER MOUNTAIN WEST...THEN MOVING TO THE EAST OR NORTHEAST. MODELS HAVE A SURFACE FRONT NEAR THE CWA WITH MUCH COOLER AIR TO THE NORTH. KEPT TEMPERATURES ON THE MILD SIDE AS STILL FOLLOWING TRENDS IN LONG RANGE MODELS TO HAVE SYSTEMS TOO FAR SOUTH IN DAYS 5 TO 10. WITH THE MODEST PATTERN CHANGE...MODELS MAY NOT LONGER BE TRENDING TOO FAR SOUTH IN THE EXTENDED...BUT WE WILL HAVE TO WAIT AND SEE. --PGW-- AVIATION...STRONG SOUTHWEST WINDS GUSTING TO 30-35 KNOTS ARE LIKELY AT ALL TAF SITES THROUGH 02Z. WINDS WILL GRADUALLY DECOUPLE TOWARD 06Z...THOUGH WITH WINDS ALOFT REMAINING STRONG...WILL MENTION WIND SHEAR AT BOTH KPUB AND KCOS THROUGH AT LEAST 13Z SUNDAY MORNING. WEST TO SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL BECOME VERY STRONG ONCE AGAIN SUNDAY...WITH GUSTS OVER 40 KNOTS LIKELY AT ALL TAF SITES AFTER 17Z. OVER THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE...SNOW WILL INCREASE SUNDAY MORNING...WITH MOST HIGHER TERRAIN ALONG THE DIVIDE OBSCURED AFTER 18Z. FIRE WEATHER...RED FLAG WARNING VERIFYING AREAWIDE THIS AFTERNOON WITH WINDS GUSTING IN THE 30-40 MPH RANGE MOST LOCATIONS...WHILE HUMIDITY HAS TANKED TO BELOW 10 PERCENT OVER ALL BUT THE HIGHEST MOUNTAINS PEAKS. EXPECT WINDS TO CONTINUE INTO EARLY EVENING...GRADUALLY DIMINISHING OVER THE PLAINS AFTER SUNSET BUT REMAINING STRONG OVER THE MOUNTAINS THROUGH THE NIGHT. RELATIVE HUMIDITY RECOVERY WILL BE VERY POOR...ESPECIALLY OVER THE EASTERN MOUNTAINS AND I-25 CORRIDOR. ON SUNDAY...WINDS WILL BE STRONG ONCE AGAIN WITH GUSTS TO 50 MPH OVER THE PLAINS AND 60 MPH OVER THE MOUNTAINS. HUMIDITY VALUES WILL PLUMMET...WITH VALUES BELOW 10 PERCENT OVER THE PLAINS. A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL SWEEP THROUGH THE AREA LATE SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING...WITH WINDS SWITCHING TO THE NORTH AND HUMIDITY RAPIDLY INCREASING OVER ALL THE AREA BY SUNSET. && .PUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... RED FLAG WARNING FROM 10 AM TO 8 PM MDT SUNDAY FOR COZ226>237. RED FLAG WARNING UNTIL 8 PM MDT SUNDAY FOR COZ221-222-225. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 6 AM SUNDAY TO 6 AM MDT MONDAY FOR COZ058-060-066-068. && 34/34
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO 641 AM MDT SAT APR 2 2011 COZ058>089-093>099-031245- 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- 641 AM MDT SAT APR 2 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL...EAST CENTRAL...SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT STRONG WINDS...LOW HUMIDITIES...AND THE PERSISTENTLY DRY VEGETATION WILL COMBINE TO PRODUCE DANGEROUS CONDITIONS FOR FIRE SPREAD TODAY. WINDS WILL GUST UP TO 30 TO 35 MPH ACROSS THE PLAINS THIS AFTERNOON...WITH GUSTS UP TO 45 MPH IN AND NEAR THE MOUNTAINS. THIS WILL LEAD TO EXTREME FIRE BEHAVIOR WITH RAPID RATES OF FIRE SPREAD POSSIBLE SHOULD ANY FIRE STARTS OCCUR. ALL OUTSIDE BURNING SHOULD BE POSTPONED TODAY GIVEN THESE VOLATILE CONDITIONS...AND EXTRA CAUTION SHOULD BE TAKEN NOT TO START ANY WILD FIRES. WINDS WILL SUBSIDE FOR MOST AREAS THIS EVENING...BUT WILL REMAIN LOCALLY GUSTY ALONG THE LOWER EASTERN SLOPES OF THE SOUTHEAST MOUNTAINS...ESPECIALLY AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND PRONE AREAS NEAR THE AIR FORCE ACADEMY...AND ALONG THE SOUTHERN INTERSTATE 25 CORRIDOR BETWEEN COLORADO CITY AND WALSENBURG COULD SEE LOCALIZED GUSTS TO AROUND 55 TO 60 MPH...WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 70 MPH ACROSS THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS AFTER MIDNIGHT. ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS WILL SPREAD INTO THE SOUTHWEST AND CENTRAL MOUNTAINS TONIGHT. LOCAL ACCUMULATIONS OF AROUND AN INCH WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF THE SAWATCH AND MOSQUITO RANGES AFTER MIDNIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY EXTREME FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED FOR SUNDAY. HUMIDITY VALUES WILL DROP BELOW 15 PERCENT AND WINDS WILL BE EXTREMELY GUSTY. WINDS ARE FORECAST TO INCREASE SUNDAY MORNING WITH THE STRONGEST WINDS OVER THE EASTERN MOUNTAINS...SPREADING INTO THE EASTERN PLAINS BY THE AFTERNOON. MOUNTAIN WIND GUSTS OVER 65 MPH ARE LIKELY...WITH WINDS GUSTING OVER 50 MPH IN MANY AREAS OF THE PLAINS. THESE EXTREMELY GUSTY WINDS WILL COMBINE WITH CRITICALLY DRY FUELS AND VERY LOW HUMIDITIES TO PRODUCE THE EXTREME FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS. THOSE WITH OUTDOOR BURNING ACTIVITIES ARE HIGHLY ENCOURAGED TO POSTPONE THOSE ACTIVITIES UNTIL ANOTHER TIME. THESE CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO PERSIST INTO SUNDAY EVENING BEFORE A COLD FRONT MOVES SOUTH INTO THE PLAINS BRINGING A RISE TO HUMIDITY VALUES. SNOW WILL BE ONGOING ACROSS THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE SUNDAY MORNING AND WILL PERSIST INTO MONDAY. SNOW WILL BE MODERATE TO HEAVY AT TIMES FOR THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS LATE SUNDAY AFTERNOON INTO MONDAY MORNING WITH 4 TO 8 INCHES OF ACCUMULATION EXPECTED WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS ON WEST FACING SLOPES POSSIBLE. LESSER AMOUNTS OF 2 TO 5 INCHES ARE EXPECTED IN THE SAN JUAN AND LA GARITA MOUNTAINS WITH 2 TO 4 INCHES EXPECTED IN THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF THE EASTERN MOUNTAINS. RAIN AND SNOW WILL BE LIKELY ACROSS THE EASTERN PLAINS SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY WITH LOCALIZED AREAS SEEING MINOR ACCUMULATIONS. SNOW IS FORECAST TO COME TO AN END MONDAY AFTERNOON. ANOTHER STORM SYSTEM IS FORECAST TO MOVE INTO THE WESTERN STATES ON WEDNESDAY WITH SEVERAL IMPULSES MOVING ACROSS THE ROCKIES. THIS WILL SET UP PERIODS OF SNOW FOR THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. SNOW WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE OVER THE EASTERN PLAINS LATE WEDNESDAY INTO THURSDAY AS A STRONGER WAVE MOVES ACROSS THE ROCKIES. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER CONDITIONS THAT MEET REPORTING CRITERIA FOR SPOTTERS WILL BE POSSIBLE IN AND NEAR THE MOUNTAINS TONIGHT. 31/88
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
1243 AM MDT SUN APR 03 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1242 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 5 NE AIR FORCE ACADEMY 39.03N 104.80W
04/03/2011 M70 MPH EL PASO CO TRAINED SPOTTER
&&
KMOZLEYPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
1258 AM MDT SUN APR 03 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1244 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 5 NE AIR FORCE ACADEMY 39.03N 104.80W
04/03/2011 M73 MPH EL PASO CO TRAINED SPOTTER
&&
KMOZLEYThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
22 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Colorado in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, April 2011
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: 303358, 303360, 303363, 303385, 303386, 303389, 303390, 303392, 303393, 303407, 303394, 303396, 303408, 303420, 303423, 303424, 303422, 303426, 303428, 303429, 303365, 303416.