A winter storm brought heavy snow to southern Lincoln County. Trained spotters in and around Karval measured 7 to 10 inches of snowfall.
Every event with a place to put it; 3 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 southern Lincoln County. Trained spotters in and around Karval measured 7 to 10 inches of snowfall. In northern Lincoln County the combination of light snow and freezing drizzle produced extremely hazardous road conditions and caused numerous accidents. The accidents involved 20 to 30 vehicles along Interstate 70, from around Bennett to east of Hugo. The driver and an inmate of a 15-passenger van operated by the Department of Corrections were killed when she lost control of the van and it rolled over. The accident occurred about 5 miles east of Limon. Another driver was killed when he lost control of his vehicle and rolled it several times, between Manila Road and Bennett.
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 Dec 19, 9:22 AM MST, 1 hour 38 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO 922 AM MST MON DEC 19 2011 .UPDATE...SURFACE LOW AND UPPER LEVEL LOW CURRENTLY OVER NEW MEXICO IS BRINGING HEAVY SNOW TO SOUTHEAST COLORADO. AS THE STORM MOVES NORTHEAST...SNOW WILL SPREAD NORTH. THE HEAVY SNOW WILL PRIMARILY BE OVER SOUTHEAST COLORADO. EXPECT SOME THE SNOW ASSOCIATED WITH MAIN SYNOPTIC LIFT TO GRAZE LINCOLN COUNTY. FOR THE FRONT RANGE...THE MAIN LIFT SOURCE WILL BE LOW LEVEL UPSLOPE. RADAR ECHOS HAVE STARTED TO SHOW UP ALONG THE FOOTHILLS OF LARIMER BOULDER COUNTIES. STILL LOOKS LIKE LIGHT SNOW WILL DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS THE DENVER METRO AREA. SNOWFALL AMOUNTS ARE LOOKING LIGHTER NORTH OF I-70. WILL DECREASE AMOUNTS TO AN INCH OR LESS NORTH OF I-70...EXCEPT FOR THE FOOTHILLS. SNOW AMOUNTS WILL INCREASE TO THE SOUTH WITH AROUND 3 INCHES ALONG THE PALMER DIVIDE AND EVEN HIGHER AMOUNTS OVER LINCOLN COUNTY. CURRENT ACTIVITY OVER SOUTHEAST COLORADO IS A LITTLE NORTH OF WHAT THE MODELS DICTATE. SO MAY NEED TO UPGRADE SOUTHERN LINCOLN COUNTY TO A WARNING AND ISSUE AN ADVISORY FOR THE FOOTHILLS...WILL MONITOR RADAR TRENDS AND THE LATEST MODEL OUTPUTS BEFORE UPGRADING. && .AVIATION...SCATTERED LOW CLOUDS IN AROUND THE DENVER METRO AREA WILL BECOME WIDESPREAD BY 18Z. CEILINGS WILL FALL TO 500 TO 1500 FEET. LIGHT SNOW WILL FORM AND DROP VISIBILITY TO AROUND A MILE. CONDITIONS WILL IMPROVE BY 03Z...IF NOT SOONER. WINDS TO REMAIN NORTH TO NORTHEAST THROUGH THE DAY WITH SPEEDS MAINLY 8 TO 15 KNOTS. WINDS TO DECREASE THIS EVENING AND SHIFT TO THE SOUTH AFTER 06Z. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 415 AM MST MON DEC 19 2011/ SHORT TERM...CURRENT FORECAST FOR TODAY AND TONIGHT DOES NOT NEED TOO MUCH WORK. MAIN CHANGE IS TO DELAY ONSET OF SNOW BY A COUPLE OF HOURS AND ADD A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY TO ZONES 46 AND 47. LATEST RUC ANALYSES SHOW QG VERTICAL MOTION GRADUALLY INCREASING OVER THE AREA WITH SURGE OF LOW CLOUDS APPROACHING THE FAR NORTHEAST CORNER AT THIS TIME. MODELS ALL SUGGEST THAT MOST OF THE CWA WILL BE ON THE FRINGES OF THE SYNOPTIC SCALE LIFT ASSOCIATED WITH THE UPPER LOW WITH FAIRLY DECENT UPSLOPE ALONG THE FRONT RANGE THROUGH THE PERIOD. THE EXCEPTION WILL BE THE FAR SOUTHEAST REACHES WHERE LIFT AND WIND SHOULD BE SUFFICIENT TO CAUSE SOME DIFFICULTIES OUT THERE. IT WILL BE MUCH COLDER TODAY AND TONIGHT COMPARED TO THE LAST COUPLE OF DAYS WITH MUCH OF THE CWA SEEING AT LEAST A BIT OF SNOW. HOWEVER NOT EXPECTING A MAJOR EVENT AT THIS POINT. LONG TERM...THE UPPER LEVEL LOW WILL MOVE FM THE TX PANHANDLE INTO ERN KS BY TUE AFTN LEAVING NLY FLOW ALOFT ACROSS NRN CO. CROSS-SECTIONS SHOW SOME MOISTURE LINGERING EARLY TUE MORNING ACROSS THE FAR ERN PLAINS SO THERE COULD BE A SLIGHT CHC OF SNOW EARLY MAINLY OVER LINCOLN COUNTY. OTHERWISE THE AIRMASS WILL DRY CONSIDERABLY THRU THE DAY WITH NO PCPN. HIGHS WILL REMAIN BLO NORMAL WITH READINGS MAINLY IN THE 35 TO 40 DEGREE RANGE ACROSS NERN CO. BY WED AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WILL BEGIN MOVING FM THE PACIFIC NW SE TOWARDS THE GREAT BASIN. AHEAD OF THIS TROUGH THE FLOW ALOFT WILL BECOME MORE WSW WITH SOME INCREASE IN MOISTURE ACROSS THE MTNS BY LATE AFTN SO WILL MENTION A SLIGHT CHC OF -SHSN IN ZNS 31 AND 33. HIGHS ON WED WILL BE A FEW DEGREES WARMER THAN TUE WITH READINGS NR SEASONAL NORMALS. FOR WED NIGHT INTO THU THE MEDIUM RANGE MODELS ARE STARTING TO BECOME IN BETTER AGREEMENT THAT AN UPPER LEVEL LOW WILL DEVELOP OVER SWRN CO BY 12Z THU AND THEN MOVE ACROSS SRN CO/NRN NEW MEXICO BY LATE THU AFTN. MEANWHILE ANOTHER DECENT CDFNT WILL MOVE INTO NRN CO WED NIGHT INTO THU WITH UPSLOPE FLOW DEVELOPING. AS A RESULT AT THIS TIME IT LOOKS LIKE THERE SHOULD BE A GOOD CHC OF SNOW OVER NRN CO FM WED NIGHT INTO THU. AT THIS POINT THIS SYSTEM LOOKS SIMILAR TO PREVIOUS EVENTS THIS YEAR WHICH HAVE BROUGHT BRIEF PERIODS OF MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOWFALL DURING A 6 TO 12 HOUR WINDOW. THE MOST LIKELY WINDOW FOR DECENT SNOWFALL LOOKS TO BE FM LATE WED NIGHT THROUGH MIDDAY THU BASED ON CURRENT DATA. MEANWHILE TEMPERATURES WILL BE MUCH COLDER ON THU AS HIGHS MAY NOT GET ABOVE 20 DEGREES OVER MOST OF NERN CO. BY THU NIGHT AND FRI THE UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM WILL GRADUALLY MOVE ESE AWAY FM THE AREA WITH DECREASING UPSLOPE FLOW AND MOISTURE. MAY SEE SOME LINGERING LIGHT SNOW THU NIGHT BEFORE PCPN GRADUALLY ENDS AS SYSTEM MOVES AWAY FM THE AREA. ON FRI THE FLOW ALOFT WILL BECOME MORE NWLY WITH CROSS-SECTIONS SHOWING A DRY AIRMASS OVER THE AREA. WITH EXPECTED SNOW COVER OVER NERN CO HIGHS WILL PROBABLY END UP BEING COLDER THAN CURRENT GUIDANCE AS INVERSIONS WILL LIKELY NOT BE BKN SO READINGS MAY NOT GET OUT OF THE 20S. FOR FRI NIGHT AND SAT THE MEDIUM RANGE MODELS BUILD AN UPPER LEVEL RIDGE ALONG THE WEST COAST AS A BROAD TROUGH DEVELOPS OVER COLORADO WITH NW FLOW ALOFT. CROSS-SECTIONS SHOW INCREASING MOISTURE IN THE MTNS SO WILL LIKELY SEE AN INCREASE IN OROGRAPHIC SNOWS. AT LOWER ELEVATIONS THE GFS SHOWS ANOTHER CDFNT MOVING INTO NERN CO SAT AFTN INTO SAT EVENING WITH SOME POTENTIAL FOR UPSLOPE FLOW AND LIGHT PCPN SO IF THINGS COME TOGETHER RIGHT SO COULD SEE SOME LIGHT SNOW FOR CHRISTMAS EVE NIGHT. HIGHS ON SAT WILL REMAIN AROUND 10 DEGREES BLO NORMAL. FOR CHRISTMAS DAY IT APPEARS DRY NLY FLOW ALOFT WILL BE OVER THE RGN AS AN UPPER LEVEL RIDGE SLOWLY BUILDS INTO THE CO. HIGHS ON CHRISTMAS WILL REMAIN COLD WITH READINGS STILL 10 DEGREES OR SO BLO NORMAL. AVIATION...LOW CLOUDS WILL BE JUST GETTING TO FAR NORTHEAST CORNER AROUND 12Z AND WILL SPREAD/DEVELOP SOUTHWESTWARD THEREAFTER... AFFECTING THE TERMINALS BY MID MORNING. SLIGHT CHANCE OF SNOW WITH THE STRATUS WITH INCREASING CHANCES DURING THE AFTERNOON AS MOISTURE DEEPENS AHEAD OF UPPER LOW MOVING ACROSS NEW MEXICO. BEST CHANCES OF SNOW AND LOWEST CONDITIONS AT AREA TERMINALS WILL BE BETWEEN 18Z AND 03Z WITH SOME IMPROVEMENT EXPECTED OVERNIGHT. && .BOU WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 5 AM MST TUESDAY FOR COZ046-047. && SHORT TERM...ET LONG TERM....RPK UPDATE/AVIATION...MEIER
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO 1013 AM MST MON DEC 19 2011 COZ030>051-201300- 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- 1013 AM MST MON DEC 19 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST AND NORTH CENTRAL COLORADO. .DAY ONE...SNOW WILL FORM ACROSS THE FRONT RANGE AND ACROSS ELBERT AND LINCOLN COUNTIES THROUGH EARLY AFTERNOON. SNOW WILL BE HEAVIEST AND WIND THE STRONGEST OVER LINCOLN AND EASTERN ELBERT COUNTIES THROUGH TONIGHT. WINTER WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS HAVE BEEN ISSUED FOR SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW FOR LINCOLN AND EASTERN ELBERT COUNTIES. LESS WIND AND SNOW ARE EXPECTED ELSEWHERE WITH THE LIGHTEST SNOWFALL OVER NORTHERN AREAS. AREAS OF FREEZE DRIZZLE WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE NORTHEAST PLAINS. THIS WILL CAUSE ROADWAYS AND STREETS TO BECOME VERY SLICK. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY DRY CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED OVER THE FORECAST AREA TUESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. THE NEXT STORM WILL BRING SNOW TO MUCH OF THE FORECAST AREA WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY EVENING. AT THIS TIME IT IS DIFFICULT TO PIN-POINT SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS...HOWEVER MOST OF THE FORECAST AREA SHOULD HAVE MEASURABLE SNOW. FRIDAY LOOKS DRY. IN THE MOUNTAINS...THERE WILL BE A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SNOW SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT...WITH DRY CONDITIONS ON SUNDAY. THE PLAINS NOW LOOK DRY SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. TEMPERATURES LOOK TO STAY BELOW SEASONAL NORMALS TUESDAY THROUGH NEXT SUNDAY...WITH WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY...SO BE EVEN COOLER. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED TODAY OR TONIGHT. MEIER/RJK
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 winter weather, 1 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Weather, N & Ne Elbert County Below 6000 Feet / N Lincoln County | 2011-12-19 | 22 | Female | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Indirect |
| Winter Weather, N & Ne Elbert County Below 6000 Feet / N Lincoln County | 2011-12-19 | 57 | Male | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Indirect |
| Winter Weather, C & E Adams & Arapahoe Counties | 2011-12-19 | 22 | Male | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Indirect |
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, December 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: 357315, 357316, 357317.