generally under 6 inches. The exception was the Wet Mountain area where between 8 and 16 inches of snow accumulated from Beulah to Rye (Pueblo County).
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.
A weather system produced widespread light snow accumulations...generally under 6 inches. The exception was the Wet Mountain area where between 8 and 16 inches of snow accumulated from Beulah to Rye (Pueblo 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 Dec 2, 10:35 PM MST, 1 hour 25 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO 1035 PM MST FRI DEC 2 2011 .AVIATION...06Z TAFS FIRST SURGE OF COOL AIR AND GUSTY NORTH WINDS OF 15-30KTS HAS MOVED ACROSS COS AND INTO PUB ATTM WITH MAIN FRONTAL BOUNDARY AND PRECIPITATION STILL UP ACROSS NORTHERN WYOMING. MAIN BOUNDARY STILL ON TRACK TO MOVE ACROSS COS BETWEEN 09Z-12Z AND BETWEEN 10Z-13Z AT PUB...WITH IFR AND PERIODS OF LIFR CONDITIONS IN SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW THROUGH AROUND 18Z WITH MAINLY VFR CONDITIONS THROUGH 00Z AS NORTH WINDS OF 25-35KTS SLOWLY DIMINISH. COULD SEE LIGHT FLURRIES AND MVFR CIGS DEVELOPING AFT 00Z AS LIGHT UPSLOPE FLOW DEVELOPS THROUGH THE EVENING. ALS TO REMAIN MAINLY VFR WITH BRIEF MVFR/IFR CONDITIONS WITH A POSSIBLE PASSING SHOWER. SHOULD SEE GUSTY EAST GAP WINDS DEVELOPING AFT 16Z WITH A STRONG PRESSURE GRADIENT DEVELOPING FROM PASSING EASTERN PLAINS FRONT. -MW && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 357 PM MST FRI DEC 2 2011/ SHORT TERM... (TONIGHT AND SATURDAY) ..NEXT STORM MOVES ACROSS OVERNIGHT... NEXT STORM IS MOVING UP FROM THE SOUTHWEST...AND WILL TRACK OVER SOUTHERN COLORADO LATE TONIGHT AND SATURDAY. TRICKY FORECAST WITH REGARD TO RAIN/FREEZING RAIN SNOW OVER THE SOUTHEAST PLAINS. INITIALLY LOOKED LIKE THERE WOULD BE SOME SUBFREEZING AIR STILL TRAPPED NEAR THE SURFACE FROM THE COLD FRONT YESTERDAY BUT GOOD MIXING OUT THAT WAY HAS CHANGED ALL OF THAT...WITH TEMPERATURES WELL INTO THE 40S AND 50S THIS AFTERNOON. NOW...WITH CONTINUED MIXING TONIGHT DUE TO PREFRONTAL SOUTHERLY BREEZES...DON'T SEE MUCH CHANCE OF FREEZING RAIN. THE PRECIPITATION WILL PROBABLY JUST START OUT AS RAIN LATE TONIGHT AND THEN SWITCH OVER QUICKLY TO SNOW BY MORNING AS THE NEXT COLD FRONT PUSHES IN FROM THE NORTH. SNOW ACCUMULATIONS COULD START BY LATE TONIGHT ACROSS THE FAR SOUTHEAST PLAINS AND THEN CONTINUE SATURDAY. SINCE BULK OF HEAVY PRECIPITATION SHOOTS BY BEFORE TURNING OVER TO SNOW...WILL KEEP SNOWFALL AMOUNTS ON THE PLAINS AT ADVISORY LEVELS...GENERALLY 2 TO 5 INCHES THROUGH SATURDAY AFTERNOON. BRISK NORTHERLY WINDS 20 TO 40 MPH SATURDAY WILL ADD TO THE WINTER WEATHER THREAT...MAKING A STRONG CASE FOR AN ADVISORY. ELSEWHERE...HAVE ALSO HOISTED AN ADVISORY FOR NORTHERN EL PASO AND TELLER COUNTIES...WITH GENERALLY LIGHT SNOW BUT BLOWING SNOW EXPECTED TO BEGIN LATE TONIGHT AND CONTINUE MUCH OF SATURDAY. WITH COLD AIR ADVECTING INTO THE REGION...THE COMBINATION OF SNOW...BLOWING SNOW...ICE AND REDUCED VISIBILITIES WILL RESULT IN THE NECESSITY OF A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY...DESPITE SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS FALLING SHORT OF ADVISORY CRITERIA. NORTHERN EL PASO COUNTY SHOULD GENERALLY SEE 2 TO 4 INCHES BY SATURDAY EVENING...WITH 3 TO 6 INCHES ACROSS TELLER COUNTY. THE EASTERN SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS WILL CONTINUE IN A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY AS WELL THROUGH SATURDAY. IT HAS BEEN SNOWING THERE TODAY. THIS ACTIVITY IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH SATURDAY...FOR A LONG DURATION ACCUMULATION IN THE 6 TO 8 INCH RANGE. THE SOUTHEAST MOUNTAINS AND ADJACENT PLAINS SOUTH OF PUEBLO ARE NOW IN AN ADVISORY. NOT A BIG SNOWFALL...BUT A 6 TO 12 HOUR PERIOD SATURDAY OF STEADY LIGHT SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW CREATING HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS. GENERALLY 2 TO 4 INCHES ACROSS THE VALLEYS AND PLAINS OF THIS AREA...WITH 4 TO 8 INCHES FOR THE MOUNTAINS. ANOTHER PLACE TO WATCH IS THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE NORTH OF THE SAN JUANS. DON'T THINK THERE WILL BE ADVISORY OR WARNING LEVEL SNOW...BUT COULD BE CLOSE...SEVERAL INCHES POSSIBLE THROUGH THE CENTRAL MOUNTAIN PASSES. ANY WIND WILL ADD TO THE TRAVEL HAZARD. ELSEWHERE...JUST WIND AND SCATTERED LIGHT SNOW EXPECTED...WITH NOT A LOT OF ACCUMULATION...GENERALLY JUST AN INCH OR 2 IF THAT. THIS INCLUDES COLORADO SPRINGS PROPER...PUEBLO...THE I-25 CORRIDOR FROM SPRINGS THROUGH PUEBLO...AND OUT TO ABOUT LA JUNTA. BRISK NORTH WINDS 20 TO 40 MPH AND COLD TEMPERATURES SATURDAY WILL BE THE MAIN STORIES IN THESE AREAS. LW LONG TERM... (SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY) ..BITTER COLD SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING... ROUND NUMBER TWO OF WINTER WX WILL WIND DOWN SAT EVE ACROSS SE CO. SOME LINGERING SHSN ACROSS THE MTS ESPECIALLY EARLY SAT NIGHT...AND POSSIBLY EVEN A FLURRY OR LIGHT SHSN OVR THE I-25 CORRIDOR...BUT SHOULD SEE PRECIP WIND DOWN BY LATE EVE AND CLEARING CONDITIONS OVERNIGHT. TEMPS ALOFT ACTUALLY WARM A BIT OVERNIGHT...BUT STILL SOLIDLY IN THE MINUS 10 TO MINUS 15 RANGE...AND WITH BL DECOUPLING WILL SEE LOW TEMPS NR ZERO OVR THE LOWER ARKANSAS VALLEY BY SUN MORNING. NOT EXPECTING MUCH OF A REBOUND IN TEMPS SUN AFTERNOON AS THE THIRD ROUND OF CAA BEGINS POURING INTO THE CWA BY LATE MORNING OR EARLY AFTERNOON. PRETTY BIG SPREAD BETWEEN THE NAM AND GFS BASED MOS GUIDANCE...WITH THE NAM/MET SHOWING 32 DEG AND THE GFS/MAV SHOWING 16 DEG FOR A HIGH AT KPUB SUN AFTERNOON. BOTH MODELS HAVE H7 TEMPS IN THE MINUS 10-12 DEG RANGE...AND WITH LIGHT ERLY FLOW IN THE LLVLS TEMPS IN THE 20S ARE A SAFE BET FOR THE PLAINS. TRUE ARCTIC BLAST ARRIVES SUN EVE...WITH THE NAM12 SHOWING SOME CONTOURS OF MINUS 20 TO MINUS 22 AT H7 BY 12Z MON. GFS IS NOT MUCH WARMER. WILL SEE ANOTHER ROUND OF SHSN WITH THE FRONT OVERNIGHT...WITH THE BEST BET OF ACCUMULATING SNOW OVR THE ERN SLOPES...PARTICULARLY THE WETS AND SANGRES...AND ADJACENT PLAINS. SOME ADVISORY LEVEL SNOWS POSSIBLE FOR THESE AREAS...BUT ACCUMS ELSEWHERE SHOULD GENERALLY BE LIGHT. TEMPS IN THE COLDER SPOTS FOR THE PLAINS...SUCH AS KPUB...COULD FALL TO ZERO OR BELOW BY MON MORNING. TEMPS MON LIKELY TO STAY IN THE SINGLE DIGITS TO TEENS MOST OF THE DAY...AND WITH CLEAR CONDITIONS MON NIGHT EXPECT THE LOWEST TEMPS FOR TUE MORNING WITH MANY LOCATIONS SEEING THEIR FIRST SUBZERO READINGS OF THE SEASON. BEYOND MON...THE AREA STAYS UNDER BROAD NW FLOW ALOFT...IN A SEASONABLY COOL PATTERN BUT WITH LITTLE CHANCE FOR PRECIP. GFS AND ECMWF HAVE BOTH BACKED OFF THE S AND WWD EXTENT OF A TROUGH THAT MOVES THROUGH THE UPPER MIDWEST LATE IN THE WEEK...SO WITH THE CURRENT PATTERN IT LOOKS LIKE ONLY LIGHT SHSN COULD BE EXPECTED FOR THE MTS AT BEST. 44 AVIATION... SNOWFALL OVER THE SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS EXPANDING NORTHWARD ALONG THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE THIS EVENING FOR DETERIORATING CONDITIONS IN THOSE AREAS. GENERALLY VFR ELSEWHERE THIS EVENING. LATER TONIGHT AND SATURDAY...A WINTER STORM WILL TRACK NORTHEAST FROM NEW MEXICO ACROSS EASTERN COLORADO AND KANSAS. WIDESPREAD MVFR CONDITIONS IN CLOUDS AND SNOW DEVELOPING OVERNIGHT AS THIS SYSTEM ARRIVES...WITH THE MOUNTAINS AND PLAINS SEEING IFR TO LIFR CONDITIONS AT TIMES IN SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW...MAINLY DEVELOPING AFTER 06Z. LW && .PUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 5 AM TO 4 PM MST SATURDAY FOR COZ072>080-083-087-088. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 4 PM MST SATURDAY FOR COZ081-082- 084-094>099. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 4 PM MST SATURDAY FOR COZ068. && 23/23
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO 630 PM MST FRI DEC 2 2011 COZ058>089-093>099-031530- 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- 630 PM MST FRI DEC 2 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL...EAST CENTRAL...SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT A WEATHER SYSTEM ACROSS EASTERN ARIZONA THIS AFTERNOON WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE INTO WESTERN NEW MEXICO OVERNIGHT AS ANOTHER WEATHER SYSTEM MOVES ACROSS THE NORTHERN ROCKIES BY EARLY SATURDAY MORNING. THE MOVEMENT OF THESE SYSTEMS WILL KEEP LIGHT TO MODERATE SNOWFALL ACROSS THE SOUTHWEST MOUNTAINS TONIGHT...WITH SNOW DEVELOPING ACROSS THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS THIS EVENING AND INCREASING IN COVERAGE AND INTENSITY THROUGH EARLY SATURDAY MORNING. SNOWFALL WILL CONTINUE TO SPREAD EAST ACROSS THE UPPER ARKANSAS RIVER VALLEY AND INTO THE PIKES PEAK AND PALMER DIVIDE REGION BY EARLY SATURDAY MORNING...AS AN ASSOCIATED STRONG COLD FRONT PLUNGES ACROSS THE EASTERN PLAINS. SNOWFALL OF 3 TO 6 INCHES CAN BE EXPECTED OVER THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF THE SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS...INCLUDING WOLF CREEK PASS...BY EARLY SATURDAY MORNING...WITH LIGHTER SNOWS OF 1 TO 3 INCHES OVER THE LA GARITA MOUNTAINS AND THE SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS BELOW 10000 FEET. SNOWFALL AMOUNTS OF 1 TO 3 INCHES WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE OVER THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS WITH SNOWFALL OF 1 TO 2 INCHES POSSIBLE ACROSS THE REST OF MOUNTAINS...THE HIGH VALLEYS AND ALONG THE PALMER DIVIDE. ACROSS THE FAR SOUTHEAST PLAINS OF KIOWA...BENT...PROWERS...BACA...AND EASTERN LAS ANIMAS COUNTIES...PRECIPITATION MAY START AS LIGHT RAIN LATE THIS EVENING. THERE COULD BE A BRIEF PERIOD OF A MIX OF FREEZING RAIN AND SNOW POSSIBLE AFTER MIDNIGHT NEAR THE KANSAS BORDER...BEFORE PRECIPITATION CHANGES OVER TO ALL SNOW BY EARLY SATURDAY MORNING. SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 1 TO 3 INCHES WILL BE POSSSIBLE ACROSS THE FAR SOUTHEAST PLAINS BY EARLY SATURDAY MORNING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY SNOW WILL BE ONGOING ACROSS THE AREA SATURDAY MORNING WITH SNOW SLOWLY DIMINISHING THROUGH THE LATE AFTERNOON. TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 6 TO 8 INCHES WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF THE EASTERN SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS...WITH 3 TO 6 INCHES ACROSS EASTERN SAWATCH AND MOSIQUITO RANGES AND 1 TO 4 INCHES ACROSS THE HIGH MOUNTAIN VALLEYS. TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 4 TO 8 INCHES WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE SANGRE DE CRISTO AND WET MOUNTAINS...WITH 3 TO 6 INCHES POSSIBLE ACROSS PIKES PEAK AND THE RAMPART RANGE. TOTAL SNOWFALL OF 2 TO 5 INCHES WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE PALMER DIVIDE AND NORTHERN PORTIONS OF EL PASO COUNTY...THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF FREMONT COUNTY...THE WET MOUNTAIN VALLEY...THE RATON MESA AND SOUTHERN I-25 CORRIDOR...AS WELL AS THE FAR SOUTHEAST COLORADO PLAINS. SNOWFALL OF 1 TO 2 INCHES WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE REST SOUTHEAST COLORADO. IN ADDITION TO THE SNOWFALL...STRONG NORTHERLY WINDS OF 20 TO 35 MPH WILL CREATE AREAS OF HAZARDOUS TRAVEL...ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE FAR SOUTHEAST PLAINS...WITH POOR VISIBILITIES IN SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW. THE STRONG WINDS WILL ALSO CREATE WIND CHILL READINGS IN THE SINGLE DIGITS AND TEENS ACROSS THE LOWER ELEVATIONS AND FROM AROUND ZERO TO 10 BELOW ZERO OVER THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS. LIGHT SNOW WILL CONTINUE ALONG THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE THROUGH MONDAY WITH PERIODS OF HEAVIER SNOWFALL. ANOTHER ROUND OF SNOW IS EXPECTED OVER THE PLAINS SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY. THE MOST LIKELY AREA TO SEE SEVERAL INCHES OF ACCUMULATION WILL BE OVER THE EASTERN MOUNTAINS AND HIGHER TERRAIN WEST OF THE SOUTHERN INTERSTATE 25 CORRIDOR. TEMPERATURES WILL ALSO BE COLD SATURDAY THROUGH MONDAY. MODEL GUIDANCE SUGGESTS THAT AFTERNOON HIGH TEMPERATURES ON MONDAY MAY NOT MAKE IT OUT OF THE SINGLE DIGITS ACROSS THE PLAINS. LIGHT SNOW WILL BE POSSIBLE OVER THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS AGAIN ON THURSDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER CONDITIONS THAT MEET REPORTING CRITERIA FOR SPOTTERS WILL BE LIKELY TONIGHT. 23/23
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 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: 356839.