A strong upper level system generated high winds to a large portion of southern Colorado. up to an impressive 111 mph gust at Monarch Pass (Chaffee County).
Every event with a place to put it; 20 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 strong upper level system generated high winds to a large portion of southern Colorado. Wind gusts generally reached 75 to 85 mph in the affected area...up to an impressive 111 mph gust at Monarch Pass (Chaffee 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 30, 2:41 PM MST, 6 hours 19 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO 241 PM MST FRI DEC 30 2011 .SHORT TERM... (TONIGHT AND SATURDAY) ...HIGH WINDS EXPECTED ACROSS THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN MOUNTAINS...NORTHERN I-25 CORRIDOR...AND NRN PORTIONS OF THE SOUTHEAST PLAINS TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY... NEXT TROF ASSOC 100-110 KT UPPER JET ALREADY BARRELING THROUGH THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST ON ITS WAY ACROSS NRN CO SATURDAY MORNING. WINDS ACROSS THE MTS SHOULD PICK UP SUBSTANTIALLY AFTER 06Z...AS MTN TOP WINDS INCREASE TO AROUND 50-60 KTS. INITIALLY THERE ISN/T A LOT OF FORWARD SHEAR...IN FACT...WINDS ARE A CONSISTENT 50-60 KTS FROM MTN TOP LEVEL TO 400 MB THROUGH 09Z-12Z. HOWEVER WE LACK A MTN TOP STABLE LAYER DURING THIS TIME FRAME...AND AS THE UPPER JET COMES OVERHEAD...SOUNDINGS AND CROSS-SECTIONS SHOW QUITE A BIT OF FORWARD SHEAR AFTER 12Z. ALL IN ALL...EVENT CERTAINLY WON/T BE A LONG DURATION MTN WAVE DRIVEN EVENT...THOUGH I WOULDN/T BE SURPRISED TO SEE A BRIEF PERIOD OF SPOTTY MTN WAVE HIGH WINDS ALONG THE LEE OF THE SOUTHEAST MTS BETWEEN 07Z-12Z BEFORE UPPER JET TRANSLATES IN. LOCAL 4KM WRF ALSO INDICATES THIS POTENTIAL. THERE ARE STILL SOME DIFFERENCES IN THE AMPLITUDE OF THE TROF IN THE MODELS AS IT MOVES ACROSS NRN CO SAT MORNING...WITH GFS AND ECMWF A LITTLE DEEPER IN THE BASE OF THE TROF...AND NAM THE WEAKEST. THUS...DOWNWARD FORCING APPEARS SIGNIFICANTLY STRONGER IN THE GFS. GFS SEEMS TO BE VERIFYING BEST AGAINST CURRENT WV LOOPS...BUT UNTIL THE SYSTEM GETS SAMPLED BY 00Z SOUNDINGS OUT WEST...ITS DIFFICULT TO SAY FOR SURE. ONCE TROF AXIS MOVES THROUGH SAT MORNING...WINDS INCREASE TO AROUND 60-70 KTS AT MT TOP LEVEL...WITH 50 KTS DROPPING TO AROUND 800 MB ACROSS THE I-25 CORRIDOR FROM ROUGHLY COLORADO CITY TO MONUMENT. AXIS OF STRONGEST WINDS THEN SPREADS QUICKLY EASTWARD ACROSS NRN PORTIONS OF THE SOUTHEAST PLAINS DURING THE MID-LATE MORNING. EVEN SHALLOW LOW LEVEL MIXING COULD BRING WIND GUST POTENTIAL TO AROUND 60 MPH OR BETTER ACROSS THE LOWER ELEVATIONS. DON/T THINK EVERYWHERE IN EL PASO AND PUEBLO COUNTY WILL SEE 60 MPH GUSTS. IN FACT WRF DOES A NICE JOB DEPICTING THE MINIMUM IN WIND SPEEDS TO THE SOUTH SOUTHWEST OF PIKES PEAK...ACROSS SRN PORTIONS OF COLORADO SPRINGS...AND FOR PUB. AS UPPER LEVEL WINDS SWING AROUND MORE FROM THE NORTHWEST...THESE MINIMA ALSO TRANSLATE SOUTHWARD IN THE WAKE REGION OF THE WETS AND PIKES PEAK AS EXPECTED. SO THOUGH INITIALLY COS AND PUB MAY BE SHADOWED BY TERRAIN WHEN FLOW IS MORE WESTERLY...AS FLOW TRANSITIONS TO NORTHWESTERLY...THE POTENTIAL TO TAP THESE STRONGER GUSTS WILL INCREASE FOR THOSE AREAS. THUS...PLAN TO INCLUDE ALL OF EL PASO AND PUEBLO COUNTIES IN THE HIGH WIND WARNING. CROWLEY AND KIOWA COUNTY ALSO APPEAR UNDER THE GUN...SO WILL INCLUDE THEM AS WELL. FARTHER SOUTH WINDS DON/T APPEAR TO GET AS STRONG...THOUGH THIS MAY CHANGE WITH FUTURE MODEL RUNS. FOR NOW...WILL LEAVE OUT THE LOWER ELEVATIONS OF THE SANGRES...AND PRETTY MUCH ALL OF THE PLAINS ALONG AND SOUTH OF THE ARKANSAS RIVER. LATER SHIFTS CAN ADJUST AS NECESSARY. OTHERWISE...MIN TEMPS SHOULD BE ON THE WARM SIDE AGAIN TONIGHT...ESPECIALLY ALONG THE LOWER EASTERN SLOPES WHERE WINDS WILL KICK IN EARLIEST. SNOW WILL RAMP UP ACROSS THE CENTRAL MTS BY EARLY SAT MORNING...THOUGH SNOW AMOUNTS SHOULD STAY LIGHT AS DRY AIR QUICKLY SWEEPS IN BEHIND BY SAT AFTN. WILL PROBABLY ONLY SEE AN INCH OR TWO ACROSS THE HIGHER PEAKS OF THE SAWATCH AND MOSQUITOES. OF GREATER CONCERN WILL BE THE POTENTIAL FOR BLOWING SNOW ACROSS THE HIGHER MOUNTAINS WHERE WARM TEMPERATURES HAVN/T HAD A CHANCE TO CRUST OVER THE SNOW. THIS MAY CAUSE AREAS OF REDUCED VISIBILITIES AND SLICK ROADWAYS IN AND NEAR THE MOUNTAIN PASSES AS BLOWING SNOW DRIFTS ACROSS ROAD SURFACES. WILL MENTION THIS THREAT IN THE HIGH WIND WARNING PRODUCT. THANKS TO SURROUNDING OFFICES FOR COLLABORATION. -KT .LONG TERM... (SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY) SATURDAY NIGHT-SUNDAY...STRONG NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT ACROSS THE REGION SATURDAY AFTERNOON MODERATES SATURDAY NIGHT AND BECOMES MORE WESTERLY THROUGH THE DAY ON SUNDAY...AS A POTENT SHORT WAVE TROUGH TRANSLATING ACROSS THE ROCKIES CONTINUES OUT INTO THE UPPER MIDWEST. COOL SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE WILL CONTINUE TO BUILD ACROSS THE STATE SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY...ALLOWING FOR STRONG GRADIENT WINDS TO DIMINISH ACROSS THE AREA THROUGH THE NIGHT ON NEW YEARS EVE. THE DECREASING WINDS NEW YEARS EVE WITH LIGHT UPSLOPE WINDS DEVELOPING ON NEW YEARS DAY WILL KEEP TEMPERATURES AT OR BELOW SEASONAL AVERAGES...ESPECIALLY ACROSS SAN LUIS AND LOWER ARKANSAS RIVER VALLEYS. THE WARMEST READINGS ARE EXPECTED ALONG THE HIGHER TERRAIN ALONG AND WEST OF THE I-25 CORRIDOR DUE TO LEE TROUGHING AND WARMING ALOFT. SUNDAY NIGHT-TUESDAY NIGHT...GENERALLY WEAK WESTERLY FLOW ALOFT SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY INCREASES MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY AS AN EMBEDDED SHORT WAVE TRANSLATES ACROSS THE NORTHERN ROCKIES. THIS SYSTEM ALSO SENDS A DRY BACKDOOR COLD FRONT ACROSS THE PLAINS LATE TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. WARM AIR ALOFT UNDER THE RIDGE WILL ALLOW FOR GENERALLY ABOVE SEASONAL TEMPERATURES THROUGH THE PERIOD...WITH THE COOLEST READINGS REMAINING ACROSS THE SNOW COVERED AREAS OF THE SAN LUIS VALLEY AND THE SOUTHEAST PLAINS. WEDNESDAY-FRIDAY...WEAK WESTERLY FLOW PROGGED ACROSS THE REGION WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY WITH INCREASING SOUTHWEST FLOW EXPECTED ON FRIDAY AHEAD OF AN EASTERN PACIFIC SYSTEM DIGGING INTO THE GREAT BASIN REGION. AFTER A SLIGHT COOL DOWN ON WEDNESDAY...ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE EASTERN PLAINS...WILL SEE TEMPERATURES WARM AGAIN TO ABOVE SEASONAL AVERAGES THURSDAY WITH A SLIGHT COOL DOWN FROM WEST TO EAST ON FRIDAY AS THE SYSTEM MOVES CLOSER TO THE STATE. HAVE ALSO INTRODUCED SLIGHT POPS FOR THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS ALONG AND WEST OF THE CONTDVD ON FRIDAY. -MW && .AVIATION... WINDS WILL INCREASE AT THE KCOS AND KPUB TAF AROUND 15Z...WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 50 KTS OR A LITTLE BETTER POSSIBLE DURING LATE MORNING AND AFTERNOON. STRONGEST WINDS MAY END UP SKIRTING AROUND THE KCOS AND KPUB TAF SITES IN THE MORNING...HOWEVER SHOULD INCREASE DURING BY THE AFTERNOON. KALS WILL SEE GENERALLY LIGHT WINDS NORTHWEST WINDS DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING...THOUGH WESTERN VALLEY EDGES COULD SEE LOCALIZED GUSTS TO 40 KTS. THESE WINDS WILL CAUSE BLOWING SNOW ACROSS THE MTN PEAKS WHERE SUSTAINED WINDS OF 60-70 KTS WILL BE POSSIBLE THROUGH THE DAY. CENTRAL MTS COULD SEE SOME BRIEF MTN OBSCURATIONS IN LIGHT SNOW DURING THE MORNING. ANOTHER CONCERN WILL BE POTENTIAL FOR LOW LEVEL WIND SHEAR AT THE KCOS TERMINAL IN THE 12Z-15Z TIME FRAME. HOWEVER GIVEN THAT MTN WAVE PARAMETERS DON'T LOOK ALL THAT FAVORABLE...THINK THAT LLWS WILL STAY TO THE WEST OF THE TERMINAL. THIS WILL CONTINUE TO BE MONITORED CLOSELY. && .PUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... HIGH WIND WARNING FROM 8 AM TO 5 PM MST SATURDAY FOR COZ077-078- 083>086-089-095-096. HIGH WIND WARNING FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 5 PM MST SATURDAY FOR COZ058-060-063-072-073-075-076-079>082. && 31/23
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO 325 PM MST FRI DEC 30 2011 COZ058>089-093>099-312230- 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- 325 PM MST FRI DEC 30 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL...EAST CENTRAL...SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST COLORADO. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT STRONG DAMAGING WINDS WILL SPREAD ACROSS THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF CHAFFEE AND LAKE COUNTIES...AS WELL AS THE SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS...WET MOUNTAINS...AND PIKES PEAK AND TELLER COUNTY OVERNIGHT. WINDS WILL INCREASE FROM THE WEST AT 35 TO 50 MPH WITH GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 75 MPH...PARTICULARLY OVER THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS AND EAST FACING SLOPES. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY STRONG WINDS WILL SPREAD ACROSS MOST OF SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST COLORADO ON SATURDAY. WINDS WILL GUST IN EXCESS OF 80 MPH ACROSS THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS...WITH GUSTS UP TO 60 TO 65 MPH ACROSS THE WET MOUNTAIN VALLEY...THE LOWER ELEVATIONS OF FREMONT COUNTY...AS WELL AS PUEBLO...EL PASO...CROWLEY...AND KIOWA COUNTIES. THE REMAINDER OF THE SOUTHEAST PLAINS WILL SEE WIND GUSTS UP TO 50 TO 55 MPH. WINDS SHOULD STAY FAIRLY LIGHT ACROSS THE SAN LUIS VALLEY WITH SPEEDS UNDER 15 TO 20 MPH...HOWEVER THE WESTERN VALLEY EDGES COULD SEE WINDS OF 20 TO 40 MPH AT TIMES. THESE WINDS WILL CAUSE AREAS OF BLOWING SNOW IN AND NEAR THE MOUNTAINS...WHERE TEMPERATURES HAVE NOT BEEN WARM ENOUGH TO CRUST OVER THE SNOW DUE TO DAY TIME MELTING. THIS MAY RESULT IN POOR VISIBILITIES AS WELL AS SLICK ROAD SURFACES AS THE SNOW IS BLOWN ACROSS THE ROADWAYS. SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS WILL SPREAD ACROSS THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF THE SAWATCH AND MOSQUITO RANGES SATURDAY MORNING PRODUCING LOCAL ACCUMULATIONS OF AN INCH OR TWO. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER CONDITIONS THAT MEET REPORTING CRITERIA FOR SPOTTERS WILL BE POSSIBLE LATE TONIGHT ACROSS THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF THE SOUTHEAST AND CENTRAL MOUNTAINS. 31/23
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
20 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, 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: 357267, 357278, 357279, 357282, 357283, 357284, 357285, 357286, 357292, 357280, 357290, 357287, 357288, 357289, 357297, 357293, 357295, 357296, 357291, 357294.