Cold, polar air and a weather disturbance aloft produced localized heavy snow across southern Colorado. 12 inches at Rye (Pueblo County) and 15 inches of fluffy snow at the summit of Wolf Creek Pass (Mineral County).
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 PUB wrote it up.
Cold, polar air and a weather disturbance aloft produced localized heavy snow across southern Colorado. Some of the higher reported snow amounts included 7 inches at Walsenburg (Huerfano County)...8 inches at Beulah (Pueblo County)...12 inches at Rye (Pueblo County) and 15 inches of fluffy snow at 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 Dec 4, 3:56 PM MST, 3 hours 4 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO 356 PM MST SUN DEC 4 2011 .SHORT TERM... (TONIGHT AND MONDAY) ...SNOW IS ON THE WAY... WHAT YOU SEE IS WHAT YOU GET. LIGHT SNOW IS STARTING TO FALL IN MANY AREAS AS A COLD UPPER LOW DROPS SOUTH INTO THE REGION. EXPECT THIS TREND TO CONTINUE OVERNIGHT INTO EARLY MONDAY...WITH ACTIVITY DECREASING FROM NORTH TO SOUTH BY MONDAY AFTERNOON. SEE FORECASTS FOR FURTHER DETAILS. TOO BUSY WITH FORECAST TO WRITE ANYMORE TODAY. LW .LONG TERM... (MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY) ...CONTINUED COLD... MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY...NAM AND GFS MODELS ARE IN CLOSE AGREEMENT WITH THE PLACEMENT OF THE UPPER LOW AND TROUGH TO START OUT THE WORK WEEK. MONDAY NIGHT THE UPPER LOW WILL BE LOCATED IN THE VICINITY OF THE 4 CORNERS...WITH THE ASSOCIATED UPPER TROUGH STRETCHING TO THE NE UP INTO THE GREAT LAKES REGION. THROUGH THE NIGHT AND INTO TUE THE UPPER LOW WEAKENS AS IT SAGS TO THE SE. MUCH OF THE PCPN WILL BE FOCUSED OVER THE SOUTHERN PORTIONS OF THE CWA MON EVE...GRADUALLY DIMINISHING OVERNIGHT BEFORE ENDING COMPLETELY BY 18Z TUE. CLEARING SKIES OVERNIGHT MON COUPLED WITH AN EXTREMELY COLD POOL OF AIR IS FORECAST TO PRODUCE MIN TEMPS TUE MORN BELOW ZERO IN ALL LOCATIONS...AND MAX TEMPS TUE AFTN STRUGGLING TO CLIMB INTO THE 20S TO NEAR 30 F. WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY...GENERAL NW FLOW ALOFT SETTLES IN ACROSS THE REGION FOR A COOL BUT MAINLY DRY PERIOD. EXTENDED MODELS HAVE BEEN FLUCTUATING WITH A SHORTWAVE THAT LOOKS DROP DOWN OVER THE NORTHERN ROCKIES AND BRING A SHOT OF ISOLATED MT SNOW ON THU...AND ANOTHER REINFORCING BLAST OF COOL AIR. MODELS HAVE MOVED THIS FEATURE FROM THU TO FRI THEN BACK TO THU...AND THOUGH LATEST MODEL RUNS HAVE WEAKENED THIS SHORTWAVE...WILL STICK WITH PREVIOUS THINKING AND TIMING. THIS FEATURE WILL DROP MAX TEMPS BACK INTO THE 30S FOR FRI...THEN THE MODELS HINT AT REDEVELOPING WESTERLY WINDS ALOFT AND MODERATING TEMPS INTO THE 40S FOR SAT AND SUN. MOORE && .AVIATION... NEXT SYSTEM ON THE WAY IN FROM THE CANADIAN ROCKIES. CLOUD BASES ARE LOWERING WITH LIGHT SNOW STARTING TO FALL IN A LOT OF AREAS. EXPECT WIDESPREAD SNOW TO DEVELOP FROM NORTH TO SOUTH ACROSS THE REGION THIS EVENING...CONTINUING THROUGH MONDAY MORNING BEFORE TAPERING OFF FROM NORTH TO SOUTH. WIDESPREAD MVFR TO LIFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP AS SNOW MOVES IN. LW && .PUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 5 AM MST MONDAY FOR COZ058>063-076- 081-082-084-085. WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 5 PM MST MONDAY FOR COZ072>075- 078>080-087-088. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 11 AM MST MONDAY FOR COZ065-066- 069-070-086-093. WIND CHILL ADVISORY UNTIL 5 PM MST MONDAY FOR COZ058-060-066-068- 073-075-080-082-084. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 5 PM MST MONDAY FOR COZ067-068-071- 094. WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 11 AM MST MONDAY FOR COZ077-083. && 50/27
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO 645 AM MST SUN DEC 4 2011 COZ058>089-093>099-051345- 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- 645 AM MST SUN DEC 4 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL...EAST CENTRAL...SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT LIGHT SNOW WILL DEVELOP ALONG THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE BY THIS AFTERNOON AS AN UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM MOVES INTO COLORADO. SNOW WILL INCREASE BY LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND OVERNIGHT TONIGHT AND SPREAD INTO EASTERN COLORADO. SNOW WILL BE HEAVY AT TIMES TONIGHT...ESPECIALLY OVER THE EASTERN MOUNTAINS AND SOUTHERN INTERSTATE 25 CORRIDOR...WHILE LIGHTER SNOWFALL TOTALS CAN BE EXPECTED OVER THE REMAINDER OF THE FORECAST AREA. SNOW TOTALS THROUGH TONIGHT WILL LIKELY BE OVER A FOOT FOR THE EASTERN MOUNTAINS WITH OVER A HALF A FOOT IN THE ADJACENT PLAINS. LIGHTER ACCUMULATIONS OF UP TO 6 INCHES CAN BE EXPECTED OVER THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE...THE SAN LUIS VALLEY AND PORTIONS OF THE EASTERN PLAINS. IN ADDITION TO SNOW...STRONG GUSTY WINDS WILL PRODUCE AREAS OF BLOWING SNOW WHICH WILL REDUCE VISIBILITIES ON AREA HIGHWAYS. THESE STRONG WINDS WILL ALSO PRODUCE DANGEROUS WIND CHILL READINGS WITH MANY LOCATIONS DROPPING BELOW ZERO. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY SNOW WILL CONTINUE OVER THE SOUTHEAST COLORADO MOUNTAINS AND THE SOUTHERN I-25 CORRIDOR THROUGH MUCH OF THE DAY MONDAY. ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATIONS WILL RANGE FROM 4 TO 6 INCHES IN THE SANGRE DE CRISTO AND WET MOUNTAINS WITH 1 TO 3 INCHES IN THE ADJACENT FOOTHILLS... AND AN INCH OR LESS ON THE PLAINS. SNOW WILL GRADUALLY END ACROSS NORTHERN PORTIONS OF THE AREA MONDAY AFTERNOON AND ACROSS SOUTHERN COLORADO MONDAY NIGHT. REDUCED VISIBILITY IN SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW WILL COMBINE WITH VERY COLD TEMPERATURES TO PRODUCE HAZARDOUS WINTER WEATHER CONDITIONS. IT WILL BE VERY COLD LATE MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY MORNING AS TEMPERATURES FALL INTO THE SINGLE DIGITS AND TEENS BELOW ZERO. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER CONDITIONS THAT MEET REPORTING CRITERIA FOR SPOTTERS WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS ALL OF SOUTHERN COLORADO LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. 88/40
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
212 PM MST SUN DEC 04 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0211 PM SNOW 11 NNE CRESTONE 38.13N 105.58W
12/04/2011 M1.6 INCH CUSTER CO TRAINED SPOTTER
&&
PJCPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
433 PM MST SUN DEC 04 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0414 PM SNOW 11 NNE CRESTONE 38.13N 105.58W
12/04/2011 M2.5 INCH CUSTER CO TRAINED SPOTTER
&&
PJCPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
453 PM MST SUN DEC 04 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0453 PM SNOW MAYSVILLE 38.54N 106.22W
12/04/2011 M1.5 INCH CHAFFEE CO TRAINED SPOTTER
&&
PJCThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 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: 356845, 356843, 356844.