A cold front and a weather disturbance combined to produced snow over sections of southern Colorado. including Wolf Creek Pass.
Every event with a place to put it; 2 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 cold front and a weather disturbance combined to produced snow over sections of southern Colorado. The heaviest snow occurred in Mineral County where accumulations in excess of 8 inches occurred along and near the Continental Divide...including Wolf Creek Pass.
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 Feb 7, 3:24 PM MST, 8 hours 36 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO 324 PM MST MON FEB 7 2011 .SHORT TERM... (TONIGHT AND TUESDAY) CURRENT HEADLINES LOOK ON TRACK...THOUGH HAD TO BUMP UP TIMING A BIT. 18Z NAM 12 HAS SPED UP THE ARCTIC FRONT...WITH FRONT NOW ALREADY SOUTH OF HIGHWAY 50 BY 09Z...AND ALL THE WAY INTO NEW MEXICO BY 12Z TUES WITH MODERATE SNOW BREAKING OUT ACROSS MOST OF THE PLAINS BETWEEN 09Z-12Z. BEFORE THEN HOWEVER...SHOULD SEE SNOW RAMP UP ACROSS THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS THIS EVENING...AND AFTER 06Z FOR THE SOUTHWEST MOUNTAINS AS NOSE OF UPPER JET TRANSLATES IN. ALREADY SEEING SOME ENHANCEMENT IN SAT PICS ACROSS NW UT/NRN NV WITH THIS FEATURE...WHERE THERE ARE EVEN A FEW LIGHTNING STRIKES. FRONT DROPS SOUTH OF THE PALMER DIVIDE REGION SHORTLY AFTER 06Z WITH SNOW QUICK TO FOLLOW IN BEHIND. MODEL SOUNDINGS SATURATE QUICKLY BEHIND THE FRONT WITH ABOUT A 6 HOUR WINDOW OF GOOD DENDRITIC GROWTH BEFORE THE REALLY COLD ARCTIC AIR (BELOW -20C) DROPS IN. THIS SHOULD CAUSE SNOW TO LIGHTEN UP QUICKLY ACROSS NRN SECTIONS OF THE FORECAST AREA AFTER 18Z AS SNOW FLAKES TRANSITION FROM DENDRITES TO PLATES AND COLUMNS. A LITTLE DIFFERENT STORY FOR THE SAN LUIS VALLEY AND SOUTHWEST MTS. LAPSE RATES ARE QUITE STEEP THROUGH THE AFTERNOON...AND IT TAKES LONGER FOR THE REALLY COLD AIR TO SPILL IN THROUGH THE PASSES OF THE SANGRES AND INTO THE SAN LUIS VALLEY AND EASTERN SLOPES OF THE SW MTS. LATEST RUNS ARE COMING IN WITH HEAVIER SNOW AMOUNTS FOR THE SOUTHWEST MOUNTAINS...THOUGH AT THIS TIME IT STILL APPEARS TO STAY AROUND OR BELOW 12 INCHES (HIGH END ADVISORY AMOUNTS FOR MTS). SO FOR SNOWFALL TOTALS...STILL LOOKING AT 3 TO 6 INCHES FOR THE PLAINS...WITH 4 TO 8 INCHES FOR THE MOUNTAINS...AND 6 TO 12 INCHES FOR THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS...AND LOCALLY UP TO 12 INCHES POSSIBLE ACROSS THE EASTERN SAN JUANS AND LA GARITAS. THE SAN LUIS VALLEY WILL SEE 3-6 INCHES...THOUGH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS WILL BE POSSIBLE FOR THE VALLEY EDGES...PARTICULARLY THE WESTERN SIDE. ITS POSSIBLE WE COULD COME UP A LITTLE SHORT OF THESE NUMBERS FOR THE SOUTHEAST PLAINS...AND SRN EL PASO AND NORTHERN PUEBLO COUNTY WHERE DOWNSLOPE OFF THE PALMER MAY DIMINISH SNOW AMOUNTS SOME. BUT NONE-THE-LESS...IMPACT COULD STILL BE HIGH GIVEN TIMING OF THE EVENT DURING MORNING RUSH HOUR. COMBINED WITH GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH ACROSS THE PLAINS...THERE WILL BE CONSIDERABLE BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW. TEMPERATURES WILL TOP OUT IN THE MORNING...WITH FALLING TEMPERATURES IN THE AFTERNOON. COMBINED WITH THE WINDS...WIND CHILLS WILL DROP TO BETWEEN 10 BELOW AND 20 BELOW ZERO BY AFTERNOON. -KT .LONG TERM... (TUESDAY NIGHT-MONDAY) ...COLD AIR REMAINS IN PLACE THROUGH MID WEEK WITH WARMER AND DRIER WEATHER EXPECTED INTO THE WEEKEND... TUESDAY NIGHT-WEDNESDAY NIGHT...A BROAD UPPER TROUGH ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL COLORADO TUESDAY AFTERNOON CONTINUES TO LIFT OUT ACROSS THE SOUTHEASTERN PLAINS TUESDAY EVENING AND THEN OUT ACROSS THE HIGH PLAINS TUESDAY NIGHT...WITH MODERATE NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT IN PLACE ACROSS THE REGION BEHIND PASSING SYSTEM WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT. LATEST MODELS REMAIN IN DECENT AGREEMENT OF KEEPING BEST LIFT WITH THE SYSTEM JUST SOUTH OF THE AREA WITH AS ASSOCIATED JET CORE TRANSLATES ACROSS CENTRAL NEW MEXICO TUESDAY NIGHT AND INTO THE WESTERN TEXAS ON WEDNESDAY. HOWEVER...WITH CONTINUED SFC-H7 NORTH TO NORTHEASTERLY FLOW OF 15-25 KTS...WILL CONTINUE TO SEE LIGHT TO MODERATE SNOWFALL ACROSS THE SOUTHERN MTS THROUGH THE SOUTHERN I-25 CORRIDOR AND FAR SE PLAINS TUESDAY EVENING WITH SNOW TAPERING OFF FROM NORTHWEST TO SOUTHEAST INTO WEDNESDAY MORNING. ALTHOUGH THIS SYSTEM IS NOT AS COLD AS LAST WEEKS ARCTIC INTRUSION...H7 TEMPS ARE STILL PROGGED TO BE BETWEEN -18C AND -22C AIR WHICH WILL ALLOW FOR VERY COLD AMBIENT TEMPERATURES OF -5F TO -20F ACROSS THE AREA WEDNESDAY MORNING. HAVE GONE WITH THE COLDEST READINGS ACROSS THE HIGHER TERRAIN AND HIGH MT VALLEYS WHERE CLOUDS WILL DIMINISH FIRST...WITH THE WARMEST READINGS ACROSS THE FAR SE PLAINS WHERE PERSISTING CLOUD COVER SHOULD KEEP TEMPERATURES WARMER. IN ADDITION TO THE COLD AMBIENT TEMPERATURES...GUSTY NORTHERLY WINDS OF 10 TO 20 MPH WILL PERSIST ACROSS THE AREA PRODUCING CHILL READINGS OF 15 BELOW TO 30 BELOW POSSIBLE INTO WEDNESDAY MORNING...WITH HIGHLIGHTS BECOMING MORE LIKELY BY LATER SHIFTS. SLOW WARMING ALOFT TO KEEP STRONG INVERSIONS IN PLACE ACROSS THE AREA THROUGH THE DAY WEDNESDAY AND HAVE STAYED GENERALLY BELOW GUIDANCE FOR HIGHS WITH MAINLY TEENS ACROSS THE PLAINS AND SINGLE DIGITS ABOVE AND BELOW ZERO FOR THE MTS. THE LATEST MODELS ARE NOW INDICATING A MINOR EMBEDDED WAVE IN THE NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT MOVING ACROSS THE STATE WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING...AND HAVE ADDED AND INCREASED POPS ACROSS THE HIGHER TERRAIN ATTM. WITH WAA CONTINUING ALOFT WEDNESDAY NIGHT...SHOULD SEE WARMER OVERNIGHT LOWS INTO THURSDAY MORNING...SAVE RIVER VALLEYS WHERE COLDEST AIR WILL PERSIST. THURSDAY-FRIDAY...MODERATE NORTHWEST FLOW TO PERSIST ACROSS THE REGION WITH ANOTHER MINOR EMBEDDED WAVE POSSIBLY MOVING ACROSS THE STATE THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND THURSDAY NIGHT. MODELS HAVING TIMING ISSUES WITH THESE EMBEDDED WAVE AND HAVE KEPT SILENT POPS IN TACT ACROSS THE AREA ATTM. OTHERWISE...WILL SEE A SLOW WARMUP THROUGH THE PERIOD WITH CONTINUED WARMING ALOFT AND HAVE STAYED BELOW GUIDANCE FOR HIGHS...ESPECIALLY ON FRIDAY...WITH WIDESPREAD SNOW COVER SLOWLY MELTING. SATURDAY-MONDAY...WARM AND DRY WESTERLY FLOW LOOKS TO SET UP ACROSS THE REGION SATURDAY AND SUNDAY WITH THE LATEST MODELS INDICATING A WEAK COLD FRONT POSSIBLE MOVING ACROSS THE NORTHERN ROCKIES SUNDAY NIGHT AND INTO THE NORTHERN HIGH PLAINS ON MONDAY. H7 TEMPS ARE PROGGED TO WARM TO BETWEEN 0C AND 4C SATURDAY AND SUNDAY WITH HIGHS LIKELY BACK INTO THE 50S TO LOWER 60S ACROSS THE PLAINS...30S AND 40S MTS WITH ONLY SLIGHTLY COOLER TEMPS FOR MONDAY. HAVE KEPT CURRENT DRY FORECAST IN TACT THROUGH THE PERIOD...THOUGH LATER SHIFTS MAY NEED TO ADD POPS ON MONDAY...DEPENDING ON STRENGTH AND LOCATION OF PASSING NORTHERN ROCKIES SYSTEM. -MW && .AVIATION...VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED AT TAF SITES THROUGH EARLY EVENING...WITH CIGS LOWERING INTO THE IFR CATEGORY BEHIND THE FRONT BY 12Z. SNOW AMOUNTS FOR KCOS...KPUB...AND KALS WILL PROBABLY BE AROUND 2-3 INCHES BY LATE TUES AFTERNOON...WITH THE MAJORITY OF THIS SNOW FALLING BEFORE 18Z AT BOTH KCOS AND KPUB. GUSTY NORTH WINDS WILL CONTINUE AT KCOS AND KPUB TAF SITES THROUGH THE DAY CAUSING BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW. CIGS WILL RISE AFTER 18Z FOR KCOS AND KPUB INTO THE MVFR CATEGORY BY LATE AFTERNOON...THOUGH WILL REMAIN IFR AT KALS UNTIL LATER IN THE EVENING. -KT && .PUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 2 AM TO 8 PM MST TUESDAY FOR COZ069>075-078>080-087-088-093>099. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 2 AM TO 5 PM MST TUESDAY FOR COZ077- 083-086-089. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 5 PM MST TUESDAY FOR COZ058>061. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 11 PM THIS EVENING TO 5 PM MST TUESDAY FOR COZ062>064-076-081-082-084-085. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 11 PM THIS EVENING TO 8 PM MST TUESDAY FOR COZ065>068. && 31/23
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO 127 PM MST MON FEB 7 2011 COZ058>089-093>099-082030- 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- 127 PM MST MON FEB 7 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL...EAST CENTRAL...SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST COLORADO. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT SNOW WILL INCREASE ACROSS THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE THIS AFTERNOON...AND BECOME HEAVY AT TIMES...ESPECIALLY TONIGHT. ACCUMULATIONS OF 3 TO 6 INCHES WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF THE SAWATCH AND MOSQUITO RANGES TONIGHT...WITH ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATIONS EXPECTED ON TUESDAY. A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL ARRIVE FROM THE NORTH EARLY TUESDAY MORNING. THE FRONT IS EXPECTED TO HIT THE PALMER DIVIDE AND PIKES PEAK REGION SOMETIME BEFORE SUNRISE TUESDAY. THE FRONT WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY GUSTY NORTH TO NORTHEAST WINDS AND MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOW SHOWERS. BLOWING SNOW WILL RESULT IN POOR VISIBILITY AND HAZARDOUS DRIVING CONDITIONS OVER NORTHERN EL PASO COUNTY AND TELLER COUNTY EARLY TUESDAY. A COUPLE INCHES OF ACCUMULATION WILL BE POSSIBLE BY DAYBREAK. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY IT WILL BE VERY COLD AND SNOW WILL FALL ACROSS THE ENTIRE REGION ON TUESDAY. AN ARCTIC FRONT WILL LIKELY BE LOCATED AROUND THE HIGHWAY 50 CORRIDOR AT 5 AM TUESDAY...AND THIS FRONT WILL REACH THE NEW MEXICO BORDER BY MID MORNING. SNOW WILL QUICKLY DEVELOP BEHIND THE FRONT AND TEMPERATURES WILL DROP INTO THE TEENS. THE COMBINATION OF WIND GUSTS TO 20 TO 30 MPH...SNOW...AND COLD TEMPERATURES WILL MAKE TRAVEL DIFFICULT ACROSS THE ENTIRE REGION...AND WILL IMPACT THE MORNING COMMUTES. WIND CHILL VALUES THROUGHOUT THE DAY TUESDAY WILL RANGE BETWEEN ZERO AND 15 DEGREES BELOW ZERO...ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE PLAINS AS TEMPERATURES FALL DURING THE DAY. SNOWFALL AMOUNTS BY STORMS END TUESDAY EVENING WILL RANGE FROM 3 TO 6 INCHES ACROSS THE LOWER ELEVATIONS...WITH 4 TO 8 INCHES IN AND NEAR THE MOUNTAINS. 6 TO 12 INCHES WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE THE SAWATCH AND MOSQUITO RANGES WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS POSSIBLE ALONG NORTHWEST FACING SLOPES. THE SNOW IS EXPECTED TO DECREASE ACROSS THE REGION LATE TUESDAY EVENING. LOW TEMPERATURES WEDNESDAY MORNING WILL LIKELY REACH FROM ZERO TO 10 DEGREES BELOW ZERO WITH WIND CHILL READINGS DROPPING TO BELOW 20 BELOW ZERO AT TIMES...ESPECIALLY WEDNESDAY MORNING ACROSS THE PLAINS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER CONDITIONS THAT MEET REPORTING CRITERIA FOR SPOTTERS WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT...AND OVER THE SOUTHWEST MOUNTAINS...PIKES PEAK REGION AND FREMONT COUNTY LATE TONIGHT. 31/23
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 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, February 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: 282567, 282582.