Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Colorado, October 25 to 26, 2011

Name: Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Colorado, October 25 to 26, 2011
Start: 2011-10-25T17:00
End: 2011-10-26T15:34
Location: Colorado

October 25 to 26, 2011 · NWS BOU · 18 events in 18 counties and zones

A powerful early season storm brought heavy snow to the Front Range and adjacent plains. The heavy, wet snow caused extensive downed large branches and in some cases, entire trees.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 18 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 1
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 18

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS BOU wrote it up.

A powerful early season storm brought heavy snow to the Front Range and adjacent plains. The heavy, wet snow caused extensive downed large branches and in some cases, entire trees. Massive power outages occurred from Fort Collins and Greeley south to Denver and the surrounding metro area. Most of the trees still had their leaves, which helped to catch snow and down trees under the weight of the moisture laden snow. Nearly 200,000 utility customers along the Front Range were without heat and electricity for several hours. Residents in the Fort Collins, Loveland and Greeley areas were hit the hardest. As a result, the Red Cross opened four temporary shelters overnight until the power could be restored. The outages also forced the closure of the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley and the Boulder Criminal Justice Center the following day. In Fort Collins, a student at Colorado State University was hospitalized with minor injuries after she was struck by a falling tree branch. The fallen trees and branches also caused extensive property damage to roofs and automobiles. In the Front Range mountains and foothills, storm total snowfall ranged from 10 to nearly 20 inches. Across the Urban Corridor and adjacent northeast plains, storm totals ranging from 6 to nearly 13 inches, heaviest north of Denver.

In the mountains and foothills, storm totals included: 19.8 inches, 3 miles west of Jamestown; 18 inches, 5 miles west of Copper Mountain and Loveland SNOTEL; 16 inches at Bear Lake; 14 inches at Elliot Ridge SNOTEL and Estes Park; 13 inches, 3 miles north of Blackhawk and 3 miles south of Evergreen, 4 miles east-northeast of Nederland and Lake Eldora; 12 inches at Bethoud SNOTEL, 4 miles south-southeast of Brookvale, Hourglass Lake and Middle Fork Camp; 11.5 inches, 2 miles south-southeast of Tabernash.

Along the Urban Corridor and adjacent plains, storm totals included: 12.5 inches, 1 mile north of Greeley and 7 miles south of New Raymer; 11.5 inches in Boulder and north Longmont; 11 inches in Hygiene, 9.5 inches at the National Weather Service in Boulder; 9 inches, 1 mile southwest of Westminster; 8.5 inches in Broomfield, Denver International Airport, Frederick and Louisville; 8 inches in Aurora, 4 miles south of Fort Collins and Galeton; 7 inches in Fleming, Iliff, Loveland and Watkins; with 6 inches in Arvada.

What forecasters said that day

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 Oct 25, 2:30 PM MST, 2 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Oct 25, 2:30 PM MST, 2 hours 30 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Oct 25, 10:14 AM MST, 6 hours 46 minutes before

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The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

17 winter storm, 1 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Jackson County Below 9000 Feet

When: October 25, 5:00 PM MST to October 26, 12:48 PM MST
Where: Jackson County Below 9000 Feet forecast zone
Reported by: CoCoRaHS
Coordinates: 40.666, -106.343 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, West Jackson & West Grand Counties Above 9000 Feet

When: October 25, 5:00 PM MST to October 26, 12:48 PM MST
Where: West Jackson & West Grand Counties Above 9000 Feet forecast zone
Reported by: SNOTEL
Coordinates: 40.385, -106.230 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Grand & Summit Counties Below 9000 Feet

When: October 25, 5:00 PM MST to October 26, 12:48 PM MST
Where: Grand & Summit Counties Below 9000 Feet forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 39.869, -106.117 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, S & E Jackson / Larimer / N & Ne Grand / Nw Boulder Counties Above 9000 Feet

When: October 25, 5:00 PM MST to October 26, 12:48 PM MST
Where: S & E Jackson / Larimer / N & Ne Grand / Nw Boulder Counties Above 9000 Feet forecast zone
Reported by: SNOTEL
Coordinates: 40.382, -105.820 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Larimer & Boulder Counties Between 6000 & 9000 Feet

When: October 25, 5:00 PM MST to October 26, 12:48 PM MST
Where: Larimer & Boulder Counties Between 6000 & 9000 Feet forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 40.380, -105.410 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, S & Se Grand / W Central & Sw Boulder / Gilpin / Clear Creek / Summit / N & W Park Counties Above 9000 Feet

When: October 25, 5:00 PM MST to October 26, 3:34 PM MST
Where: S & Se Grand / W Central & Sw Boulder / Gilpin / Clear Creek / Summit / N & W Park Counties Above 9000 Feet forecast zone
Reported by: SNOTEL
Coordinates: 39.726, -105.675 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Jefferson & W Douglas Counties Above 6000 Feet / Gilpin / Clear Creek / Ne Park Counties Below 9000 Feet

When: October 25, 5:00 PM MST to October 26, 3:34 PM MST
Where: Jefferson & W Douglas Counties Above 6000 Feet / Gilpin / Clear Creek / Ne Park Counties Below 9000 Feet forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 39.516, -105.413 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, C & Se Park County

When: October 25, 5:00 PM MST to October 26, 3:34 PM MST
Where: C & Se Park County forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 39.119, -105.717 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Boulder & Jefferson Counties Below 6000 Feet / W Broomfield County

When: October 25, 5:00 PM MST to October 26, 12:48 PM MST
Where: Boulder & Jefferson Counties Below 6000 Feet / W Broomfield County forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 39.878, -105.220 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, N Douglas County Below 6000 Feet / Denver / W Adams & Arapahoe Counties / E Broomfield County

When: October 25, 5:00 PM MST to October 26, 12:48 PM MST
Where: N Douglas County Below 6000 Feet / Denver / W Adams & Arapahoe Counties / E Broomfield County forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 39.714, -104.707 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Elbert / C & E Douglas Counties Above 6000 Feet

When: October 25, 5:00 PM MST to October 26, 12:48 PM MST
Where: Elbert / C & E Douglas Counties Above 6000 Feet forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 39.422, -104.468 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Larimer County Below 6000 Feet / Nw Weld County

When: October 25, 8:00 PM MST to October 26, 12:48 PM MST
Where: Larimer County Below 6000 Feet / Nw Weld County forecast zone
Injuries: 0 direct, 1 indirect
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 40.611, -104.926 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Ne Weld County

When: October 25, 8:00 PM MST to October 26, 12:48 PM MST
Where: Ne Weld County forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 40.555, -104.392 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, C & S Weld County

When: October 25, 8:00 PM MST to October 26, 12:48 PM MST
Where: C & S Weld County forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 40.555, -104.392 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Morgan County

When: October 25, 8:00 PM MST to October 26, 12:48 PM MST
Where: Morgan County forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 40.263, -103.810 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, C & E Adams & Arapahoe Counties

When: October 25, 8:00 PM MST to October 26, 12:48 PM MST
Where: C & E Adams & Arapahoe Counties forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 39.762, -104.338 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Logan County

When: October 25, 11:00 PM MST to October 26, 12:48 PM MST
Where: Logan County forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 40.725, -103.110 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Washington County

When: October 25, 11:00 PM MST to October 26, 12:48 PM MST
Where: Washington County forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 39.971, -103.201 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Winter Storm: A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.
Winter Weather: Snow, sleet or freezing rain below warning levels that still caused disruption, damage or casualties.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Colorado in 2011 Every state in 2011 This day in weather history Warnings in Colorado, October 2011

Sources

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 347741, 347742, 347743, 347744, 347745, 347746, 347747, 347748, 347756, 347757, 347758, 347749, 347750, 347751, 347752, 347753, 347755, 347759.