and gusty winds across portions of southern Colorado. Snow totals in excess of 8 inches occurred across the La Garita, eastern San Juan, and eastern Sawatch mountains.
Every event with a place to put it; 4 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 potent storm system generated snow...heavy at times...and gusty winds across portions of southern Colorado. Snow totals in excess of 8 inches occurred across the La Garita, eastern San Juan, and eastern Sawatch mountains. In addition, 5 to 7 inches of snow fell across and near the Wet Mountains, with an isolated 12-inch amount in Rye.
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 18, 10:40 AM MST, 4 hours 20 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO 1040 AM MST TUE DEC 18 2012 .AVIATION... AN APPROACHING STORM SYSTEM WILL PUSH A STRONG COLD FRONT SOUTH THROUGH COLORADO LATE WEDNESDAY MORNING...WITH SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW FILLING IN BEHIND. CONDITIONS WILL BE VFR AT ALL 3 TAF SITES...ALS...COS...AND PUB THROUGH 12Z WEDNESDAY. CONDITIONS WILL DETERIORATE QUICKLY TO MVFR AND POSSIBLY BRIEF IFR AT COS AND PUB AFTER THAT. AT COS...MODELS DEPICT THE FRONTAL PASSAGE NEAR 13Z WITH WINDS QUICKLY STRENGTHENING AND CHANGING TO A NORTHERLY DIRECTION WITH GUSTS TO 40KTS POSSIBLE. LIGHT SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW WILL LIKELY BEGIN BY 15Z....REDUCING VISIBILITIES TO IFR CONDITIONS AT TIMES. RUNWAY ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE 1 TO 2 INCHES AT MOST AS THE SNOW WILL BE BLOWING. CONDITIONS WILL IMPROVE TO MVFR AND VFR AFTER 18Z. AT PUB...SIMILAR CONDITIONS TO COS CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THE ONLY DIFFERENCE BEING WITH FRONTAL PASSAGE TIMING AS THE FRONT MOVES FROM NORTH TO SOUTH. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 528 AM MST TUE DEC 18 2012/ SHORT TERM... (TODAY AND TONIGHT) ..SNOW SPREADING INTO THE MOUNTAINS LATE TODAY THROUGH TONIGHT... A DEVELOPING TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE IS EVIDENT IN SATELLITE PICTURES EARLY THIS MORNING...DIGGING SOUTH ALONG THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST COAST. THIS SYSTEM IS FORECAST...WITH GOOD AGREEMENT AMONGST THE MODELS... TO TRACK EAST ACROSS COLORADO TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY. THIS SYSTEM WILL BRING A QUICK...BUT IN MANY CASES...INTENSE BURST OF SNOW AND WIND TO THE REGION...BEGINNING IN THE MOUNTAINS LATER TODAY THROUGH TONIGHT...AND HOLDING OFF UNTIL WEDNESDAY FOR THE PLAINS. SNOWFALL TODAY WILL BE FAIRLY LIGHT AND CONFINED MAINLY TO THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE...WITH ACCUMULATIONS OF 1 TO 3 INCHES OVER THE SOUTHWEST MOUNTAINS...AND 2 TO 4 INCHES OVER THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS. THEN...STARTING LATER TODAY...BUT ESPECIALLY TONIGHT...THE SNOW WILL REALLY RAMP UP ALONG THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE AND BEGIN SPREADING TO THE EASTERN MOUNTAIN RANGES. NEW SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS FOR TONIGHT WILL INCLUDE FROM 6 TO 12 INCHES OVER THE SOUTHWEST MOUNTAINS...WITH 4 TO 10 INCHES OVER THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS. ANY ACCUMULATING SNOW FOR THE EASTERN MOUNTAIN RANGES WILL HOLD OFF UNTIL AFTER MIDNIGHT AND BE CONFINED MAINLY TO THE SANGRE DE CRISTOS...WHERE 1 TO 3 INCHES OF SNOW COULD FALL BY WEDNESDAY MORNING. PIKES PEAK MAY ALSO SEE A LITTLE SNOW BY MORNING WITH ACCUMULATIONS OF AN INCH OR 2 POSSIBLE. AREAS OF BLOWING SNOW WILL BE POSSIBLE IN THE MOUNTAINS THROUGH TONIGHT AS WIND SPEEDS GUST UP TO AROUND 40 MPH AT TIMES. ELSEWHERE...IT LOOKS LIKE ANY PRECIPITATION WILL HOLD OFF UNTIL WEDNESDAY. CONSEQUENTLY...THE START TIME OF WINTER WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE EASTERNMOST MOUNTAIN RANGES AND THE PLAINS AS BEEN PUSHED BACK TO THE DAYLIGHT HOURS WEDNESDAY. SEE LONG TERM DISCUSSION FOR FURTHER DETAILS. LW LONG TERM... (WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY) WEDNESDAY...SHOULD BE QUITE THE INTERESTING DAY ON WEDNESDAY AS THE UPPER SYSTEM...NOW A SHADE SLOWER...MOVES ACROSS THE STATE THROUGH THE DAY. DUE TO THE SLOWER TRACK...HAD TO DELAY THE WINTER STORM WATCH FOR THE WETS...TELLER COUNTY...NORTHERN EL PASO COUNTY AND THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF FREMONT COUNTY BY ABOUT 6 HRS. MODELS CONTINUE TO AGREE ON THE TIMING OF A STRONG COLD FRONT PASSAGE WED MORN...DROPPING SOUTH ACROSS THE PALMER DVD AROUND 12Z...THEN RACING SOUTH. SNOW WILL DEVELOP ALONG AND BEHIND THE FRONT...THOUGH SNOW AMOUNTS ACROSS THE E PLAINS WILL MOST LIKELY ONLY AMOUNT TO 1 TO 2 INCHES. THE HIGHEST AMOUNTS WILL BE OVER THE PALMER DVD AND THE E SLOPES OF THE WEST AND SANGRES. HOWEVER...OF GREATER CONCERN WILL BE THE STRONG NORTHERLY WINDS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS FRONT. MODELS ARE INDICATING NORTH WINDS OF 20-30 MPH WITH FREQUENT GUSTS UP TO 45 MPH. COUPLED WITH SOME FRESH SNOW...RAPIDLY DROPPING AIR TEMPS AND BLOWING SNOW...HAD TO GO WITH A BLIZZARD WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF THE E PLAINS. THE WATCH IS STAGGERED TO TRY AND CAPTURE THE MOVEMENT OF THE FRONT...BUT ONE THING OF NOTE IS THE EXCLUSION OF SOUTHERN EL PASO COUNTY. THIS IS DUE TO THE NORMAL BROWN HOLE THAT OCCURS THERE BECAUSE OF THE PCPN SHADOW OFF THE PALMER DVD. WINDS WILL BE STRONG THERE...BUT FEEL THAT VERY LITTLE IF ANY SNOW WILL FALL THERE. IN FACT...NORTHERN PUEBLO COUNTY WOULD HAVE BEEN EXCLUDED AS WELL IF SUCH A THING WAS POSSIBLE. FEEL THAT MOST OF THE SNOW IN PUEBLO COUNTY WILL FALL OVER THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE COUNTY...MAINLY SOUTH OF HIGHWAY 50. THIS UPPER SYSTEM IS STILL EXPECTED TO MOVE QUICKLY TO THE EAST...AND BY EARLY EVENING SNOW IS FORECAST TO SHUT OFF. THE WINDOW FOR BLIZZARD CONDITIONS ACROSS THE E PLAINS WILL BE SMALL...BUT POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS. OVERCAST SKIES...SNOW AND A STRONG COLD FRONT ALL POINT TO A VERY COLD DAY ON WED...WITH MAX TEMPS ACROSS THE PLAINS ABOUT 25 DEGREES COLDER THAN THOSE EXPECTED FOR TODAY. THURSDAY THROUGH SUNDAY...THE UPPER SYSTEM PASSES TO THE EAST...ALLOWING UPPER LEVEL RIDGING TO MOVE IN ON THU AND FRI...THEN ZONAL FLOW ON SAT AND SUN. COOL AND DRY CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED FOR THU...THEN CONTINUED DRY WITH WARMER TEMPS FOR FRIDAY THROUGH THE FIRST HALF OF SUNDAY. SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY...GFS AND ECMWF MODELS AGREE ON BRINGING IN ANOTHER UPPER TROUGH ACROSS THE WEST COAST SUNDAY...BRINGING A CHANCE FOR SNOW ONCE AGAIN TO THE HIGHER TERRAIN SUN NIGHT AND MONDAY. THE MODELS DIFFER SLIGHTLY ON HOW FAR SOUTH THIS TROUGH WILL DIP WHICH WILL ALTER POTENTIAL SNOWFALL DRAMATICALLY...BUT THERE IS A HINT OF A WHITE CHRISTMAS. STAY TUNED. 27 AVIATION... A MAJOR WINTER STORM WILL MOVE FROM WEST TO EAST ACROSS THE REGION LATER TODAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. MVFR TO LIFR FLIGHT CONDITIONS ALONG THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE FOR MOST OF TODAY...WILL BECOME WIDESPREAD IN THE MOUNTAINS TONIGHT...AND SPREAD EAST ACROSS THE PLAINS ON WEDNESDAY. STRONG NORTHERLY WINDS GUSTING OVER 40 MPH AT TIMES WILL CREATE BLIZZARD CONDITIONS ACROSS THE PLAINS AT TIMES ON WEDNESDAY. ALTHOUGH WINDS WILL NOT BE AS STRONG IN THE MOUNTAINS...A COMBINATION OF WIND AND HEAVY SNOW WILL MAKE FOR EQUALLY RESTRICTIVE FLIGHT CONDITIONS. CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO IMPROVE FROM THE WEST WEDNESDAY EVENING AS THE STORM SYSTEM MOVES QUICKLY EAST OF AREA. LW && .PUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... BLIZZARD WATCH FROM WEDNESDAY MORNING THROUGH WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON FOR COZ093-094-097>099. BLIZZARD WATCH FROM WEDNESDAY MORNING THROUGH WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON FOR COZ086>089-095-096. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 2 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 5 PM MST WEDNESDAY FOR COZ059-063. WINTER STORM WATCH FROM LATE TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON FOR COZ076-079>082-084. WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 2 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 5 PM MST WEDNESDAY FOR COZ058-060-061-066-068. WINTER STORM WATCH FROM THIS EVENING THROUGH WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON FOR COZ072>075. && 81/06
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO 653 AM MST TUE DEC 18 2012 COZ058>089-093>099-191400- 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- 653 AM MST TUE DEC 18 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL...EAST CENTRAL...SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SNOWFALL TODAY WILL BE FAIRLY LIGHT AND CONFINED MAINLY TO THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE...WITH ACCUMULATIONS OF 1 TO 3 INCHES OVER THE SOUTHWEST MOUNTAINS...AND 2 TO 4 INCHES OVER THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS. LATER TODAY AND TONIGHT...SNOWFALL INTENSITIES WILL INCREASE ALONG THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE. NEW SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS FOR TONIGHT WILL INCLUDE 6 TO 12 INCHES OVER THE SOUTHWEST MOUNTAINS...AND 4 TO 10 INCHES OVER THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS. ANY ACCUMULATING SNOW FOR THE EASTERN MOUNTAIN RANGES WILL HOLD OFF UNTIL AFTER MIDNIGHT AND BE CONFINED MAINLY TO THE SANGRE DE CRISTOS...WHERE 1 TO 3 INCHES OF SNOW COULD FALL BY WEDNESDAY MORNING. PIKES PEAK MAY ALSO SEE A LITTLE SNOW BY MORNING WITH ACCUMULATIONS OF AN INCH OR 2 POSSIBLE. AREAS OF BLOWING SNOW WILL BE POSSIBLE IN THE MOUNTAINS THROUGH TONIGHT AS WIND SPEEDS GUST UP TO AROUND 40 MPH AT TIMES. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY A STORM SYSTEM WILL MOVE ACROSS THE STATE ON WEDNESDAY...PRODUCING THE POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL OVER THE SANGRE DE CRISTO AND WET MOUNTAINS...TELLER COUNTY AND THE RAMPART RANGE...NORTHERN EL PASO COUNTY...AND THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF FREMONT COUNTY. SNOW WILL CONTINUE TO FALL OVER THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE AS WELL. OF GREATER CONCERN IS A STRONG COLD FRONT THAT IS FORECAST TO DROP SOUTH ACROSS THE PALMER DIVIDE EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING...THEN RACE SOUTH TOWARDS THE NEW MEXICO BORDER THROUGH THE MORNING. THIS FRONT WILL BRING 1 TO 2 INCHES OF NEW SNOW TO PORTIONS OF THE EASTERN PLAINS...SIGNIFICANTLY COLDER TEMPERATURES...AND STRONG NORTH WINDS OF 20 TO 30 MPH WITH FREQUENT GUSTS TO 45 MPH. THE GUSTY WINDS WILL PRODUCE AREAS OF BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW...AND REDUCED VISIBILITIES OF 1/4 MILE OR LESS...WHICH WILL PRESENT HAZARDOUS TRAVEL CONDITIONS WEDNESDAY MORNING THROUGH MID-AFTERNOON. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER CONDITIONS THAT MEET REPORTING CRITERIA FOR SPOTTERS WILL BE LIKELY ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS TODAY AND TONIGHT. 50/27
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
4 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Colorado in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, December 2012
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: 425485, 421728, 421729, 421727.