to portions of southern Colorado. Walsenburg (Huerfano County) and Leadville (Lake County).
Every event with a place to put it; 22 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 weather system moving south across the Colorado Rockies generated snow...heavy at times...to portions of southern Colorado. Some of the higher snow totals include: 4 to 5 inches near Rosita (Custer County)...Pueblo West (Pueblo County)...Woodland Park (Teller County)...Alamosa (Alamosa County)...Monument and Fountain (El Paso County...Walsenburg (Huerfano County) and Leadville (Lake County). Six to 8 inches of snow was measured in and near Trinidad (Las Animas County)...Divide (Teller County)...Colorado City...Beulah...Rye (Pueblo County)...Penrose (Fremont County) and Maysville (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 8, 10:41 PM MST, 3 hours 19 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO 1041 PM MST SAT DEC 8 2012 .AVIATION... FORECAST STILL ON TRACK WITH FRONT ALREADY THROUGH BOTH KCOS AND KPUB. SNOW IS ALREADY STARTING TO DEVELOP ACROSS NRN EL PASO COUNTY AND EXPECT IT WILL SPREAD INTO KCOS BY 07Z WITH CIGS FALLING INTO THE IFR CATEGORY TOWARDS 09Z. IT WILL TAKE A LITTLE LONGER FOR SNOW TO REACH KPUB TAF SITE WHERE CIGS WILL LOWER INTO THE IFR CATEGORY BY 11Z. BOTH TERMINALS SHOULD SEE LIGHT ACCUMULATIONS WITH AMOUNTS AROUND AN INCH OR LESS. NORTH WINDS 15-25 KTS AT BOTH KCOS AND KPUB MAY BRIEFLY GUST TO AROUND 35 KTS SHORTLY AFTER 07Z AS A SECOND SURGE BEHIND THE FRONT DROPS SOUTHWARD. SNOW AND WIND WILL DECREASE BY LATE MORNING FOR BOTH TERMINALS WITH CLOUD COVER GRADUALLY DECREASING DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON/EARLY EVENING. KALS WILL SEE MVFR TO IFR CIGS SPREAD IN SUNDAY MORNING WITH WINDS SHIFTING OUT OF THE EAST AFTER 18Z AS COLD AIR DEEPENS ENOUGH ACROSS THE PLAINS TO POUR THROUGH LA VETA PASS AND INTO THE SAN LUIS VALLEY. EXPECT CLEARING SKIES AFTER 02Z. -KT && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 250 PM MST SAT DEC 8 2012/ SHORT TERM... (TONIGHT AND SUNDAY) ..COLD AND SNOW ON TRACK... CURRENTLY...THE UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM THAT WILL BRING COLD WEATHER AND SNOW TO SOUTHERN COLORADO IS CURRENTLY DROPPING SOUTH OUT OF IDAHO AND INTO UTAH. INCREASING WESTERLY FLOW ALOFT HAS ALLOWED GUSTY WINDS TO DEVELOP ACROSS THE HIGHER TERRAIN WITH SOME MIXING DOWN TO THE SURFACE IN WIND PRONE AREAS. MOST GUSTS HAVE BEEN UNDER 50 MPH...AND WIDESPREAD 30 TO 40 KTS OVER THE MOUNTAINS. IN ADDITION...LIFT AND UPSLOPE AHEAD OF THE STORM SYSTEM HAS SPREAD LIGHT SNOWFALL ACROSS THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS WITH ONLY LIGHT ACCUMULATIONS SO FAR. TEMPERATURES HAVE WARMED NICELY INTO THE UPPER 40S TO LOWER 50S FOR THE PLAINS AND WE SHOULD SEE ANOTHER DEGREE OR TWO TACKED ON OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS. TONIGHT...HIGH RES MODELS ALL IN GOOD AGREEMENT WITH COLD FRONTAL TIMING. THE NMM...WRF AND NAM ALL DROP THE FRONT INTO COLORADO SPRINGS BY 03Z AND THROUGH PUEBLO BY 04Z. WINDS WILL SHIFT NORTHERLY WITH STRONG GUSTS TO NEAR 30 KTS EXPECTED BEHIND THE FRONT. THE REAL COLD AIR IS STILL WELL NORTH TONIGHT AND WILL HOLD OFF ON SPREADING SOUTH UNTIL THE EARLY MORNING HOURS. EXPECT MOST AREAS TO SEE TEMPERATURES DROP DIURNALLY AND HOVER AROUND THE UPPER 20S TO LOWER 30S THROUGH LATE TONIGHT BEFORE DROPPING RAPIDLY AROUND SUNRISE. THE OTHER MAIN ISSUE REMAINS SNOWFALL FOR TONIGHT. AS THE UPPER TROUGH DROPS SOUTH ACROSS UTAH...EXPECT INCREASED LIFT AND CONTINUED UPSLOPE FLOW ALONG THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE. SNOW ONGOING OVER THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS THIS AFTERNOON...WILL SPREAD SOUTH INTO THE LA GARITA AND SAN JUAN RANGES THIS EVENING AND OVERNIGHT. THE REAL QUESTION THAT MODELS ARE HAVING A HARD TIME WITH IS HOW MUCH SNOW WILL FALL OVER THE TELLER COUNTY...NORTHERN EL PASO COUNTY AREAS. THE GFS...ECMWF...AND NMM ALL DEVELOP SNOWFALL LATE TONIGHT OVER TELLER COUNTY BEHIND THE COLD FRONT AND SPREAD IT INTO THE COLORADO SPRINGS AREA AROUND 09Z. THE NAM AND WRF HAVE VIRTUALLY NO SNOW...WHILE THE NMM...GFS AND ECMWF GIVE A QUICK BURST OF SEVERAL INCHES THROUGH EARLY SUNDAY. FOR NOW IN THIS AREA WENT MIDDLE OF THE ROAD WITH A MOST AREAS JUST BARELY REACHING ADVISORY AMOUNTS OVER TELLER AND NORTHERN EL PASO COUNTIES. SUNDAY...THE COLD AIR WILL FILTER IN QUICKLY EARLY SUNDAY MORNING AS THE MID LEVEL FRONT BARRELS ON THROUGH THE REGION. FLOW WILL TURN MORE NORTHEASTERLY WITH SNOW RAPIDLY DEVELOPING ALONG THE EASTERN MOUNTAINS BY SUNRISE. SNOW COULD BE QUITE HEAVY AT TIMES...ESPECIALLY OVER THE SANGRE DE CRISTO AND WET MOUNTAIN RANGES THROUGH THE DAY ON SUNDAY. MODELS ALSO HINTING AT A PERIOD OF DECENT SNOWFALL OVER THE SOUTHERN SAN JUAN RANGE AS WELL...AS THE UPPER VORT MAX MOVES INTO SOUTHWEST COLORADO. BACKED OFF ON PRECIPITATION OVER THE FAR EASTERN PLAINS. LOW LEVEL WIND FIELDS LOOK TOO NORTHERLY FOR WIDESPREAD SNOW ON THE PLAINS AND SHOULD KEEP PRECIPITATION GENERALLY BANKED ALONG AND WEST OF I-25 THROUGH THE DAY. IN ADDITION TO SNOWFALL...GUSTY NORTH WINDS WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE REGION WHICH WILL ALLOW WIND CHILL READINGS TO FALL INTO THE SINGLE DIGITS TO LOWER TEENS...CAUTION IS ADVISED WITH ANY PROLONGED OUTDOOR EXPOSURE TO THESE CONDITIONS. AS FAR AS SNOWFALL TOTALS...THE HIGHEST AMOUNTS ARE EXPECTED OVER THE SANGRE DE CRISTO RANGE AND CENTRAL MOUNTAINS WHERE A SOLID 4 TO 8 INCHES WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS POSSIBLE. OVER THE ADJACENT PLAINS WEST OF I-25...2 TO 4 INCHES ARE LIKELY. 88 LONG TERM... (SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH NEXT SATURDAY) ..COLD THROUGH TUESDAY... ..CHANCE OF MORE SNOW LATE NEXT WEEK... LONG TERM PATTERN CONTINUES TO LOOK FAIRLY ACTIVE AS A PROGRESSIVE SERIES OF TROUGHS MOVE INTO THE MID SECTION OF THE COUNTRY. MONDAY...SHOULD STAY PRETTY COLD IN THE WAKE OF THE ARCTIC BLAST OF AIR THAT ARRIVES THIS WEEKEND. H7 TEMPS ON MON DO NOT LOOK TO GET ABOVE MINUS 10...AND GIVEN THE LIGHT WINDS AND THE LIKELIHOOD OF STRONG SURFACE INVERSIONS OVER THE PLAINS...WILL PROBABLY SEE TEMPS REMAIN IN THE 30S FOR MOST OF THE LOWER ELEVATIONS. HAVE UNDERCUT MOS FORECAST TEMPS BY 5 DEGREES OR SO. A WEAK TRAILING DISTURBANCE WILL CROSS FROM THE NW INTO ERN CO MON AFTERNOON...AND THIS WILL BRING ANOTHER ROUND OF LIGHT SNOW FOR THE SAWATCH AND WRN MOSQUITO RANGES. THE ERN RANGES AND PLAINS SHOULD ESCAPE ANY ACCUMULATING PRECIP...BUT THERE COULD BE SOME SPOTTY LIGHT SSHN OR SOME FLURRIES FOR THE MTS AND PIKES PEAK REGION. MONDAY NIGHT...DESPITE INCREASED CLOUD COVER...ANOTHER COLD ONE WITH SOME SINGLE DIGITS FOR THE COLDER SPOTS OVER THE LOWER ARKANSAS RIVER VALLEY...AND NEGATIVE READINGS FOR THE HIGH VALLEYS. IT WILL REMAIN CHILLY ON TUESDAY AFTER THIS REINFORCING SHOT OF COLD AIR ON MON-MON NITE. BY MID WEEK...WILL SEE A REBOUND IN TEMPS AND RESIDUAL SNOW FROM THIS WEEKEND SHOULD BE ALL BUT GONE. AN UPPER RIDGE WILL BUILD WED-THU AND POPS WILL BE BASICALLY NIL FOR THE ENTIRE AREA. INCREASING MID LEVEL WINDS AHEAD OF THE NEXT SYSTEM WILL LEAD TO BREEZY CONDITIONS BOTH DAYS...BUT ESPECIALLY THU OVER THE PLAINS. COULD SEE SOME MARGINALLY CRITICAL FIRE WX CONDITIONS FOR THE ERN PLAINS IF THAT AREA GETS NO MOISTURE FROM THE CURRENT STORM. BOTH THE 12Z GFS AND ECMWF PROG ANOTHER FAIRLY STRONG LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM DEVELOPING OVER THE GREAT BASIN ON THU...AND BRINGING SOME SNOW TO THE SW MTS THU NIGHT INTO FRI. THIS SYSTEM LOOKS LIKE IT WILL MOVE FAIRLY QUICKLY INTO NRN NM OR SRN CO ON FRI. AT THIS POINT IT DOES NOT LOOK LIKE A SIGNIFICANT STORM. PHASING OF THE SUBTROPICAL AND POLAR JETS OCCURS AFTER THE TROUGH HAS MOVED E OF OUR AREA...SO OPTIMAL TIMING IS A BIT OFF. BUT STILL PLENTY OF TIME FOR THE MODEL FORECASTS TO EVOLVE. WILL BE CONSERVATIVE FOR NOW AND KEEP SILENT POPS FOR THE PLAINS AND LOW CHANCE OR SLIGHT CHANCE POPS FOR THE MTS. 44 AVIATION... WINDS HAVE YET TO BEGIN GUSTING AT KCOS AND KPUB HOWEVER WINDS JUST WEST OF THE TERMINALS HAS...AND SHOULD BE A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE THEY DO. STILL EXPECTING AT LEAST 30 KT WINDS AT BOTH TERMINALS. A STORM SYSTEM WILL MOVE INTO THE ROCKIES TONIGHT SENDING A STRONG COLD FRONT SOUTH OVER KCOS AND KPUB. NORTH WINDS BEHIND THE FRONT WILL BE STRONG...WITH GUSTS TO NEAR 35 KTS. FRONTAL ARRIVAL LOOKS AROUND 03Z FOR KCOS AND 04Z FOR KPUB. CIGS WILL FALL RAPIDLY BEHIND THE FRONT WITH SNOW DEVELOPING DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS FOR KCOS AND KPUB. THIS WILL PRODUCE IFR CONDITIONS AT BOTH TERMINALS WITH BRIEF LIFR CONDITIONS POSSIBLE. THE FRONT WILL BEGIN TO IMPACT KALS BY SUNDAY MORNING WITH WINDS SWITCHING EASTERLY AND SNOW DEVELOPING. 88 && .PUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 5 PM MST SUNDAY FOR COZ066-068- 072>075-078>080-087-088. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 5 PM MST SUNDAY FOR COZ058-060. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 2 PM MST SUNDAY FOR COZ081-082-084. && 31/27
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO 558 PM MST SAT DEC 8 2012 COZ058>089-093>099-091400- 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- 558 PM MST SAT DEC 8 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL...EAST CENTRAL...SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT SNOW WILL CONTINUE TO SPREAD SOUTHWARD ACROSS THE REGION TONIGHT AS A STRONG COLD FRONT AND UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM MOVES IN FROM THE NORTHWEST. SNOW WILL BEGIN AFFECTING THE PIKES PEAK REGION AROUND MIDNIGHT...BEFORE SPREADING ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF THE SOUTHEAST MOUNTAINS AND SOUTHERN I-25 CORRIDOR AFTER MIDNIGHT. WINDS WILL REMAIN GUSTY ACROSS THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS WHERE NORTHWEST WINDS WILL GUST UP TO 50 MPH AT TIMES THROUGH THE NIGHT. WINDS WILL INCREASE ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST PLAINS AFTER 9 PM BEHIND A COLD FRONT WITH NORTHERLY WINDS GUSTING UP TO 40 MPH AT TIMES. THIS WILL CAUSE AREAS OF BLOWING SNOW ACROSS NORTHERN EL PASO COUNTY OVERNIGHT. SHARPLY FALLING TEMPERATURES TOWARDS DAWN MAY CAUSE ROADWAYS ALONG THE I-25 CORRIDOR TO FREEZE UP QUICKLY...PARTICULARLY OVER BRIDGES AND OVERPASSES. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY ON SUNDAY...SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW WILL CONTINUE OVER THE MOUNTAINS...WHILE LIGHT SNOW IS POSSIBLE OVER THE EASTERN PLAINS. SNOW WILL THEN COME TO AN END FROM NORTH TO SOUTH OVER ALL THE AREA SUNDAY NIGHT. AT THIS TIME...THE HEAVIEST SNOW WILL OCCUR OVER THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS EARLY SUNDAY MORNING...THEN OVER THE SOUTHERN SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS DURING THE DAY SUNDAY. OVER THE INTERSTATE 25 CORRIDOR...THE HEAVIEST SNOWFALL WILL OCCUR OVER THE PALMER DIVIDE AND FROM WALSENBURG SOUTH THROUGH TRINIDAD TO RATON PASS. TOTAL SNOW AMOUNTS ENDING LATE SUNDAY AFTERNOON ARE FORECAST TO RANGE FROM 2 TO 5 INCHES FOR TELLER AND NORTHERN EL PASO COUNTIES...5 TO 10 INCHES FOR THE HIGHEST ELEVATIONS OF LAKE AND CHAFFEE COUNTIES...AND 4 TO 8 INCHES FOR THE LA GARITA AND EASTERN SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS ABOVE 10000 FEET...THE SANGRE DE CRISTO AND WET MOUNTAINS...THE WET MOUNTAIN VALLEY...HUERFANO AND WESTERN LAS ANIMAS COUNTIES INCLUDING WOLF CREEK AND LA VETA PASSES. 2 TO 5 INCHES OF NEW SNOW WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE SOUTHERN FOOTHILLS IN THE VICINITY OF WALSENBURG AND TRINIDAD. FOR COLORADO SPRINGS AND PUEBLO...SNOWFALL AMOUNTS OF UP TO 2 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE...MAINLY ALONG AND WEST OF INTERSTATE 25. PEOPLE TRAVELING ACROSS SOUTHERN COLORADO FROM THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH SUNDAY SHOULD LISTEN TO THE LATEST WEATHER FORECAST AND BE PREPARED FOR WINTER DRIVING CONDITIONS. AFTER A BRIEF BREAK EARLY MONDAY...LIGHT SNOW WILL RETURN TO AREAS ALONG THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE MONDAY AFTERNOON AND TO MOST MOUNTAIN AREAS MONDAY NIGHT INTO EARLY TUESDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER CONDITIONS THAT MEET REPORTING CRITERIA FOR SPOTTERS WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS AND I-25 CORRIDOR THROUGH TONIGHT. 31/27
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
1213 AM MST SUN DEC 09 2012
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1208 AM SNOW 6 E MONUMENT 39.10N 104.76W
12/09/2012 M1.0 INCH EL PASO CO TRAINED SPOTTER
LIGHT SNOW BEGAN AT 930 PM ON THE 8TH WITH LIGHT SNOW
CONTINUING.
&&The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
22 winter weather. 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: 421710, 421711, 421690, 421691, 421697, 421698, 425488, 421693, 421694, 421695, 421699, 421700, 421701, 421702, 421703, 421704, 421705, 421706, 421707, 421708, 421709, 421692.