A slow moving and powerful storm system brought heavy snow to areas in and near the Front Range Foothills, with blizzard conditions over the northeastern plains of Colorado. In the Front Range Foothills, the snow piled up to over 4 feet in some areas.
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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 BOU wrote it up.
A slow moving and powerful storm system brought heavy snow to areas in and near the Front Range Foothills, with blizzard conditions over the northeastern plains of Colorado. In the Front Range Foothills, the snow piled up to over 4 feet in some areas. Across the Palmer Divide, the combination of snow and gusty winds resulted in road closures with snow drifts ranging from 2 to 5 feet in depth. Northerly winds 15 to 25 mph were common with gusts to 40 mph. Several snowfall records were also set in Denver. At Denver International Airport, 12.5 inches of snow feet on the 3rd shattered the previous record of 7.5 inches for the date. It also set a new daily record for the entire month of February. A new 3-day record was also established for Denver. The 3-day storm total from February 2nd to the 4th was 15.9 inches, which broke the previous record of 14.1 inches in 1912. In contrast, storm totals generally ranged from 1 to 3 inches in the mountains west of the Continental Divide.
Denver International Airport canceled more than six hundred flights. In addition, snow and blowing snow produced near zero visibilities, forcing officials to close the westbound lanes of Interstate 70, between the Kansas state line and Denver, as well as the eastbound lanes from Denver to Limon. Other road closures included: State Highway 86, between Kiowa and I-70, U.S. Highway 40, between Limon and Eads, and State Highway 71, from Last Chance to Limon to Ordway.
Storm totals along the Front Range Mountains and Foothills included: 51 inches at Coal Creek Canyon, 45.5 inches, 4.6 miles northeast of Ward; 44.5 inches, 3 miles west of Jamestown; 38 inches, 3 miles north of Blackhawk; 37 inches, 3 miles west-southwest of Conifer and 4 miles east-northeast of Nederland; 35.5 inches, 3.6 miles west-northwest of Boulder; 34 inches, 5.2 miles east-southeast of Aspen Springs; 33 inches near Evergreen, 32 inches at Genesee; 31 inches, 10.3 miles west of Bellvue and Eldora Mountain Ski Resort; 30 inches, 10.6 miles west of Livermore; 28 inches; 3.2 miles north-northwest of Horsetooth Mountain; 27 inches at Deadman Hill; 24 inches at Echo Mountain Ski Resort; 21 inches at Niwot Ridge SNOTEL; 19 inches at Gross Reservoir; 15 inches at Bear Lake State Park; with 14 inches near Estes Park and Glen Haven.
Along the Urban Corridor storm totals included: 22 inches in Broomfield; 21 inches at Lafayette, Louisville and Westminster; 20 inches at Northglenn; 19 inches at the National Weather Service in Boulder, Castle Rock, Centenniel and Parker; 18 inches in Arvada, 16.5 inches in Erie, 13.5 inches near Longmont; 11.5 inches in Fort Collins and Loveland; 11 inches in Lyons and 10 inches in Frederick.
Along the Palmer Divide storm totals included: 26 inches, 14 miles east-northeast of Kiowa; 25 inches, 10 miles south-southwest of Buckley Air Force Base, and 8 miles southeast of Watkins; 20 inches near Strasburg; 16 inches at Agate, 12 inches near Elizabeth; and 8 inches, 5 miles south-southeast of Sedalia.
Across the northeast plains of Colorado, storm totals included: 13 inches, 11 miles east-southeast of Holyoke; 11 inches, 4 miles north of Arriba; 10 inches, 6.4 miles west-northwest of Otis and Woodrow; 9.5 inches near Amherst; 6.5 inches in Sterling; 6 inches in Brush; with 5.5 inches in Karval.
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 Feb 2, 3:30 PM MST, 1 hour 30 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO 330 PM MST THU FEB 2 2012 .SHORT TERM...SNOW DEVELOPING ABOUT AS EXPECTED AND SHOULD SPREAD ACROSS DENVER DURING RUSH HOUR. WITH THE DRY AIR AT THE LEADING EDGE...EVAPORATIVE COOLING SHOULD ALLOW PRECIP TO BE MAINLY SNOW AT THE BEGINNING. MODELS ARE PRETTY CONSISTENT NOW WITH THE MAIN DIFFERENCE BEING THE POORER RESOLUTION OF THE GFS PUTTING A BULLSEYE AROUND DIA WITH LESS NEAR THE FOOTHILLS. BETTER RESOLUTION MODELS HAVE A FAIRLY EVEN DISTRIBUTION ACROSS THE METRO AREA WHICH LOOKS FINE FOR THIS EVENT. 15Z SREF AND 18Z NAM CAME IN WITH SIMILAR SNOW AMOUNTS FOR DENVER...WITH A BIT MORE IN THE MAIN SNOWBAND FROM 30 INCHES AT MONUMENT HILL TO ABOUT 15 IN THE NORTHEAST CORNER. THE 18Z GFS ARRIVING NOW IS A BIT HEAVIER THAN ITS PREDECESSORS AS WELL WITH ABOUT 24 INCHES IN DENVER. WILL STICK WITH THE CHANGES WE MADE THIS MORNING WHICH SEEMS TO REPRESENT THE UNCERTAINTY ALRIGHT...AT THIS POINT THINGS ARE LOOKING MORE TO THE HIGHER END OF OUR RANGES. GAVE SOME CONSIDERATION TO ADJUSTING THE START TIME OF THE BLIZZARD WARNING FOR DOUGLAS...ELBERT...AND POSSIBLE EASTERN ADAMS AND ARAPAHOE COUNTIES. THERE WILL BE SOME SNOW ACCUMULATION THIS EVENING...IT SHOULD NOT BE BLIZZARD CONDITIONS YET THOUGH BUT HEAVY SNOW COULD BE CAUSING PROBLEMS BY LATE EVENING. LEFT IT ALONE FOR THE TIME BEING BUT THINGS COULD GO DOWNHILL A BIT FASTER IN THOSE AREAS. ALSO SOME CONCERN ABOUT HIGHER SNOW AMOUNTS IN THE FOOTHILLS DUE TO THE PROLONGED UPSLOPE IN A FAVORABLE ENVIRONMENT. ALREADY RAISED AMOUNTS HERE IN OUR MIDDAY UPDATE...AGAIN WOULD FAVOR THE HIGHER END OF OUR RANGE WITH AROUND 2 FEET IN THE FAVORED LOCATIONS...THEN MUCH LESS IN THE LOWER ELEVATIONS OF SUMMIT AND GRAND COUNTIES AS THERE IS NOT A LOT OF WIND ALOFT TO CAUSE BLOWOVER. WE HAVE BEEN STRESSING THE LONG DURATION OF THIS EVENT AND THE HIGH PROBABILITY OF TRAVEL DIFFICULTIES DUE TO HEAVY SNOW AND STRONG WINDS. WITH THE LARGE SCALE OF THIS EVENT...EVEN WITH IMPROVING WEATHER LATE FRIDAY INTO EARLY SATURDAY THERE MAY BE SOME RECOVERY TIME NEEDED BEFORE ACTIVITIES...SUPPLY CHAINS...POWER...AND SO ON RETURN TO NORMAL. WE ENCOURAGE EXTRA ATTENTION TO PREPARATIONS NEEDED THIS EVENING. .LONG TERM...FOR FRI NIGHT INTO SATURDAY MORNING...MODEL CONSENSUS SHOWING UPPER LOW CENTERED SOMEWHERE IN CENTRAL KANSAS WITH ELONGATED TROUGH WESTWARD ACROSS COLORADO INTO UTAH. SNOW WILL BE CONTINUING IN MOST AREAS OVERNIGHT ALTHOUGH INTENSITIES SHOULD GRADUALLY DECREASE AFTER MIDNIGHT. NORTHERLY SURFACE GRADIENT REMAIN FAIRLY TIGHT EAST OF DENVER THROUGH MIDNIGHT...WITH BLIZZARD CONDITIONS EXPECTED. MODELS SHOW SURFACE GRADIENT WEAKENING OVERNIGHT...THOUGH REMAINING FAIRLY TIGHT OVER THE FAR EASTERN PLAINS THROUGH 12Z SATURDAY. WILL ALLOW MOST HILIGHTS TO END AT MIDNIGHT...BUT WILL KEEP THE BLIZZARD WARNING GOING THERE THROUGH THE EARLY MORNING. ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATIONS LOOK TO BE AROUND 1-3 INCHES THROUGH THE MORNING...MOST FAR EASTERN PLAINS. BY SAT AFTN THE MAIN UPPER LEVEL LOW WILL BE OVER ERN KANSAS WITH THAT ELONGATED UPPER TROUGH STILL ACROSS COLORADO. SURFACE UPSLOPE ALMOST NON EXISTANT 18Z SAT SO SNOW CHANCES SHOULD END DURING THE AFTERNOON. HIGH TEMPS ON SAT WILL BE COLD DUE TO EXPECTED SNOWPACK...WITH THE SINGLE DIGITS MOST AREAS. ON SUNDAY THE ELONGATED TROUGH IS FCST TO LINGER OVER THE AREA AS A SECONDARY LOW DEVELOPS OVER THE GREAT BASIN. CROSS-SECTIONS STILL NOT SHOWING MUCH MOISTURE...SO WILL KEEP THINGS DRY. HIGHS SUNDAY WILL REMAIN COLD..WITH LITTLE CHANGE FROM SATURDAY. BY MON THE UPPER LOW OVER THE GREAT BASIN STILL EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO COLORADO. BUT LITTLE MOISTURE SHOWN ON CROSS SECTIONS...SO NO SNOW EXPECTED. HIGH TEMPERATURES WILL BE A BIT TRICKY DUE TO LINGERING SNOW COVER AND PERSISTANT INVERSIONS. BY TUESDAY UPPER RIDGE BEGINS TO BUILD OVER COLORADO. DRY CONDITIONS TO CONTINUE WITH A SLOW WARMING TREND. && .AVIATION...SNOW SHOULD BEGIN ACROSS DENVER BETWEEN 23Z AND 01Z WITH IFR CONDITIONS DEVELOPING WITHIN A COUPLE HOURS AFTER THAT AND LIFR CONDITIONS PREVAILING LATE TONIGHT. WINDS WILL ALSO BE INCREASING AFTER 06Z CAUSING BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW. A PROLONGED PERIOD OF IFR CONDITIONS IN SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW IS EXPECTED THROUGH FRIDAY AND POSSIBLY THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT...AND LIGHT SNOW MAY CONTINUE INTO SATURDAY. BEST ESTIMATE OF SNOWFALL IN THE DENVER AREA IS 12 TO 24 INCHES WITH KBJC/KAPA LIKELY TOWARD THE HIGHER END. && .BOU WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... BLIZZARD WARNING FROM 11 PM THIS EVENING TO 5 AM MST SATURDAY FOR COZ046>051. WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 5 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 11 PM MST FRIDAY FOR COZ033>036-038>040-042-043. BLIZZARD WARNING FROM 11 PM THIS EVENING TO 11 PM MST FRIDAY FOR COZ041-044-045. && SHORT TERM...GIMMESTAD LONG TERM....D_L AVIATION...GIMMESTAD
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO 1128 AM MST THU FEB 02 2012 COZ030>051-031300- JACKSON COUNTY BELOW 9000 FEET-WEST JACKSON AND WEST GRAND COUNTIES ABOVE 9000 FEET-GRAND AND SUMMIT COUNTIES BELOW 9000 FEET-SOUTH AND EAST JACKSON/LARIMER/NORTH AND NORTHEAST GRAND/ NORTHWEST BOULDER COUNTIES ABOVE 9000 FEET-SOUTH AND SOUTHEAST GRAND/WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST BOULDER/GILPIN/CLEAR CREEK/ SUMMIT/NORTH AND WEST PARK COUNTIES ABOVE 9000 FEET-LARIMER AND BOULDER COUNTIES BETWEEN 6000 AND 9000 FEET-JEFFERSON AND WEST DOUGLAS COUNTIES ABOVE 6000 FEET/GILPIN/CLEAR CREEK/NORTHEAST PARK COUNTIES BELOW 9000 FEET-CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST PARK COUNTY-LARIMER COUNTY BELOW 6000 FEET/NORTHWEST WELD COUNTY-BOULDER AND JEFFERSON COUNTIES BELOW 6000 FEET/WEST BROOMFIELD COUNTY-NORTH DOUGLAS COUNTY BELOW 6000 FEET/DENVER/WEST ADAMS AND ARAPAHOE COUNTIES/ EAST BROOMFIELD COUNTY-ELBERT/CENTRAL AND EAST DOUGLAS COUNTIES ABOVE 6000 FEET-NORTHEAST WELD COUNTY-CENTRAL AND SOUTH WELD COUNTY-MORGAN COUNTY-CENTRAL AND EAST ADAMS AND ARAPAHOE COUNTIES- NORTH AND NORTHEAST ELBERT COUNTY BELOW 6000 FEET/NORTH LINCOLN COUNTY-SOUTHEAST ELBERT COUNTY BELOW 6000 FEET/SOUTH LINCOLN COUNTY-LOGAN COUNTY-WASHINGTON COUNTY-SEDGWICK COUNTY-PHILLIPS COUNTY- 1128 AM MST THU FEB 02 2012 ...BLIZZARD WARNING LATE TONIGHT THROUGH EARLY SATURDAY MORNING FOR FAR NORTHEAST PLAINS AS WELL AS LINCOLN COUNTY... ...BLIZZARD WARNING LATE TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT PALMER DIVIDE...MORGAN...EASTERN ADAMS AND EASTERN ARAPAHOE COUNTIES... ...WINTER STORM WARNING TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT FOR THE EAST MOUNTAIN SLOPES...FOOTHILLS AND FRONT RANGE URBAN CORRIDOR... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST AND NORTH CENTRAL COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A STRONG WINTER STORM SYSTEM WILL DEVELOP OVER COLORADO TODAY WITH AREAS OF HEAVY SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW DEVELOPING ACROSS NORTHEAST COLORADO LATER TONIGHT. LIGHT SNOW WILL BECOME MORE WIDESPREAD OVER THE MOUNTAINS THIS AFTERNOON...AND SPREAD ONTO THE PLAINS IN THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING. BY FRIDAY MORNING SNOW ACCUMULATIONS COULD ALREADY BE APPROACHING A FOOT IN THE FOOTHILLS...DENVER METRO AREA...AND PALMER DIVIDE. FOR THE NORTHEAST PLAINS OVERNIGHT ACCUMULATIONS OF 4 TO 7 INCHES ARE EXPECTED...WITH EVEN LIGHTER AMOUNTS IN THE MOUNTAINS WEST OF THE DIVIDE. WINDS ON THE EASTERN PLAINS WILL TO INCREASE TO 20 TO 35 MPH OVERNIGHT WITH BLIZZARD CONDITIONS DEVELOPING. TRAVEL CONDITIONS ACROSS NORTHEAST COLORADO AND ALONG THE EAST SLOPE OF THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE. ARE EXPECTED TO BECOME VERY DIFFICULT...IF NOT IMPOSSIBLE...LATER TONIGHT. DUE TO THE EXPECTED DURATION OF THIS STORM...RESIDENTS OF RURAL AREAS SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR A POSSIBLE PERIOD OF ISOLATION BEGINNING TONIGHT AS WELL AS POSSIBLE POWER OUTAGES AS THE STORM CONTINUES. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY THE STRONG STORM SYSTEM WILL GRADUALLY MOVE ACROSS THE AREA FRIDAY...THEN OVER KANSAS ON SATURDAY. PERIODS OF MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOW WILL CONTINUE THROUGH FRIDAY EVENING BEFORE GRADUALLY DECREASING FRIDAY NIGHT INTO SATURDAY MORNING. TOTAL SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS WILL RANGE FROM 14 TO 24 INCHES ALONG EAST SLOPES OF THE MOUNTAINS...ACROSS THE FOOTHILLS AND OVER MUCH OF THE PLAINS INCLUDING THE DENVER METRO AREA. NEAR THE WYOMING BORDER... ACCUMULATIONS WILL RANGE FROM 5 TO 10 INCHES. IN ADDITION NORTH WINDS OF 20 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 40 MPH WILL PRODUCE BLIZZARD CONDITIONS LATE TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT EAST OF A GREELEY TO DENVER TO CASTLE ROCK LINE. ON SATURDAY...BLIZZARD CONDITIONS WILL PERSIST ACROSS FAR NORTHEAST COLORADO AS WELL AS LINCOLN COUNTY DURING THE MORNING. OTHERWISE SOME LINGERING LIGHT SNOW WILL BE POSSIBLE OVER THE NORTHEAST PLAINS...BUT SHOULD END BY MIDDAY WITH LITTLE ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATION. DRY CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL SUNDAY AND MONDAY WITH BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER REPORTS WILL BE APPRECIATED DURING THE UPCOMING STORM. GIMMESTAD/D-L
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
15 winter storm, 1 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, February 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: 361789, 361791, 361792, 361793, 361794, 361795, 361796, 361799, 361800, 361801, 361803, 361804, 361805, 361806, 361807, 361852.