A strong storm system moving across the Rocky Mountains produced strong and occasionally damaging winds across portions of southern Colorado. 82 mph near Rosita (Custer County) and 87 mph at the summit of Pikes Peak (El Paso County).
Every event with a place to put it; 13 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 strong storm system moving across the Rocky Mountains produced strong and occasionally damaging winds across portions of southern Colorado. Some of the recorded wind gusts include 58 mph near Lamar (Prowers County)...59 mph in central Fremont County...62 mph in the vicinity of Saguache (Saguache County)...65 mph near Walsenburg (Huerfano County)...66 mph near Colorado City (Pueblo County)...67 mph in the vicinity of Campo (Baca County)...69 mph near Springfield (Baca County)...72 mph near both Fountain (El Paso County) and San Isabel...75 mph at La Garita (Saguache County)...76 mph near Stonewall (Las Animas County)...77 mph in the vicinity of La Veta (Huerfano County)...82 mph near Rosita (Custer County) and 87 mph at the summit of Pikes Peak (El Paso 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 Jan 20, 10:25 PM MST, 2 hours 35 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO 1025 PM MST FRI JAN 20 2012 .AVIATION... VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED AT KCOS AND KPUB FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS. KALS WILL HAVE VFR CONDITIONS THROUGH SATURDAY AFTERNOON...BUT IN THE EVENING THERE COULD BE SOME SHOWERS IN THE VCNTY. SOUTHWEST TO WEST WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO BECOME GUSTY IN THE AFTERNOON HOURS AT ALL THE TAF SITES...CONTINUING INTO AT LEAST THE EARLY EVENING. WIND GUSTS WILL BE VERY STRONG OVR AND ADJACENT TO THE MTS SAT AFTERNOON AND EVENING. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 325 PM MST FRI JAN 20 2012/ SHORT TERM... (TONIGHT AND SATURDAY) ..MORE WIND AND HIGH ELEVATION SNOW IN OUR FUTURE... NEXT SYSTEM IS ON ITS WAY...RACING EAST ACROSS THE EASTERN PACIFIC...HEADED TOWARD THE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA COAST AT THIS HOUR. THIS SYSTEM IS POTENT...WITH A LOT OF JET ENERGY ASSOCIATED WITH IT. MODELS ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT ON RACING THE MOIST WAVE EASTWARD ACROSS NORTHERN AND CENTRAL CALIFORNIA TONIGHT...AND THEN ACROSS NEVADA AND UTAH ON SATURDAY. THIS SYSTEM WILL SPREAD SNOW INTO THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE BY SATURDAY AFTERNOON...WITH HIGH ELEVATION SNOW SHOWERS AND STRONG WINDS SPREADING EAST ACROSS THE REST OF THE AREA. SNOWFALL SHOULD GET GOING ALONG THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE BY EARLY SATURDAY AFTERNOON OR A LITTLE SOONER...WITH PEAK INTENSITIES ARRIVING DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON HOURS. HEAVY SNOWFALL...STRONG WINDS AND BLOWING SNOW SHOULD BE WELL UNDERWAY BY LATE IN THE DAY ALONG THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE. WINTER STORM WARNINGS FOR HEAVY SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW GO INTO EFFECT STARTING JUST BEFORE NOON ALONG THE DIVIDE. FARTHER EAST...THE MAIN CONCERN ONCE AGAIN WILL BE THE STRONG WINDS. MODELS HAVE BEEN CONSISTENT FOR SEVERAL RUNS NOW ON SPREADING HIGH WINDS ACROSS THE EASTERN MOUNTAINS AND ADJACENT LOWER ELEVATIONS VALLEYS AND PLAINS BEGINNING SATURDAY AFTERNOON. STRONG WINDS SHOULD DEVELOP IN THESE AREAS DURING THE EARLY AFTERNOON HOURS WITH INCREASING FEROCITY AS THE AFTERNOON PROGRESSES. POTENTIALLY DAMAGING WINDS ARE EXPECTED BY LATE AFTERNOON. DUE TO HIGH CONFIDENCE RESULTING FROM CONSISTENT MODEL FORECASTS...HAVE GONE AHEAD AND ISSUED A HIGH WIND WARNING NOW...RATHER THAN HOLDING ONTO A LESS CERTAIN WATCH ANY LONGER. ONCE AGAIN...GUSTS TOPPING 75 MPH ARE EXPECTED OVER THE MOUNTAIN PORTION OF THE WARNING...WITH GUSTS OVER 60 MPH EXPECTED OVER THE ADJACENT VALLEYS AND PLAINS. LOCALLY... GUSTS COULD EXCEED 90 MPH IN ANY OF THE MORE WIND PRONE SPOTS OF THE WARNING AREA. DAMAGE WILL CERTAINLY BE POSSIBLE IN SOME AREAS ESPECIALLY AS WE MOVE INTO TOMORROW NIGHT. LONG TERM... ..HIGH IMPACT WIND AND MOUNTAIN SNOW EVENT CONTINUES THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT/EARLY SUNDAY... A COUPLE OF SYSTEMS WILL AFFECT THE AREA THROUGH THE LONG RANGE...THE FIRST OF WHICH WILL COME THROUGH SAT NIGHT/EARLY SUNDAY. SNOW AND WIND WILL BE ONGOING ACROSS THE CENTRAL MTS SAT EVENING...WITH HIGH WINDS IMPACTING THE SE MTS/ADJACENT LOWER ELEVATIONS MAINLY ALONG AND WEST OF INTERSTATE 25. MODEL CROSS-SECTIONS SHOW IMPRESSIVE MTN WAVE POTENTIAL EARLY SAT EVENING...WITH WELL ESTABLISHED MTN TOP INVERSION...60-70 KTS MTN TOP WINDS...AND REVERSE SHEAR ALOFT. AS UPPER JET TRANSLATES IN...WINDS ALOFT INCREASE WITH QUITE A BIT OF FORWARD SHEAR BY 06Z...HOWEVER COULD STILL BE DEALING WITH FAIRLY STRONG GAP FLOWS THROUGH 12Z AS UPPER TROF MOVES ACROSS THE MTS. THUS...HIGH WIND WARNING WILL CONTINUE THROUGH 12Z SUN. HEAVIEST SNOWFALL WILL SHIFT FROM THE SOUTHWEST MTS...TO THE CENTRAL MTS AFTER 06Z AS WINDS SWING AROUND FROM THE NORTHWEST...SHIFTING THE BEST OROGRAPHIC INFLUENCE INTO THE SAWATCH AND MOSQUITO RANGES. LA GARITAS WILL PROBABLY BE A BIT SHADOWED DURING THIS EVENT FOR SNOWFALL AMOUNTS...THOUGH ONCE WINDS SHIFT AROUND FROM THE NORTHWEST...WILL PROBABLY SEE SOME HEAVIER SNOW SHIFT INTO THE AREA AFTER MIDNIGHT SAT NIGHT...AND WITH MTN TOP WINDS IN THE 50-60 KT RANGE...WILL LIKELY SEE QUITE A BIT OF BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW. THUS THINK THE IMPACT WILL WARRANT A WINTER STORM WARNING...EVEN IF SNOWFALL AMOUNTS COME UP A LITTLE SHORT. TOTAL SNOWFALL AMOUNTS SHOULD RANGE FROM 8-16 INCHES FOR THE SAWATCH...MOSQUITOS...AND THE EASTERN SAN JUAN MTN RANGES...WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS ALONG THE WEST AND NORTHWEST FACING SLOPES. LESSER AMOUNTS OF 6-12 INCHES WILL CAN BE EXPECTED FOR THE LA GARITAS...WITH 4 TO 8 INCHES ACROSS CENTRAL LAKE COUNTY. WITH MTN TOP WINDS AROUND 50 KTS...WHITE OUT CONDITIONS WILL BE POSSIBLE AT TIMES SAT NIGHT/EARLY SUNDAY DUE TO BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW...WITH ROAD CLOSURES POSSIBLE. AS FOR WINDS...THINK THE HIGHEST GUST POTENTIAL WILL BE DURING THE EVENING HOURS. COULD SEE GUSTS TO AROUND 90 MPH OR BETTER ALONG THE FAVORED EASTERN SLOPES OF THE SANGRES...WITH ANYWHERE FROM 60-80 MPH FOR TO THE LEE OF THE WETS...PIKES PEAK/RAMPARTS AND THE ADJACENT LOWER ELEVATIONS ALONG/WEST OF I-25. AS TROF MOVES ACROSS THE REGION SUN MORNING...WINDS WILL INCREASE ACROSS THE PLAINS AS WELL...AND THE POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR A WINDOW OF NEAR HIGH WIND CRITERIA ACROSS THE PLAINS...MAINLY EAST OF I-25. SOUNDINGS SUGGEST SUSTAINED WIND SPEEDS COULD APPROACH HIGH WIND CRITERIA...THOUGH GUSTS MAY COME UP JUST SHORT. IF TIMING OF THE TROF PASSAGE WERE A LITTLE LATER IN THE DAY WHEN DEEPER MIXING WOULD BE ACHIEVED...THINK THERE WOULD BE A GREATER THREAT FOR HIGH WINDS...HOWEVER GIVEN THE CURRENT TIMING...WILL HOLD OFF ON HIGH WIND HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE PLAINS. THIS WILL BEAR CLOSE WATCHING IN FUTURE MODEL RUNS. OTHER CONCERN WILL BE POTENTIAL FOR NEAR CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST PLAINS. WINDS WILL CERTAINLY BE THERE...BUT WITH COLD AIR ADVECTION THROUGH THE DAY...THINK RELATIVE HUMIDITIES WILL COME UP JUST SHY. MAIN AREAS OF CONCERN WILL BE CROWLEY...AND KIOWA COUNTIES WHERE FUELS ARE CRITICAL. SYSTEM NUMBER TWO CARVES OUT ACROSS THE GREAT BASIN ON MONDAY...AND CLOSES OFF SOMEWHERE ACROSS EITHER THE 4 CORNERS REGION OR SRN NM AS THE SYSTEM CONTINUES TO DROP TO THE SOUTHEAST ON TUES. THIS WILL SEND ANOTHER ROUND OF SNOW INTO THE SW/CEN MTS...WITH POTENTIAL OF SOME MODERATE SNOWFALL FOR THE CONTDVD REGION. WITH THE TREND IN THE GFS TOWARDS A MORE CLOSED OFF SOLN AS SYSTEM DROPS INTO THE 4 CORNERS...SE MTS/ADJACENT PLAINS COULD PICK UP SOME SNOWFALL ON TUES AS FRONT DROPS THROUGH AND H7 WINDS SWING AROUND FROM THE NNE AROUND 30 KTS. AGAIN...IT WILL ALL DEPEND ON THE TRACK OF THE SYSTEM AND WHERE IT CLOSES OFF. RIGHT NOW...WILL KEEP BEST CHANCES OF SNOW ACROSS THE MTS...NRN EL PASO COUNTY...AND THE ADJACENT PLAINS SOUTH OF HIGHWAY 50. DRY AND WARMER WEATHER RETURNS FOR MID WEEK WITH POTENTIAL FOR THE NEXT PROGRESSIVE SHORTWAVE TO DROP ACROSS THE AREA ON FRI...THOUGH THERE IS QUITE A BIT OF UNCERTAINTY ON THIS LATTER FEATURE. -KT AVIATION... WINDS HAVE DIMINISHED COMPARED TO PREVIOUS DAYS. VFR FOR THE TAF SITES THROUGH SATURDAY. WILL SEE SOME MOUNTAIN OBSCURATION GENERALLY FROM KMYP NORTHWARD AS WEAK DISTURBANCES KICK OFF A FEW SNOW SHOWERS OVER THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE THROUGH TONIGHT. THE NEXT SYSTEM MOVES IN SATURDAY MORNING FOR INCREASING MOUNTAIN SNOWS AND STRONG WINDS DEVELOPING SATURDAY. && .PUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 11 AM SATURDAY TO 9 AM MST SUNDAY FOR COZ059. HIGH WIND WARNING FROM 11 AM SATURDAY TO 5 AM MST SUNDAY FOR COZ061>063-072>088. WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 11 AM SATURDAY TO 9 AM MST SUNDAY FOR COZ058-060. WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 11 AM SATURDAY TO 5 AM MST SUNDAY FOR COZ066-068. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO 349 PM MST FRI JAN 20 2012 COZ058>089-093>099-212300- 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- 349 PM MST FRI JAN 20 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL...EAST CENTRAL...SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST COLORADO. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT ISOLATED SNOW SHOWERS WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE SAWATCH AND MOSQUITO RANGES THROUGH TONIGHT. LOCAL ACCUMULATIONS OF AN INCH OR TWO WILL BE POSSIBLE ABOVE 10000 FEET. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY THE FIRST OF TWO STORM SYSTEMS WILL IMPACT THE REGION ON SATURDAY...SPREADING SNOW INTO THE SOUTHWEST AND CENTRAL MOUNTAINS AND STRONG WINDS INTO THE SOUTHEAST MOUNTAINS AND ADJACENT LOWER ELEVATIONS THROUGH EARLY SUNDAY. TOTAL SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF 8 TO 16 INCHES WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF THE SAWATCH AND MOSQUITO RANGES AND THE EASTERN SAN JUANS. LESSER AMOUNTS OF 6 TO 12 INCHES WILL BE POSSIBLE FOR THE LA GARITAS...WITH 4 TO 8 INCHES POSSIBLE ACROSS CENTRAL LAKE COUNTY. GUSTY WESTERLY WINDS OF 30 TO 50 MPH WITH GUSTS TO IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH AT TIMES WILL CAUSE AREAS OF BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING RESULTING IN WHITE OUT CONDITIONS AND TREACHEROUS DRIVING CONDITIONS. THIS SAME SYSTEM WILL PRODUCE STRONG DAMAGING WINDS ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST MOUNTAINS AND THE LOWER ELEVATIONS ALONG AND WEST OF INTERSTATE 25. GUSTS TO AROUND 60 TO 75 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE LOWER ELEVATIONS...WITH LOCALIZED GUSTS TO AROUND 90 MPH OR HIGHER ACROSS THE HIGHER PEAKS...AND WIND PRONE AREAS ALONG THE LOWER EASTERN SLOPES. THE NEXT WEATHER SYSTEM WILL IMPACT THE REGION LATE MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY. THIS STORM WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BRING SNOW BOTH TO THE MOUNTAINS AND THE PLAINS. AT THIS TIME...THE BEST CHANCE FOR SNOW ON THE PLAINS WILL BE ACROSS NORTHERN EL PASO COUNTY AND THE RATON MESA. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER CONDITIONS THAT MEET REPORTING CRITERIA FOR SPOTTERS WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF CHAFFEE AND LAKE COUNTIES TONIGHT. 50/31
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
13 high wind. 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, January 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: 363150, 363147, 363148, 363146, 363149, 363151, 363144, 363145, 363152, 363153, 363154, 363155, 363156.