A storm system moving across southern Colorado produced locally heavy snow in combination with strong winds. including Monarch Pass and Wolf Creek Pass.
Every event with a place to put it; 3 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 storm system moving across southern Colorado produced locally heavy snow in combination with strong winds. Across the higher elevations of the Mosquito and eastern Sawatch Range...and eastern San Juan Mountains more than 8 inches of snow fell...including Monarch Pass and Wolf Creek Pass.
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 21, 10:48 AM MST, 1 hour 12 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO 1048 AM MST SAT JAN 21 2012 .AVIATION... SFC TROF DEEPENING TO THE LEE OF THE SE MTS WILL KEEP WINDS AT KCOS AND KPUB FROM A SOUTH TO SOUTHEAST DIRECTION THROUGH THE DAY WITH WINDS INCREASING THROUGH THE AFTN. STRONGER WSW WIND GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 40 KTS SHOULD STAY EAST OF BOTH TAF SITES THROUGH THE AFTN. AS UPPER LEVEL JET APPROACHES THE AREA...SHOULD SEE WINDS INCREASE ALOFT ACROSS THE AREA LEADING TO POTENTIAL FOR LOW LEVEL WIND SHEAR AT KCOS TERMINAL AFTER 01Z. SHOULD SEE WIDESPREAD WEST TO NW WINDS SPREAD IN AFTER 05Z TO BOTH TAF SITES WITH POTENTIAL FOR GUSTS AROUND 30-35 KTS AS SYSTEM CROSS THE MTS. KALS WILL SEE WINDS REMAIN LIGHT UNTIL 19-20Z WHEN WINDS PICK UP FROM THE SW WITH GUSTS TO 35 KTS. COULD SEE SOME VCSH NEAR KALS TERMINAL FROM 06Z-12Z. WINDS WILL INCREASE AGAIN DURING THE LATE MORNING/EARLY AFTN ON SUN FROM THE NW. -KT && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 1002 AM MST SAT JAN 21 2012/ UPDATE... FORECAST LOOKS ON TRACK. MAIN CHANGES WITH LATEST UPDATE WAS TO BRING IN CURRENT OBSERVATIONS AND TO INCREASE CLOUD COVER SOME. AS FOR WINDS...12Z LOCAL 4KM WRF MODEL RUN IS COMING IN AND SO FAR LOOKS A LITTLE LIGHTER WITH WIND GUST POTENTIAL ACROSS WESTERN EL PASO COUNTY THROUGH 22Z. WINDOW FOR BEST MTN WAVE DEVELOPMENT APPEARS MORE NARROW IN DURATION FROM WHAT PREVIOUS RUNS YESTERDAY HAD SHOWN. STILL LOOKS LIKE BEST POTENTIAL WILL BE BETWEEN 21Z-00Z FOR THE SE MTS/ADJACENT LOWER ELEVATIONS. AFTER 00Z...SOUNDINGS IN NAM12 SHOW MORE FORWARD SHEAR AND MTN TOP INVERSION ERODES AS CAA ALOFT WITH UPPER TROF MOVES IN. THERE MAY BE A LONGER DURATION FOR MTN WAVE POTENTIAL FARTHER SOUTH TO THE LEE OF THE SANGRES. ALL IN ALL...CURRENT HIGH WIND WARNING AREA LOOKS GOOD AND WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR AS HIGH RES WRF RUN CONTINUES TO TRICKLE IN. -KT PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 411 AM MST SAT JAN 21 2012/ SHORT TERM... (TODAY AND TONIGHT) .SNOW FOR THE MOUNTAINS TODAY... .STRONG WINDS WEST OF INTERSTATE 25... IMPRESSIVE STORM NOW TAKING SHAPE OVER THE CA COASTLINE THIS MORNING. BAROCLINIC DEVELOPMENT QUITE EVIDENT ON SAT IMAGERY...WITH A 150 KT UPPER JET NOW IMPINGING ON THE COAST. THE BULK OF THIS ENERGY WILL MOVE THROUGH NM TONIGHT. EXPECT A NUMBER OF IMPACTS AHEAD OF THE TROUGH THIS AFTERNOON...BEGINNING WITH MDT TO HEAVY WIND-DRIVEN SNOW ALONG THE CONTDVD...THEN SOME SHSN AND MORE WIND OVR THE ERN RANGES AND ADJACENT PLAINS LATER TODAY AND THIS EVE. A RELATIVELY COOL START OVER THE LOWER ARKANSAS THIS MORNING...WITH TEMPS CURRENTLY IN THE LOWER TO MID 20S. MIXING WILL QUICKLY BOOST THE TEMPS THIS MORN...AND EXPECT HIGHS OVER THE PLAINS TO ONCE AGAIN BE WELL AVERAGE...GENERALLY IN THE 50S TO LOWER 60S. SNOW OVR THE DVD WILL START IN EARNEST AFTER 18Z...AS BAROCLINIC LEAF OVR THE GREAT BASIN MOVES INTO WRN CO. CURRENT WINTER HIGHLITES LOOK ON TRACK. EXPECT 8-16 INCHES FOR THE SAN JUANS AS 50KT SW WINDS SWING THRU THE 4 CORNER REGION TODAY. AS WINDS SHIFT TO THE W AND NW LATER TODAY...FOCUS WILL SHIFT TO THE SAWATCH RANGE...WHICH SHOULD ALSO SEE ACCUMS IN THAT RANGE LATER TODAY AND TONIGHT. ADDING TO THE SNOWFALL...GUSTY WINDS WILL RESULT IN NEAR WHITE-OUT CONDITIONS AT TIMES...AND THERE WILL BE HAZARDOUS TRAVEL CONDITIONS FOR THE PASSES. ERN RANGES MAY SEE SOME LIGHT ACCUMS OVERNIGHT...BUT BULK OF THE SNOW WILL FALL OVR THE DVD. HIGH WIND POTENTIAL IS A LOT MORE PROBLEMATIC. HIGH RES WRF AND HRRR ARE PRETTY SIMILAR IN THE WIND FIELD FOR TODAY AND THIS EVENING. IT LOOKS WINDY...ESPECIALLY FOR THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS...BUT GUIDANCE DOES NOT SUPPORT WIDESPREAD DAMAGING WINDS FOR THE PLAINS. MOUNTAIN WAVE POTENTIAL LOOKS LIMITED. THERE IS A SHORT WINDOW OF REVERSE SHEAR THIS AFTERNOON AND EVE...BUT TIMING IS SUCH THAT MT TOP INVERSION REMAINS WEAK...AND WINDS BEGIN TO DISSIPATE AFTER 03Z THIS EVE. COULD SEE SOME LOCAL HIGH WIND GUSTS...BUT DOES NOT LOOK LIKE A WIDESPREAD EVENT. BEST CHANCE OF HIGH WINDS APPEARS TO BE JUST E OF THE RAMPARTS IN THE USUAL FAVORED SPOTS...AND THE HUERFANO BASIN ALONG WITH THE GAP AREAS ALONG AND W OF INTERSTATE 20...S OF CO CITY. BASED ON LATEST DATA...WILL TRIM BACK THE HIGH WIND WARNING TO LEAVE OUT THE ZONES THAT ARE MOSTLY E OF I0-25. ALSO WILL END THE HAZARD AT 06Z. WILL HAVE TO MONITOR THE WINDS CAREFULLY THIS AFTERNOON. TEMPS TONIGHT WILL ALSO BE CHALLENGING. KPUB AND KCOS WERE 15-20 DEGREES ABOVE MOS FORECAST VALUES LAST NIGHT...AND W WINDS ARE AGAIN PROGGED TO BLOW MOST OF TONIGHT ALONG THE I-25 CORRIDOR. IF WINDS DIE OUT...COULD SEE A RAPID FALL TO MOS VALUES SUN MORNING. SUSPECT THERE WILL BE ENOUGH WINDS TO KEEP TEMPS WELL ABOVE MOS...SO HAVE RAISED MINS ABOUT 5-8 DEG OVER THE LEE SLOPES AND ADJACENT PLAINS TONIGHT. SHOULD BE A BUSY DAY OF WX AHEAD. 44 LONG TERM... (SUNDAY THROUGH SATURDAY) .FIRST SYSTEM EXITING EARLY SUNDAY AND NEXT (WEAKER) SYSTEM MOVES IN FOR TUESDAY... SUNDAY...C MTN SNOWS WILL STILL BE ONGOING EARLY IN THE MORNING AND WILL GRADUALLY DECREASE AS THE DAY PROGRESSES. OVER THE PLAINS...MAIN CONCERN THIS DAY WILL BE GUSTY NORTHWEST WINDS ALL AREAS...WITH THE STRONGEST WINDS OVER THE FAR EASTERN PLAINS. ALONG THE I-25 CORRIDOR EXPECT NW WINDS OF 25 TO 35 MPH WHILE FARTHER WEST WINDS COULD GUST TO 50 MPH IN PLACES. WE COULD SEE SOME LIGHT PRECIP OVER THE FAR E PLAINS EARLY IN THE DAY. RH VALUES APPEAR TO BE TOO HIGH TO WARRANT ANY FIRE WX CONCERNS ATTM. NEXT WX SYSTEM WILL BE MOVING INTO THE HIGH COUNTRY LATE MONDAY. SIMULATIONS ARE NOW SHOWING THIS SYSTEM IS FCST TO TRACK A BIT FARTHER SOUTH AND THIS MAY MEAN WE WILL SEE LESS OF AN IMPACT OVER OUR REGION. I STILL BELIEVE WE WILL SEE MTN SNOWS (3-6") BUT THE CHANCE OF PRECIP ON THE PLAINS APPEARS TO BE DECREASING. FOR NOW KEPT BEST POPS FOR THE PLAINS/E MTNS ALONG THE RATON MESA REGION AND E FACE OF THE S SANGRES. WE WILL STILL LIKELY SEE QUITE A BIT OF CLOUDS ON THE PLAINS TUESDAY. TEMPS WILL BE ABOUT 10F COOLER ON TUE AS COMPARED TO MON. AFTER THIS SYSTEM GOES BY FLOW SWITCHES TO WESTERLY AND WEAKENS DURING THE MID WEEK PD. IT SHOULD BE DRY ALL AREAS. TEMPS SHOULD BE SEASONABLE. FOR LATE IN THE WEEK BOTH GFS AND EC BRING A WEAK SYSTEM DOWN ACROSS THE STATE. HAVE INCREASED CLOUDS TOWARDS THE WEEKEND BUT KEPT POPS "SILENT" FOR THIS FCST PACKAGE. LATER SHIFT MAY NEED TO INCREASE POPS IF SIMULATION TRENDS CONTINUE. \/34 AVIATION... MAIN CONCERN THIS MORNING IS A LOCALIZED AREA OF STRATUS THAT HAS DEVELOPED E OF THE RAMPARTS OVER W EL PASO AND PUEBLO COUNTIES. THIS HAS DEVELOPED IN RESPONSE TO PRESSURE FALLS ASSOCIATED WITH THE APPROACHING STORM NOW OVER CALIFORNIA. EXPECT PERIODS OF IFR THIS MORNING...BUT CIGS SHOULD MIX OUT AFTER SUNRISE AS WINDS BEGIN TO INCREASE. CONCERN THEN SHIFTS TO HIGH WIND POTENTIAL THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING...AS A STRONG JET STREAM BEGINS TO MOVE INTO NM. AT THIS TIME...HIGH WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN MOSTLY W OF I-25...BUT SOME MT WAVE ACTIVITY COULD POTENTIALLY SPREAD EWD LATER THIS AFTERNOON OR EVEN TONIGHT. OVER THE CONTDVD...EXPECT NR ZERO VISIBILITY AT TIMES LATER TODAY WITH STRONG W WINDS AND MDT SNOWFALL. 44 && .PUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 9 AM MST SUNDAY FOR COZ059. HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 11 PM MST THIS EVENING FOR COZ072>083- 087. WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 9 AM MST SUNDAY FOR COZ058-060. WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 5 AM MST SUNDAY FOR COZ066-068. && 31/23
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO 641 AM MST SAT JAN 21 2012 COZ058>089-093>099-221345- 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- 641 AM MST SAT JAN 21 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL...EAST CENTRAL...SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THE FIRST OF TWO STORM SYSTEMS WILL IMPACT THE REGION TODAY. MODERATE TO OCCASIONALLY HEAVY SNOW WILL SPREAD OVER THE SOUTHWEST AND CENTRAL 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 10 INCHES WILL BE POSSIBLE FOR THE LA GARITAS...AND 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 80 MPH OR HIGHER ACROSS THE HIGHER PEAKS...AND WIND PRONE AREAS ALONG THE LOWER EASTERN SLOPES. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY ANOTHER PACIFIC WEATHER SYSTEM WILL MOVE ACROSS THE REGION MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY. THIS SYSTEM WILL LIKELY BRING SEVERAL INCHES OF SNOW TO THE MOUNTAINS ALONG THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE. SOME LIGHT SNOW WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE EASTERN MOUNTAINS...THE I-25 CORRIDOR REGION AND THE RATON MESA. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER CONDITIONS THAT MEET REPORTING CRITERIA FOR SPOTTERS WILL BE POSSIBLE ALONG AND WEST OF INTERSTATE 25 TODAY AND TONIGHT. 44/34
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
1116 AM MST SAT JAN 21 2012
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1055 AM NON-TSTM WND GST PIKES PEAK 38.84N 105.04W
01/21/2012 M81 MPH EL PASO CO MESONET
MEASURED BY PIKES PEAK WEATHER STATION.
&&
KTThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 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, 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: 363157, 363158, 363159.