A storm system moving across the state brought a period of moderate snowfall to the North Central Mountains, with light to moderate snow across the Northeast Plains of Colorado. In the mountains, storm totals included: 12 inches at Elliot Ridge SNOTEL, 10 inches at Joe Wright SNOTEL, 6 inches at A-Basin Ski Area, Berthoud Pass SNOTEL, Buffalo Creek SNOTEL, Copper Mountain Ski Area, Deadman Hill…
Every event with a place to put it; 6 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 BOU wrote it up.
A storm system moving across the state brought a period of moderate snowfall to the North Central Mountains, with light to moderate snow across the Northeast Plains of Colorado. In the mountains, storm totals included: 12 inches at Elliot Ridge SNOTEL, 10 inches at Joe Wright SNOTEL, 6 inches at A-Basin Ski Area, Berthoud Pass SNOTEL, Buffalo Creek SNOTEL, Copper Mountain Ski Area, Deadman Hill and Keystone Ski Area. In northeast Colorado, storm totals included: 8 inches, 5 miles southeast of Ft. Lupton; 6 inches, 3 miles west of Greeley, 1 mile northeast of Strasburg, and 6 miles north-northeast of Woodrow Park; 5 inches near Frederick, with lesser amounts elsewhere.
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 Nov 10, 3:26 AM MST, 2 hours 34 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO 326 AM MST SAT NOV 10 2012 .SHORT TERM...THE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WILL MOVE ACROSS THE AREA THRU TONIGHT WHICH IS ABOUT THE ONLY THING I AM CONFIDENT ABOUT WITH THE ENTIRE FCST. FOR THE MTNS DECENT LAPSE RATES COMBINED WITH SOME QG ASCENT WILL LEAD TO SNOW THRU THE AFTN HOURS. BEST ACCUMULATIONS WILL OCCUR WITH SW FACING ASPECTS DUE TO SWLY WINDS AT 700 MB. BY TONIGHT THE FLOW ALOFT WILL BECOME MORE WLY BY EVENING AND THEN NWLY AFTER MIDNIGHT. THUS SHOULD SEE MORE SNOW ACROSS THE MTNS AS OROGRAPHICS AND LAPSE RATES WILL REMAIN FAVORABLE. EAST OF THE MTNS THE FORECAST IS FAR MORE COMPLICATED AS THERE ARE HUGHE DIFFERENCES WITH RESPECT TO PCPN CHANCES FM THE FOOTHILLS ACROSS THE PLAINS. THE NAM SHOWS NWLY LOW LVL WINDS IN AND NR THE FOOTHILLS WITH A BORA TYPE FNT WHICH KEEPS BEST CHC OF PCPN OVER THE FAR NERN PLAINS LATER THIS AFTN AND EVENING. MEANWHILE THE GFS...GEM AND ECMWF SHOW A DECENT BAND OF PCPN DEVELOPING THIS AFTN ALONG THE FNT RANGE WHICH CONTINUES INTO THE EARLY EVENING HOURS ALONG AND EAST OF THE I-25 CORRIDOR AS A CDFNT MOVES INTO THE AREA AND ENHANCES LOW LVL CONVERGE. THUS THIS COULD END BEING ONE OF THOSE SCENARIOS WHERE THE FOOTHILLS AND WRN SUBURBS GET VERY LITTLE SNOW WHILE EASTERN AREAS GET A BURST OF HEAVIER SNOW FOR A FEW HOURS EARLY THIS EVENING. MEANWHILE AS FAR AS HIGHS TODAY READINGS WILL VARY FM THE 40S ALONG AND NORTH OF FNT WHILE TO THE SOUTH OF IT GUSTY SWLY WINDS WILL ALLOW FOR READINGS TO RISE INTO THE 50S TO POSSIBLY LOWER 60S. AFTER MIDNIGHT THE NAM BASCIALLY HAS NO PCPN ACROSS NERN CO WHILE THE ECMWF...GFS AND GEM HAVE SOME LIGHT SNOW ALONG THE FRONT RANGE DUE TO WK UPSLOPE FLOW AND DECENT LAPSE RATES. AT THIS POINT WILL LEAVE IN CHC POPS AFTER MIDNIGHT FM PREVIOUS FCST. .LONG TERM...MODELS SHOW THE UPPER TROUGH AXIS TO MOVE ACROSS THE CWA ON SUNDAY. SUNDAY INTO MONDAY...NORTHWESTERLY FLOW ALOFT IS PROGGED. LATE MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT...THE FLOW ALOFT IS WEST- NORTHWESTERLY. THERE IS STILL SOME UPWARD VERTICAL VELOCITY PROGGED OVER THE EASTERN CWA SUNDAY MORNING...THEN FAIRLY STRONG DOWNWARD MOTION IS PROGGED FOR THE REST OF SUNDAY INTO SUNDAY NIGHT. BY MONDAY AFTERNOON...THE SYNOPTIC SCALE ENERGY IS BENIGN. SAME FOR MONDAY NIGHT. DOWNSLOPING DOMINATES THE LOW LEVEL WINDS SUNDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT...WITH MORE NORMAL PATTERNS MONDAY. BY MONDAY NIGHT...LOW LEVEL TROUGHING EAT OF THE MOUNTAINS BRINGS DOWNSLOPING BACK. FOR MOISTURE...MODELS KEEP SOME OVER THE MOUNTAINS SUNDAY AND SUNDAY EVENING. THERE IS SOME OVER THE EASTERN PLAINS SUNDAY. THINGS DRY OUT SUNDAY NIGHT. MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT ARE PRETTY DRY OVER ALL AREAS. THE QPF FIELDS HAVE A TAD OF MEASURABLE SNOW OVER THE MOUNTAINS SUNDAY AND SUNDAY EVENING...WITH A TAD OVER THE FAR EAST CENTRAL AND SOUTHEASTERN CWA SUNDAY. SO FOR POPS...WILL GO WITH A "CHANCE" IN THE MOUNTAINS SUNDAY INTO SUNDAY EVENING...THERE IS MOISTURE AND SOME OROGRAPHIC ENHANCEMENT. WILL GO WITH "CHANCE" OVER THE EASTERN PLAINS SUNDAY MORNING. NO POPS FOR MONDAY OR MONDAY NIGHT. FOR TEMPERATURES... SUNDAY'S HIGHS WILL BE 3-5 C COLDER THAN TODAY'S. MONDAY'S WARM UP 4-7 C FROM SUNDAY'S. FOR THE LATER DAYS...TUESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY...MODELS SHOW ZONAL FLOW THROUGH THURSDAY. A WEAK UPPER TROUGH IS PROGGED TO MOVE THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY... DEPENDING ON THE MODEL. THE GFS IS FASTER WITH THE TROUGH COMPARED TO THE ECMWF. WILL LET THE MOUNTAIN POPS IN FOR LATER THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. TEMPERATURES WILL BE AROUND SEASONAL NORMALS. && .AVIATION...ON A SCALE OF 1 TO 10 FCST CONFIDENCE IS A 1 FOR LATER THIS AFTN AND TONIGHT. I WILL NOT REPEAT WHAT IT TALKED ABOUT ABV BUT IF A BAND OF DECENT PCPN DOES DVLP LATE THIS AFTN INTO THE EARLY EVENING HOURS (23Z-04Z) COULD SEE A FEW INCHES OF SNOW AT DIA WITH LOCALLY UP TO 3 OR 4 INCHES IF GFS AND ECMWF END UP BEING RIGHT. AFTER 04Z THERE COULD BE SOME LINGERING LIGHT SNOW OVERNIGHT BUT ANY ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATION SHOULD BE LESS THAN AN INCH. WINDS THIS TODAY AND THIS EVENING ARE GONG TO BE A NIGHTMARE. LATEST DATA SUGGEST GUSTY SSW WINDS EARLY THIS MORNING WILL CONTINUE THRU AT LEAST LATE MORNING AND THEN GRADUALLY SHIFTING TO MORE NWLY BY 18Z. HOWEVER THE RAP IS ON ITS OWN AND NEVER SHOWS A FNTL PASSAGE UNTIL AFTER 21Z AS WINDS STAY SWLY THRU MID AFTN. FOR NOW WILL SHOW A NWLY WIND BY 18Z WITH WINDS BECOMING MORE NLY BY 23Z. AFTER 02Z LOOKS LIKE A SECOND FNT MAY COME IN WITH WINDS BECOMING MORE NELY HOWEVER OVERALL CONFIDENCE IS NOT HIGH. OVER SHOULD SEE VFR CONDITIONS THRU EARLY AFTN WITH CONDITIONS BECOMING MVFR/IFR AFTER 23Z IF PCPN DOES DVLP. AS SECONDARY FNT COMES IN AFTER 02Z CEILINGS SHOULD TRENS TOWARDS IFR EVEN IF PCPN DOES NOT OCUR. && .BOU WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 5 AM MST SUNDAY FOR COZ031. DENSE FOG ADVISORY UNTIL 5 AM MST EARLY THIS MORNING FOR COZ050- 051. && SHORT TERM...RPK LONG TERM....RJK AVIATION...RPK
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO 430 AM MST SAT NOV 10 2012 COZ030>051-111130- 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- 430 AM MST SAT NOV 10 2012 ...DENSE FOG ADVISORY FOR THE FAR NORTHEAST PLAINS UNTIL 9 AM THIS MORNING... ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR WESTERN GRAND AND WESTERN JACKSON COUNTIES UNTIL 5 AM SUNDAY MORNING... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST AND NORTH CENTRAL COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WILL MOVE ACROSS THE REGION THROUGH TONIGHT AND WILL BRING SNOW TO THE MOUNTAINS. ACCUMULATIONS WILL RANGE FROM 4 TO 8 INCHES THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING WITH UP TO A FOOT POSSIBLE OVER WESTERN GRAND AND WESTERN JACKSON COUNTIES. OVER NORTHEAST COLORADO A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE ACROSS THE PLAINS BY MID TO LATE AFTERNOON AND BRING COLDER TEMPERATURES BY THIS EVENING. RAIN WILL DEVELOP BEHIND THE FRONT BY MID TO LATE AFTERNOON AND THEN QUICKLY CHANGE TO SNOW BY SUNSET. SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS WILL RANGE FROM 1 TO 2 INCHES WITH UP TO 4 INCHES POSSIBLE ALONG AND EAST OF I-25 FROM DENVER NORTH TO THE WYOMING BORDER. IN THE NORTHERN FOOTHILLS UP TO 4 INCHES MAY OCCUR. THE SNOW SHOULD GRADUALLY END BY LATE EVENING ACROSS NORTHEAST COLORADO ALTHOUGH SOME LIGHT SNOW COULD LINGER ALONG THE FRONT RANGE THROUGH EARLY SUNDAY MORNING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY SNOW WILL BE ON THE DECREASE ON SUNDAY...WITH THE BEST CHANCES OVER THE MOUNTAINS. ANY ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE MEAGER. DRY CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED OVER THE PLAINS BY SUNDAY AFTERNOON ...CONTINUING THROUGH ALL OF NEXT WEEK. THE SNOW WILL END IN THE MOUNTAINS BY SUNDAY EVENING...THEN DRY WEATHER IS EXPECTED THROUGH THURSDAY. THE NEXT CHANCE OF SNOW RETURNS TO THE MOUNTAINS BY THURSDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY. TEMPERATURES WILL BE FAILRY COLD SUNDAY...THEN WARM UP NEXT WEEK. READINGS WILL BE RIGHT AROUND SEASONAL NORMALS TUESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED TODAY OR TONIGHT.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
6 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, November 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: 419918, 419919, 419920, 419921, 419922, 419923.