A slow moving weather system provided a favorable fetch of moist southwesterly flow to produce up to 20 inches of snow near the summit of Wolf Creek Pass.
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The episode as NWS PUB wrote it up.
A slow moving weather system provided a favorable fetch of moist southwesterly flow to produce up to 20 inches of snow near the summit of 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 Nov 8, 10:44 PM MST, 3 hours 16 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO 1044 PM MST THU NOV 8 2012 .AVIATION... VFR EAST OF THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE MOUNTAIN RANGES THROUGH FRIDAY ALTHOUGH WINDS WILL BE INCREASING FROM THE SOUTHWEST ACROSS THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS AFTER 06Z AND ACROSS THE LOWER ELEVATIONS 12-15Z. GUSTS TO 50 KNOTS POSSIBLE...MAINLY ALONG AND NEAR THE MOUNTAINS. FOR THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE...PERIODS OF SNOW AND WIND ARE ON TRACK TO DEVELOP AFTER 06Z AND THEN CONTINUE AT TIMES THROUGH FRIDAY...BUT WITH A LULL IN SNOWFALL DURING THE AFTERNOON. WIDESPREAD IFR/LIFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED ACROSS THE DIVIDE IN CLOUDS/SNOW/BLOWING SNOW. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 319 PM MST THU NOV 8 2012/ SHORT TERM... (TONIGHT AND FRIDAY) CURRENTLY...ANOTHER WARM DAY OVER SOUTHERN COLORADO...THOUGH WAVE CLOUDS DOWNSTREAM OF THE SOUTHERN SANGRES WERE LIMITING WARMING SOMEWHAT OVER PORTIONS OF THE PLAINS/I-25 CORRIDOR. GUSTY S-SW SURFACE WINDS HAVE BEEN A LITTLE SLOW TO DEVELOP SO FAR THIS AFTERNOON...THOUGH CONTINENTAL DIVIDE/UPPER ARKANSAS VALLEY/PALMER DIVIDE HAVE ALL BEGUN TO GUST OVER 20 KNOTS AS OF 21Z. OVERNIGHT...SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT CONTINUES TO SLOWLY DEEPEN AS STRONG UPPER TROUGH DIGS SOUTHWEST INTO THE GREAT BASIN. THERE APPEARS TO BE A BRIEF WINDOW FOR HIGH WINDS IN THE LEE OF THE SANGRES LATE TONIGHT INTO FRIDAY MORNING (09Z-15Z)...AS MOUNTAIN TOP WINDS INCREASE TO 50 KNOTS AND WEAK REVERSE SHEAR DEVELOPS. NOT MUCH OF A STABLE LAYER ALOFT AND POTENTIAL TEMP SURFACES SUGGEST FAIRLY WEAK MOUNTAIN WAVE...SO WILL HOLD OFF ON A HIGHLIGHT FOR NOW...THOUGH WILL KEEP MENTION OF GUSTS OF 50 KNOTS FOR MOST SANGRE DE CRISTO ZONES. REVERSE SHEAR ENDS QUICKLY BY MIDDAY FRIDAY AS UPPER JET BEGINS TO MOVE OVERHEAD. ALONG THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE...EXPECT SOME PATCHY LIGHT SNOW TO DEVELOP TOWARD 12Z...MAINLY OVER THE SAN JUANS...AS MOIST SOUTHWEST FLOW INCREASES. WINDS AND HIGH CLOUDS WILL KEEP OVERNIGHT LOW TEMPS RATHER MILD MOST AREAS...AND DIDN'T STRAY MUCH FROM GUIDANCE CONSENSUS. FRIDAY...SNOW WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE THROUGH THE MORNING ALONG THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE...THOUGH AGAIN SAN JUANS LOOK BEST FOR HEAVY SNOW AS FLOW REMAINS S-SW. MODELS HINT AT A LULL IN SNOWFALL FRI AFTERNOON BEFORE HEAVIER SNOWS REDEVELOP IN THE EVENING AS MAIN UPPER JET APPROACHES. CURRENT BEGINNING TIME FOR WINTER HIGHLIGHTS LOOKS REASONABLE...THOUGH CENTRAL MOUNTAINS MAY NOT SEE MUCH MORE THAN SNOW SHOWERS/FLURRIES BEFORE 00Z. OVER THE PLAINS AND EASTERN MOUNTAINS...MAIN QUESTION IS POTENTIAL FOR CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS...AS WINDS INCREASE ALL AREAS BY AFTERNOON. MODELS INSIST SURFACE DEWPOINTS WILL REMAIN IN THE 20S FOR THE MOST PART...WHICH KEEPS RH WELL ABOVE 15 PERCENT. SUSPECT AIR MASS WILL BE DRIER THAN MODELS SUGGEST...THOUGH EVEN DROPPING DEWPOINTS 5-8F STILL ISN'T ENOUGH TO GET WIDESPREAD SUB 15 PERCENT RH AS INCREASING CLOUDS AND MID LEVEL COLD ADVECTION KEEP MAX TEMPS SLIGHTLY COOLER. HAVEN'T HOISTED ANY FIRE WX HIGHLIGHTS...THOUGH WILL MENTION NEAR CRITICAL CONDITIONS IN THE FORECAST. /10 LONG TERM... (FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH NEXT WEDNESDAY) ..HEAVY WIND-DRIVEN SNOW IN THE MOUNTAINS THIS WEEKEND... ..WIND FOLLOWED BY COLD FOR THE PLAINS... A WINTER STORM IS ON TARGET TO IMPACT THE MOUNTAINS THIS WEEKEND. MAIN CHANGES TO THE HEADLINES WERE TO EXTEND THE WARNING FOR THE SAN JUANS AND SAWATCH INTO SUNDAY MORNING. THE UPPER TROUGH AXIS WILL BE CROSSING THE DIVIDE LATE SUN MORNING INTO SUN AFTERNOON...AND WILL PROBABLY SEE GOOD SNOWFALL RATES UNTIL THE TROUGH PASSES. COULD EVEN SEE ACCUMULATING SNOW EXTEND INTO SUNDAY EVENING FOR THE MTS IN LAKE AND CHAFFEE COUNTY...BUT HEAVIEST ACCUMS SHOULD FALL BEFORE THEN. IT LOOKS AS THOUGH THE SNOW OVER THE SAN JUANS SHOULD COME IN A COUPLE WAVES...THE FIRST ONE HITTING FRIDAY MORNING...FOLLOWED BY A BIT OF A LULL IN THE AFTERNOON...AND THEN THE HEAVIEST ACCUMS FRI NIGHT INTO SAT MORNING. RIDGE TOP WINDS WILL BE IN THE 50-60 KT RANGE FOR THIS WHOLE PERIOD...SO EXPECT SIGNIFICANT BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW AND WHITE OUT CONDITIONS AT TIME ESPECIALLY FRI NITE AND SAT MORNING. TRAVEL OVER THE PASSES WILL BE EXTREMELY HAZARDOUS AND NOT ADVISED DURING THIS TIME. HAVE ALSO ADDED ADDITIONAL SNOW ADVISORIES FOR THE LOWER ELEVATIONS IN THE SAN JUANS AND COLLEGIATES/MOSQUITOES. BLOW-OVER EFFECT THERE SHOULD ADD UP TO ADVISORY AMTS. IN FACT...SOME MODELS INDICATE WARNING CRITERIA SNOW POTENTIAL IN VICINITY OF KLXV THIS WEEKEND. ACCUMULATIONS ANYWHERE FROM 4 TO 10 INCHES SEEM REASONABLE FOR THESE ZONES. WINDS SHOULD NOT BE AS BAD FOR THESE ELEVATIONS...SO IMPACT WILL NOT BE AS EXTREME AS IT WILL BE FOR THE HIGHER PASSES. OTHER ISSUE WILL BE THE HIGH WIND POTENTIAL LATE FRI OR SAT MORNING FOR THE ERN SLOPES. THERE WILL BE A BRIEF WINDOW FOR MT WAVE ACTIVITY E OF THE MTS EARLY SAT...IN THE 09Z TO 15Z TIME FRAME. MODEL X-SECTIONS DO NOT INDICATE MUCH IN THE WAY OF MT WAVE SIGNATURES IN THE THERMODYNAMIC PROFILES...BUT THERE IS STILL THE POTENTIAL FOR SOME LOCALLY STRONG WINDS DUE TO THE STRONG CROSS BARRIER FLOW. WHILE MT WAVE DYNAMICS NOT LOOKING TOO GOOD...THERE WILL BE QUITE A BIT OF WIND LATER SAT MORNING INTO SAT AFTERNOON ACROSS THE ERN PLAINS. THE STRONGEST WINDS WILL BE ACROSS HUERFANO AND LAS ANIMAS COUNTIES IN THE MORNING...THEN SPREAD EWD TO SRN PUEBLO...OTERO AND BENT COUNTIES BY AFTERNOON. COULD SEE SOME GUSTS APPROACHING HIGH WIND CRITERIA...BUT MOSTLY IN THE 40-50 KT RANGE. FINALLY...THE MAIN STORY FOR THE PLAINS WILL BE THE TRANSITION TO MUCH COLDER WX ON SUNDAY...AS H7 TEMPS PLUMMET TO MINUS 12 DEG C BY SUN AFTERNOON. DEPENDING ON PRECIP/CLOUDS...TEMPS QUITE POSSIBLY COULD REMAIN BELOW FREEZING ON SUN FOR MUCH OF THE PLAINS. MODELS HAVE BEEN TOO COLD WITH TEMPS FOR THE LAST COUPLE COLD EVENTS HOWEVER...SO WILL STICK WITH THE MID 30S IN THE ONGOING TEMP FORECAST FOR SUNDAY. AS FOR PRECIP...STILL LOOKS LIKE ANY SNOW FOR THE PLAINS WILL BE LIGHT...ALTHOUGH THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF THE WETS...SANGRES...AND PIKES PEAK REGION COULD PICK UP SOME MODERATE ACCUMS BY LATE SUNDAY. BEST BET FOR THE REST OF THE AREA WILL BE OVER THE PALMER DVD...WHICH COULD PICK UP A QUICK BURST OF ACCUMULATING SNOW. GFS PROGS A BIT MORE QPF FOR THE I-25 CORRIDOR...AND ITS POSSIBLE THAT THERE COULD BE SOME LOCALIZED ACCUMS...BUT WITH LIGHT UPSLOPE AND NOT MUCH UPPER SUPPORT ON SUNDAY...DOES NOT LOOK TERRIBLY FAVORABLE FOR THE PLAINS TO KICK THE PERSISTENT DROUGHT. STORM MOVES OUT OF THE AREA LATE SUNDAY...AND SHOULD SEE IMPROVING CONDITIONS SAVE A FEW SHSN OVER THE SAWATCH. WILL BE COOL AND CALM EARLY NEXT WEEK AS WE REMAIN UNDER NW FLOW ALOFT. FLOW WILL BECOME MORE ZONAL...WITH ACCOMPANIED WARMING...BY MID WEEK...BEFORE ANOTHER STORM SYSTEM TAKES AIM AT THE AREA NEXT THU OR FRI. STILL QUITE A BIT OF UNCERTAINTY ON HOW STRONG THAT STORM WILL BE AND WHAT TRACK IT WILL TAKE. 44 AVIATION... VFR CONDITIONS TONIGHT OVER MOST OF SOUTHERN COLORADO AS HIGH LEVEL (BKN150-200) CLOUD DECK SPREADS ACROSS THE STATE. ON FRIDAY...SNOW WILL DEVELOP BY 12Z ALONG THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE AND CONTINUE THROUGH THE DAY WITH IFR/LIFR CONDITIONS FROM THE NM BORDER NORTH TO KMYP. TAF SITES WILL STAY VFR DURING THE DAY...AS S-SW WINDS BECOME GUSTY BY LATE MORNING AT ALL TERMINALS. && .PUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 8 AM FRIDAY TO 5 AM MST SUNDAY FOR COZ066-067. WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 8 AM FRIDAY TO 5 AM MST SUNDAY FOR COZ068. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 2 PM FRIDAY TO 11 AM MST SUNDAY FOR COZ058-059-061. WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 2 PM FRIDAY TO 11 AM MST SUNDAY FOR COZ060. && 50/88
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO 604 AM MST THU NOV 8 2012 COZ058>089-093>099-091315- 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- 604 AM MST THU NOV 8 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL...EAST CENTRAL...SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SNOW SHOWERS WILL DEVELOP ALONG THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE LATE TONIGHT...WITH VERY LITTLE INITIAL SNOW ACCUMULATION EXPECTED. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY HEAVY WIND DRIVEN SNOW WILL SPREAD INTO THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE REGION ON FRIDAY...AND BECOME HEAVY AT TIMES FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY. THE HEAVIEST ACCUMULATIONS WILL FALL ACROSS THE EASTERN SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS WHERE ONE TO TWO FEET OF SNOW WILL BE POSSIBLE. THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF THE LA GARITA AND EASTERN SAWATCH RANGE WILL SEE ACCUMULATIONS RANGE FROM 6 TO 16 INCHES. SOUTHWEST WINDS GUSTING TO 40 TO 60 MPH WILL CAUSE WHITE OUT CONDITIONS A TIMES ACROSS THE MOUNTAIN PASSES...PARTICULARLY ACROSS WOLF CREEK PASS FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY. STRONG WINDS WILL ALSO SPREAD ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST MOUNTAINS AND PLAINS ON FRIDAY WHERE A COMBINATION OF LOW HUMIDITIES AND DRY FUELS WILL LEAD TO THE POTENTIAL FOR CONDITIONS FAVORABLE FOR RAPID RATES OF FIRE SPREAD SHOULD A FIRE START. WINDS MAY GUST UP TO 70 MPH AT TIMES FRIDAY EVENING IN SPOTTY AREAS ALONG THE LOWER EASTERN SLOPES OF THE SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS AND WET MOUNTAINS. GUSTY WINDS WILL RETURN FOR SATURDAY...THOUGH COOLER TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST PLAINS WILL INCREASE HUMIDITIES SLIGHTLY. A COLD FRONT WILL DROP THROUGH SOUTHEAST COLORADO SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY SPREADING SOME SPOTTY LIGHT ACCUMULATIONS OF SNOW INTO THE SOUTHEAST MOUNTAINS AND ADJACENT PLAINS...ALONG WITH SIGNIFICANTLY COLDER TEMPERATURES. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS WILL NOT BE NEEDED TODAY OR TONIGHT. 27/31
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 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, 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: 419561.