In advance of a strong weather disturbance, strong jet stream winds aloft caused areas of high winds across the eastern mountains and adjacent high valleys. Winds gusted up to 69 mph in the Wet Mountain Valley near Rosita.
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.
In advance of a strong weather disturbance, strong jet stream winds aloft caused areas of high winds across the eastern mountains and adjacent high valleys. Winds gusted up to 69 mph in the Wet Mountain Valley near Rosita.
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 Apr 13, 8:13 PM MST, 47 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO 913 PM MDT SAT APR 13 2013 .UPDATE... ISSUED AT 907 PM MDT SAT APR 13 2013 LET RED FLAG WARNING EXPIRE AT 2000 MDT...AND MADE SOME VERY MINOR ADJUSTMENTS TO CURRENT FORECAST. LATEST RUC SUGGESTS HIGH WIND POTENTIAL IS BETTER OVER THE SANGRES/WETS VERSUS RAMPART RANGE...THOUGH WILL LEAVE WIND HIGHLIGHTS UNCHANGED FOR NOW AS WE JUST HAD A 69 MPH GUST REPORTED NEAR ROSITA IN THE WET MOUNTAINS. WINTER WX HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS LOOK GOOD AS BAND OF HEAVY SNOW IS JUST ABOUT TO REACH THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE SOUTH OF I-70. && .SHORT TERM...(THIS EVENING THROUGH SUNDAY) ISSUED AT 300 PM MDT SAT APR 13 2013 MAIN CONCERNS INCLUDE THE POTENTIAL FOR HIGH WINDS ALONG AND NR THE EASTERN MTS TONIGHT...AND SNOW AMOUNTS FOR MAINLY THE CENTRAL MTS. HAVE BEEN MEETING RED FLAG CRITERIA IN MOST OF THE WARNING AREA THIS AFTERNOON...ALTHOUGH PUEBLO HAS NOT YET MET THE CRITERIA BECAUSE THE WINDS HAVE NOT KICKED UP YET. WILL LEAVE THE RED FLAG WARNING AS IS. MODEL SHOW UPR LOW OVR NWRN MT MOVING SOUTHEAST INTO FAR WRN SD BY 12Z SUN AND THEN EASTWARD ACRS SD DURING THE DAY. AHEAD OF THIS SYSTEM SNOW WILL BE MOVING INTO THE CONTDVD THIS EVENING AND WILL CONTINUE THRU MIDDAY SUNDAY WITH THE NAM AND THE GFS CONTINUING TO HIT THE CENTRAL CO MTS QUITE HARD WITH SNOW TONIGHT. SOME SNOW SHOWERS WILL PROBABLY ALSO MOVE INTO WRN AND NRN PORTIONS OF FREMONT COUNTY TONIGHT AND INTO THE TELLER COUNTY AND PIKES PEAK AREA...BUT LITTLE ACCUMULATIONS IS EXPECTED. THE OTHER MAIN CONCERN IS THE 100+ KT JET MOVING OVERHEAD. LOOKING AT CROSS-SECTIONS OFF THE LOCAL WRF...IT SHOWS 55 TO 65 KT WINDS COMING DOWN THE SIDE OF PIKES PEAK AND THE RAMPART RANGE INTO FAR WRN EL PASO COUNTY...MAINLY WEST OF I-25 BEGINNING AROUND 02Z AND THEN SEVERE GUSTS PROBABLY ENDING AROUND 08Z-09Z. WL BEGIN HIGH WIND WARNING AT 02Z FOR THAT AREA AND RUN IT THROUGH 12Z. FARTHER SOUTH...OVR THE SANGRES...WETS AND SRN I-25 CORRIDOR THE WRF SHOWS THE HIGH WIND POTENTIAL CONTINUING A LITTLE LONGER SO WL LEAVE THAT AREA IN A WARNING THRU 15Z. AS THAT UPR LOW MOVES E ON SUN...THE MSTR ALONG THE CONTDVD DECREASES AS DO THE SNOW CHANCES...AND THUS THERE COULD BE JUST SOME LIGHT ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATIONS IN THE MORNING HOURS...BUT LITTLE IF ANY IN THE AFTERNOON AS THE NAM ENDS ALL PCPN CHANCES. A COLD FRONT WL DROP SOUTH INTO THE SERN PLAINS SUN AFTERNOON AND TEMPS WL BE A LITTLE COOLER THAN TODAY. ON SUNDAY IT WL BE A BIT BREEZY FROM THE I-25 CORRIDOR AND WESTWARD...AND WINDY OVR THE MOUNTAIN AREAS. HOWEVER RH VALUES LOOK TOO HIGH TO HAVE FIRE WEATHER CONCERNS. .LONG TERM...(SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY) ISSUED AT 300 PM MDT SAT APR 13 2013 ...WINTER IS COMING BACK... MODELS IN OVERALL AGREEMENT WITH THE FORECAST THROUGH THE EXTENDED WITH ANOTHER LATE SEASON WINTER STORM THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF THE WORK WEEK. AN UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM IS FORECAST TO STRENGTHEN AND DROP SOUTH OVER THE GREAT BASIN SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT BEFORE SHIFTING EAST ACROSS THE REGION ON WEDNESDAY. MOST OF SUNDAY NIGHT WILL BE QUIET ACROSS THE REGION WITH INCREASING CHANCES FOR SNOWFALL ALONG THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE BY MONDAY MORNING. AS THE TROUGH DIGS OUT WEST...FLOW WILL BECOMING INCREASINGLY SOUTHWESTERLY. A DISTURBANCE IN THE FLOW WILL EJECT ACROSS CENTRAL COLORADO ON MONDAY WITH A PERIOD OF MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOWFALL FOR THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS INTO NORTHEAST COLORADO. THE LATEST MODEL SOLUTIONS KEEP ALMOST ALL THE PLAINS DRY WITH THE EXCEPTION BEING THE PALMER DIVIDE WHERE SHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE. SEVERAL INCHES OF SNOWFALL ARE LIKELY ALONG THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE THROUGH MONDAY AFTERNOON...WITH THE HIGHEST AMOUNTS EXPECTED OVER THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS. GIVEN THE SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW AND MIXING ACROSS THE REGION...FIRE WEATHER REMAINS A CONCERN. MODELS HINTING AT THE RATON MESA REGION AND SAN LUIS VALLEY WILL SEE GUSTY WINDS HOWEVER HUMIDITY VALUES MAY BE A BIT TOO HIGH. CONDITIONS WILL NEED TO BE MONITORED. AFTERNOON TEMPERATURES HAVE COME IN A BIT WARMER WITH 6OS TO LOW 70S FORECAST FOR THE PLAINS. A COLD FRONT WILL SHIFT SOUTH ACROSS THE PLAINS BY MONDAY EVENING WITH EASTERLY UPSLOPE FLOW AND MOISTURE FILLING IN BEHIND THE FRONT. MODEL SOLUTIONS AND SOUNDING DATA INDICATES LOW STRATUS ALONG WITH FOG AND DRIZZLE WILL LIKELY DEVELOP. THERE COULD BE SOME LIGHT RAIN AS WELL THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT PERIOD. THIS WILL LIKELY HELP KEEP TEMPERATURES AT OR ABOVE FREEZING FOR THE PLAINS MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY MORNING. SNOW WILL CONTINUE ALONG THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE. THE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WILL SHIFT EAST INTO THE FOUR CORNERS REGION TUESDAY AFTERNOON. MODELS INDICATING LOWER LEVEL MIXING WILL SHIFT THE COOLER UPSLOPE ARE BACK EAST ACROSS THE SOUTHWEST PORTION OF THE PLAINS. NEAR CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS MAY ONCE AGAIN BE POSSIBLE OVER THE SAN LUIS VALLEY AND NEAR THE NEW MEXICO BORDER BY TUESDAY AFTERNOON. WINDS WILL BE THERE...BUT CONDITIONS WILL REMAIN DEPENDENT ON HUMIDITY VALUES. SNOW WILL REMAIN PERSISTENT OVER THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE THROUGH TUESDAY. THE NORTHEAST HALF OF THE PLAINS WILL BE TRICKY AS FAR AS CLOUD COVER AND TEMPERATURE FORECAST. IT ALL DEPENDS ON HOW FAR NORTHEAST THE MIXING CAN OCCUR. AREAS UNDER CLOUDS SHOULD REMAIN COOL. BY WEDNESDAY THE UPPER SYSTEM TRACKS OVERHEAD AND EAST INTO THE CENTRAL CONUS BY THURSDAY MORNING. A MUCH STRONGER COLD FRONT WILL MOVE SOUTH ACROSS THE AREA WEDNESDAY WITH WIDESPREAD SHOWER ACTIVITY LIKELY ACROSS ALL OF SOUTHERN COLORADO. CURRENT PROGS INDICATE AREAS OVER THE PALMER DIVIDE...EASTERN MOUNTAINS AND RATON WILL LIKELY BE FAVORED. TEMPERATURES ARE FORECAST TO DROP QUICKLY BEHIND THE FRONT WITH 700 MB TEMPERATURES REACHING -13C BY WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. THIS WILL LIKELY TURN ALL PRECIPITATION TO SNOW BY WEDNESDAY EVENING. ALL ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN OVER THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS. TEMPERATURES WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY MORNING WILL BE VERY COLD. CURRENT MODEL GUIDANCE IS INDICATING LOWER 20S FOR THE PLAINS...AND IT MAY BE A FEW DEGREES COOLER THAN THIS. PRECAUTIONS SHOULD BE TAKEN TO PROTECT SENSITIVE PLANTS AND SPRINKLER SYSTEMS. AS THE UPPER SYSTEM TRACK EAST...NORTHWESTERLY FLOW WILL DEVELOP AND REMAIN IN PLACE THROUGH SATURDAY. THIS WILL LEAD TO DRY CONDITIONS FOR MOST AREAS...WITH ISOLATED SNOW SHOWER ACTIVITY POSSIBLE OVER THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS. ANY DISTURBANCES IN THE FLOW WILL LIKELY CAUSE UPTICKS IN AREAL COVERAGE AND INTENSITY AND WILL NEED TO BE WATCHED. TEMPERATURES WILL SLOWLY MODERATE BACK INTO THE 50S TO LOWER 60S FOR FRIDAY AND SATURDAY. TEMPERATURES ON THURSDAY NIGHT WILL ONCE AGAIN BE COLD WITH WIDESPREAD FREEZING TEMPERATURES. MOZLEY && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z SUNDAY EVENING) ISSUED AT 300 PM MDT SAT APR 13 2013 VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED AT KALS AND KPUB DURING THE FORECAST PERIOD. GUSTY SW TO W WINDS WL CONTINUE AT KALS INTO THE EARLY EVENING HOURS...AND ARE THEN EXPECTED TO BECOME GUSTY AGAIN BY MID MORNING SUNDAY. KPUB COULD STILL SEE WEST TO SW WINDS INCREASE AFTER 22Z FOR A FEW HOURS. KCOS WILL CONTINUE TO HAVE GUSTY SW WINDS INTO THE EVENING HOURS. HIGH WINDS WILL BE POSSIBLE IN THE VCNTY OF KCOS...MAINLY TO THE WEST AND NW BEGINNING AROUND 02Z AND CONTINUING THROUGH LATE NIGHT. WIND SHEAR COULD BE A PROBLEM AS THE WINDS AT KCOS COULD BE LIGHT WESTERLY AT THE SFC OR A ROTOR COULD SET UP WITH LIGHT EASTERLY WINDS...AND THEN THE WINDS JUST A COUPLE THOUSAND FEET ABOVE THE SFC ARE EXPECTED TO BE VERY STRONG AND WESTERLY. && .PUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL NOON MDT SUNDAY FOR COZ059. HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 9 AM MDT SUNDAY FOR COZ072>075-078>080- 087-088. WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL NOON MDT SUNDAY FOR COZ058-060. HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 6 AM MDT SUNDAY FOR COZ081-082-084-085. && UPDATE...PETERSEN SHORT TERM...28 LONG TERM...MOZLEY AVIATION...28
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO 615 AM MDT SAT APR 13 2013 COZ058>089-093>099-141400- 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- 615 AM MDT SAT APR 13 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL...EAST CENTRAL...SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT STRONG PACIFIC JET STREAM WILL MOVE ACROSS THE REGION TONIGHT. AHEAD OF THIS SYSTEM...FIRE DANGER WILL BE HIGH ACROSS THE PLAINS TODAY DUE TO A COMBINATION OF LOW HUMIDITIES...GUSTY WINDS AND DRY FUELS. AS THE JET STREAMS MOVES IN TONIGHT...HEAVY...WIND DRIVEN SNOW WILL SPREAD INTO THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS...WHERE 8 TO 16 INCHES OF SNOW COULD FALL ABOVE 11000 FEET BY SUNDAY MORNING...WITH 4 TO 8 INCHES POSSIBLE BELOW 11000 FEET ACROSS LAKE COUNTY...INCLUDING THE LEADVILLE AREA. LATER IN THE NIGHT...STARTING AROUND MIDNIGHT AND CARRYING THROUGH TO THE EARLY MORNING HOURS SUNDAY...THE JET STREAM WILL BRING THE THREAT OF HIGH WINDS TO THE SANGRE DE CRISTO AND WET MOUNTAINS...THE WET MOUNTAIN VALLEY...WESTERN PORTIONS OF HUERFANO AND LAS ANIMAS COUNTIES ABOVE 6000 FEET...AND PIKES PEAK. WESTERLY WINDS GUSTING TO 65 MPH BELOW 7500 FEET AND TO 75 MPH ABOVE 7500 FEET WILL BE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY SNOWFALL WILL DIMINISH ACROSS THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE LATE SUNDAY MORNING...WITH SNOW RAMPING UP AGAIN LATER SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY AHEAD OF ANOTHER STRONG SPRING STORM SYSTEM FORECAST TO MOVE ACROSS THE ROCKIES. THIS STORM HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BRING HEAVY SNOWFALL TO MUCH OF THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS THROUGH WEDNESDAY. AT THIS TIME...THE HEAVIEST SNOWFALL IS EXPECTED NORTH OF MONARCH PASS...OVER THE SAWATCH RANGE...WHERE A COUPLE FEET OF SNOW MAY ACCUMULATE BY MID WEEK. THE IMPACT OF THIS STORM FOR REST OF THE HIGHER TERRAIN AND EASTERN PLAINS IS LESS CERTAIN AND WILL DEPEND ON THE EVENTUAL STORM TRACK AND OTHER CHARACTERISTICS OF THE STORM. HOWEVER...THERE IS THE POTENTIAL FOR SOME HEAVY WET SNOW OVER THE AREA...ESPECIALLY TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY. STAY TUNED FOR THE LATEST FORECASTS OF THIS STRONG SPRING SNOW STORM. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER CONDITIONS THAT MEET REPORTING CRITERIA FOR SPOTTERS WILL BE LIKELY OVER THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS TONIGHT AND POSSIBLE ALONG AND NEAR THE SOUTHEAST MOUNTAINS AFTER MIDNIGHT. 50/23
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
904 PM MDT SAT APR 13 2013
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0903 PM NON-TSTM WND GST 5 NNE ROSITA 38.16N 105.28W
04/13/2013 M69.00 MPH CUSTER CO TRAINED SPOTTER
&&
EPETERSEThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Colorado in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, April 2013
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: 447635, 447636, 447637.