A storm system brought a period of moderate to heavy snow to the North Central Mountains of Colorado. 5 inches near Dillon.
Every event with a place to put it; 2 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 brought a period of moderate to heavy snow to the North Central Mountains of Colorado. Storm totals included: 12 inches at Loveland Ski Area, 10 inches at Copper Mountain Ski Area and Jones Pass; 9 inches at Arapahoe Basin and Winter Park Ski Area; 8 inches near Silverthorne; with 6.5 inches near Dillon.
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 Mar 3, 3:44 AM MST, 1 hour 16 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO 344 AM MST SUN MAR 3 2013 .SHORT TERM...MID AND UPPER LEVEL MOISTURE ASSOCIATED WITH UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE WILL INCREASE ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA THIS AFTERNOON. LIFT ASSOCIATED WITH OUR PORTION OF THE DISTURBANCE IS RATHER WEAK...BUT OROGRAPHIC FLOW INTO THE MOUNTAINS IS STRONG FROM THE WEST. COLD ADVECTION WILL REACH THE AREA LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING WHICH WILL HELP SNOW PRODUCTION IN OUR MOUNTAINS. THE OROGRAPHIC FLOW IS NEAR 35 KTS INITIALLY...BUT THEN GRADUALLY WEAKENS TO AROUND 20 KTS BY LATE TONIGHT. HOWEVER...A MORE NORTHWESTERLY COMPONENT SHOULD KEEP GOOD SNOW GOING IN THE HIGH COUNTRY THROUGH THE NIGHT. LOCAL SNOW MODEL SHOWS HEALTHY ADVISORY NUMBERS FOR THIS EVENT...AND WITH SNOW/BLOWING SNOW IMPACTING TRAVEL A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED. ADVISORY WILL FIRST START BY MID AFTERNOON IN THE MOUNTAINS OF WESTERN JACKSON/GRAND COUNTIES AND THEN THE FRONT RANGE MOUNTAINS INCLUDING SUMMIT COUNTY BY 5 PM. OVER THE FOOTHILLS AND PLAINS...LOOK FOR ANOTHER MILD DAY WITH WARM READINGS TO START THE DAY AND DOWNSLOPE FLOW. WITH A STRONGER GRADIENT IN PLACE...SHOULD SEE GUSTY WINDS SPREAD FROM IN/NEAR THE FOOTHILLS EASTWARD ACROSS A GOOD CHUNK OF THE PLAINS BY THIS AFTERNOON. FORECAST GRADIENTS AND STABILITY PROFILES SUGGEST GUSTY WINDS BUT NOTHING CLOSE TO HIGH WIND CRITERIA. FOR TONIGHT...A COLD FRONT WILL DROP ACROSS THE PLAINS AND SURFACE Q-G VERTICAL MOTION TURNS UPWARD LATE TONIGHT. THIS WILL BRING A THREAT OF SNOW SHOWERS DOWN ONTO THE PLAINS DURING THE LATE NIGHT HOURS. THERE IS EVEN A BIT OF POTENTIAL INSTABILITY SHOWN IN THE LATEST GFS CROSS SECTIONS...SO WILL HAVE TO MONITOR THIS ONE CLOSELY FOR POSSIBLE SNOWFALL FOR THE MONDAY MORNING RUSH. .LONG TERM...AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH AXIS WILL EXTEND FM A STG UPPER LEVEL LOW OVER THE CNTRL PLAINS INTO NRN CO ON MON AND THEN MOVE SE OUT OF THE AREA BY EARLY MON EVENING. CROSS-SECTIONS SHOW DECENT MOISTURE IN THE MTNS IN THE MORNING WITH FAVORABLE OROGRAPHICS SO SHOULD SEE SNOW CONTINUE SO WILL HAVE ADVISORY GO THROUGH NOON. BY AFTN MOISTURE WILL DECREASE IN THE MTNS ALONG SO SNOW ACTIVITY SHOULD DIMINISH. AT LOWER ELEVATIONS CROSS- SECTIONS SHOW UPSLOPE FLOW IN THE MORNING EAST OF THE MTNS WITH DECENT MOISTURE AND SOME QG ASCENT. IN ADDITION POSITION OF UPPER LEVEL JET COULD LEAD TO SOME BANDED PCPN AS WELL ESPECIALLY FM DENVER SOUTH. THUS HAVE INCREASED POPS IN THE MORNING THRU EARLY AFTN. SOME PLACES COULD SEE A FEW INCHES OF SNOW WITH POSSIBLY HIGHER AMOUNTS IN THE SRN FOOTHILLS AND OVER THE PALMER DIVIDE. WINDS WILL BECOME RATHER GUSTY IN THE AFTN SO COULD ALSO SEE SOME BLOWING SNOW AS WELL. HIGHS ON MON WILL DROP BACK INTO THE UPPER 30S TO LOWER 40S ACROSS NERN CO. BY MON NIGHT THE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH AXIS WILL EXIT THE AREA WITH DRIER AIR SPREADING ACROSS IN RATHER STG NWLY FLOW ALOFT. GUSTY WINDS WILL STILL BE POSSIBLE IN THE MTNS AND FOOTHILLS BUT SPEEDS SHOULD REMAIN BLO HIGH WIND CRITERIA. GUSTY WINDS WILL ALSO CONTINUE ACROSS THE ERN PLAINS AS WELL. FOR TUE AN UPPER LEVEL RIDGE WILL BUILD INTO THE RGN WITH DRY WEATHER ALONG WITH SLIGHTLY WARMER HIGHS. FOR WED AND THU AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WILL DEVELOP OVER THE WRN US WITH SWLY FLOW ALOFT ACROSS NRN CO. CROSS-SECTIONS SHOW SOME INCREASE IN MOISTURE BY THU MAINLY WEST OF THE DIVIDE SO MAY SEE AT LEAST A SLIGHT CHC OF SNOW IN ZN 31. OTHERWISE IT LOOKS DRY BOTH DAYS. HIGHS WILL CONTINUE TO WRM OVER NERN CO WITH READINGS IN THE 50S TO NEAR 60 BOTH DAYS. BY FRI BOTH THE ECMWF AND GFS SHOW AN UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM DEVELOPING OVER SRN CALIFORNIA WITH SWLY FLOW REMAINING OVER THE AREA AS MOISTURE GRADUALLY INCREASES. THIS MAY LEAD TO A CHC OF SOME SNOW IN THE MTNS MAINLY WEST OF THE DIVIDE. MEANWHILE A CDFNT WILL MOVE INTO NERN CO ON FRI BRINGING COOLER TEMPS AND SOME WEAK UPSLOPE. THUS COULD SEE A SLIGHT CHC OF LIGHT PCPN IN AND NR THE FOOTHILLS. HIGHS ON FRI WILL DROP BACK INTO THE LOWER TO MID 40S OVER NERN CO. FOR THE WEEKEND THERE ARE SOME MAJOR DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE ECMWF AND GFS WITH REGARDS TO WHERE THE UPPER LEVEL LOW OVER SRN CALIFORNIA ENDS UP. BY SAT AFTN THE ECMWF HAS THE LOW MOVING NE INTO SWRN COLORADO WHILE THE GFS MOVES IT EAST INTO SRN ARIZONA. BY SUN THE ECMWF HAS THE UPPER LEVEL LOW OVER ERN COLORADO WHILE THE GFS HAS IT MUCH FURTHER SOUTH ACROSS SRN NEW MEXICO. THUS THE GFS KEEPS THE BEST CHC OF PCPN SOUTH OF THE AREA WHILE THE ECMWF SOLUTION WOULD HAVE THE POTENTIAL FOR A DECENT SNOW STORM ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE AREA. AT THIS POINT WILL KEEP POPS IN THE 20% TO 30% RANGE AS THIS SYSTEM IS STILL NEARLY A WEEK AWAY. && .AVIATION...VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL THROUGH MOST OF TONIGHT. AFTER 09Z...LOOK FOR A CHANCE OF SNOW SHOWERS WITH IFR/MVFR CONDITIONS POSSIBLE. SNOW SHOWER THREAT WILL INCREASE MONDAY MORNING. WITH REGARD TO WINDS...SOUTHWESTERLY WINDS OF 8-16 KTS AT KDEN AND KAPA THIS MORNING ARE EXPECTED TO TURN MORE WEST/NORTHWEST AND INCREASE BY 19Z-21Z AS AIRMASS MIXES. AVERAGE GUST POTENTIAL AROUND 25 KTS AND A CHANCE OF 30 KT GUSTS AFFECTING NORTH/SOUTH OPS. COLD FRONTAL PASSAGE EXPECTED AROUND 08Z-10Z TONIGHT WITH NORTHEAST WINDS UP TO 15 KTS BEHIND THE FRONT. UNTIL FRONTAL PASSAGE...KBJC WILL HAVE GUSTS OF 20-30 KTS THROUGH THIS EVENING WITH A CHANCE OF GUSTS TO 35 KTS. && .BOU WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 5 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO NOON MST MONDAY FOR COZ033-034. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 2 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO NOON MST MONDAY FOR COZ031. && SHORT TERM...BARJENBRUCH LONG TERM....RPK AVIATION...BARJENBRUCH
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO 447 AM MST SUN MAR 3 2013 COZ030>051-041200- 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- 447 AM MST SUN MAR 3 2013 ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY NORTHERN MOUNTAINS LATE THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH MONDAY MORNING... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST AND NORTH CENTRAL COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW WILL DEVELOP AND SPREAD EASTWARD ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING. THE SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW WILL CREATE HAZARDOUS AND SLOW TRAVEL CONDITIONS IN THE HIGH COUNTRY. VISIBILITIES WILL LIKELY BE REDUCED TO ONE QUARTER MILE OR LESS AT TIMES SHORTLY AFTER THE ONSET OF SNOW. ACCUMULATIONS BY DAYBREAK MONDAY ARE EXPECTED TO RANGE BETWEEN 4 AND 8 INCHES IN MOST MOUNTAIN LOCATIONS. OVER THE FOOTHILLS AND PLAINS...GUSTY WINDS IN AND NEAR THE FOOTHILLS WILL SPREAD ACROSS MOST OF THE PLAINS THIS AFTERNOON. DRY CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL UNTIL LATE TONIGHT WHEN THE PASSAGE OF A COLD FRONT WILL BRING A CHANCE OF SNOW SHOWERS DOWN INTO THE LOWER ELEVATIONS. A FAST MOVING UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE ACROSS THE NORTHERN ROCKIES WILL PRODUCE THE GUSTY WINDS AND SNOWFALL. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY SNOW AND GUSTY WINDS WILL CONTINUE IN THE MOUNTAINS ON MONDAY WITH A FEW MORE INCHES OF ACCUMULATION BY MIDDAY. THE SNOW AND WIND SHOULD BEGIN TO DECREASE IN THE AFTERNOON. EAST OF THE MOUNTAINS THERE WILL BE A WILL BE A CHANCE OF LIGHT SNOW IN THE FOOTHILLS AND ADJACENT PLAINS ESPECIALLY FROM DENVER SOUTH TO THE PALMER DIVIDE THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. AN INCH OR TWO OF SNOW MAY OCCUR IN A FEW SPOTS OVER THE PALMER DIVIDE AND IN THE SOUTHERN FOOTHILLS. NORTH WINDS OF 20 TO 35 MPH WILL DEVELOP OVER THE PLAINS WITH A FEW GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH BY AFTERNOON. LATE IN THE WEEK ANOTHER WEATHER SYSTEM MAY AFFECT THE AREA BY SATURDAY BRINGING A CHANCE OF SNOW TO THE MOUNTAINS WITH A CHANCE OF RAIN AND SNOW OVER NORTHEAST COLORADO. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED TODAY OR TONIGHT. BARJENBRUCH/RPK
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 winter weather. 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, March 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: 438294, 438295.