An intense storm system generated heavy snow across many sections of southern Colorado. and 12 to 18 inches of snow reported at Saint Elmo (Chaffee County), Westcliffe and Rosita (Custer County), South Fork (Rio Grande County), Cotopaxi (Fremont County), and Farisita (Huerfano County).
Every event with a place to put it; 15 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.
An intense storm system generated heavy snow across many sections of southern Colorado. Some snow amounts...the summit of Wolf Creek Pass (Mineral County) 24 inches...23 inches near Crestone (Saguache County)...20 inches near Cuchara (Huerfano County)...19 inches near Platoro (Rio Grande County)...and 12 to 18 inches of snow reported at Saint Elmo (Chaffee County), Westcliffe and Rosita (Custer County), South Fork (Rio Grande County), Cotopaxi (Fremont County), and Farisita (Huerfano County). Elsewhere...many locations reported between 5 and 11 inches of snow.
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 20, 10:45 AM MST, 5 hours 15 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO 1045 AM MST WED NOV 20 2013 .SHORT TERM...(TODAY AND TONIGHT) ISSUED AT 410 AM MST WED NOV 20 2013 GENERALLY DRY WESTERLY FLOW ALOFT WL BE OVR THE AREA FOR THE FIRST HALF OF THE DAY. THERE CURRENTLY ARE SOME LIGHT SNOW SHOWERS OVER PORTIONS OF THE CENTRAL MTS...WHICH MAY CONTINUE. AROUND MIDAFTERNOON A SHORTWAVE TROF IS FORECAST TO MOVE INTO SW CO AND WILL TRACK ACRS THE AREA BEFORE EXITING THE STATE TO THE EAST BY LATE NIGHT. CLOUDS WL INCREASE AHEAD OF THIS SHORTWAVE TROF...AND IN THE EARLY AFTERNOON SOME LIGHT PCPN IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP OVER THE SW MTS AND THE CENTRAL MTS. THE NAM12 AND 4KM NSSL WRF THEN RAMP UP PCPN QUICKLY OVR THE SW MTS IN THE LATE AFTERNOON HRS AS THE SHORTWAVE TROF MOVES OVERHEAD. THE PCPN ALSO INCREASES OVR THE REST OF THE CONTDVD BY EVENING. THE NAM HAS LITTLE IN THE WAY OF PCPN OVR THE SAN LUIS VALLEY (SLV) AND THE SANGRES IN THE EVENING AS THE TROF MOVES ACRS THE AREA...BUT THE WRF SPREADS PCPN ACRS THE SLV AND OVR THE SANGRES WHICH SEEMS REASONABLE GIVEN THE AVAILABLE MSTR AND UPR DYNAMICS SO WL INCREASE POPS IN THESE AREAS AS WELL. PCPN CHANCES DO NOT LOOK THAT GREAT OVR THE SERN PLAINS...BUT WL GO WITH SOME ISOLD POPS IN THE EVENING HRS AND LATE NIGHT HRS. AS THE UPR TROF HEADS EAST...PCPN CHANCES ARE EXPECTED TO DECREASE SOME FROM WEST TO EAST BUT WL KEEP HIGH POPS ALONG THE CONTDVD...JUST DO NOT EXPECT MUCH IN THE WAY OF ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATION FOR THE LATE NIGHT HRS AS THE OROGRAPHIC FLOW IS WEAK AND THERE WL BE A LACK OF UPR DYNAMICS. THE LATEST NAM12 BRINGS THE COLD FRONT INTO EL PASO COUNTY AFTER 09Z...BUT HOLDS OFF ON THE PCPN UNTIL AFTER 12Z. THE EXCEPTION WOULD BE SOME LIGHT SNOW OVR THE PALMER DVD AND NRN TELLER COUNTY BY 12Z. .LONG TERM...(THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY) ISSUED AT 410 AM MST WED NOV 20 2013 ...COLD SNOWY DAYS AHEAD... VERY TRICKY AND COMPLEX FORECAST FOR THE END OF THE WEEK AND INTO NEXT WEEK. COMPLEXITY WILL BE DUE TO THE INTERPLAY BETWEEN POLAR AND SUBTROPICAL JET STREAMS...A NRN AND SRN BRANCH SYSTEM THAT WILL INTERACT THIS WEEKEND AND COULD POTENTIALLY BRING HIGH IMPACT WX TO OUR AREA. NRN STREAM AS SEEN IN WV IMAGERY IS NOW MOVING INTO WA STATE...WITH BELOW ZERO TEMPS ONCE AGAIN SEEN BEHIND THE POLAR FRONT ALONG THE US-CANADA BORDER. THIS MODIFIED ARCTIC AIR WILL ARRIVE AS A COLD FRONT ON THU. THE SECOND SYSTEM IS THE WARMER SUBTROPICAL ONE NOW DIGGING OVER THE CA COAST. PLENTY OF MID LEVEL MOISTURE ARRIVING AHEAD OF THIS SYSTEM AS SEEN BY THE LARGE AREA OF 150-200 PERCENT PRECIP H2O OVER THE WRN STATES. WILL SEE THIS SCENARIO PLAY OUT IN THREE ACTS. FIRST ACT COMES LATE TOMORROW AFTERNOON THROUGH EARLY THURSDAY. THIS WILL BE INCREASED OROGRAPHIC SNOWS OVER THE CONTDVD...AS THE JET PUSHES EWD THROUGH NRN AZ AND NRN NM...THEN SWINGS TO THE NE AS THE UPPER LOW MOVES INTO THE GREAT BASIN. THIS SHOULD BE FAIRLY TYPICAL LIGHT TO MODERATE SNOW FOR THE CENTRAL MTS. PER THE 00Z WRF...SHOULD SEE THE FIRST WAVE OF SNOW HIT THE MTS AROUND 23-00Z...AND CONTINUE IN A SERIES OF BANDS THROUGH THURSDAY. INTENSITY NOT THAT GREAT...BUT PROBABLY ENOUGH FOR AT LEAST LOW END ADVISORY AMTS FOR THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS...OR ABOUT 4-7 INCHES. SNOW LEVELS FOR THE WRN ZONES WILL START OUT FAIRLY HIGH...AROUND 9K FEET...BUT SHOULD LOWER TO THE VALLEY FLOORS FOR MUCH OF THE DAY. E OF THE MTS...THE FIRST PUSH OF COLD AIR ARRIVES FROM THE NORTH...PROBABLY AROUND 12-15Z THU MORNING. LATEST NAM GUIDANCE IS NOT NEARLY AS COLD WITH THE INITIAL FRONT...AND IF THIS VERIFIES MAY NOT SEE MUCH IN THE WAY OF PRECIP FOR THE PLAINS ON THU...AND MAY BE MOSTLY LIQUID IF THERE IS MUCH. GIVEN THE VOLATILITY OF THE MODELS...HAVE NOT MADE ANY BIG CHANGES TO POPS THU E OF THE MTS...BUT POPS MAY HAVE TO BE CUT BACK IF THE RECENT TREND TOWARDS SLOWER AND WARMER CONTINUES. SNOW LEVELS LOOK TO BE AROUND 6K FEET EARLY THU...WITH A MIX OF PRECIP BELOW THAT. SO...PROBABLY AN ALL OR MOSTLY SNOW EVENT FOR KCOS AND THE PIKES PEAK REGION...AND SOME SHOWERS OR MIXED PRECIP FOR THE PLAINS. BUT STILL A QUESTION OF HOW MUCH COLD AIR GETS SOUTH EARLY THU. ACT TWO IS WHAT WILL HAPPEN WHEN THE FRONT INTERACTS WITH ALL THAT MOISTURE COMING IN FROM THE S AND WEST...AND THAT IS WHERE THINGS GET BOTH INTERESTING AND TRICKY. TYPICALLY THE OVERRUNNING SCENARIOS FOR THE PLAINS INVOLVE ERLY OR SELY FLOW ALOFT...BUT IN THIS CASE THE BULK OF THE MOISTURE EARLY ON IS COMING FROM THE SW IN THE MID LEVELS. LAST TWO RUNS OF BOTH THE GFS AND THE NAM HAVE THIS PLAYING OUT AS A LONG DEFORMATION BAND STRETCHED W-E ACROSS SERN CO. STRONG SLY TO SW FLOW MOVING INTO E-N FLOW NORTH OF THE BAND. CONSEQUENTLY...THE MODELS HAVE BEEN CONSISTENTLY PROGGING HIGH QPF WITH THIS FEATURE...WITH SNOW RATES APPROACHING AN INCH AN HOUR UNDER THE BAND. BEST TIME FRAME FOR THE HVY PRECIP LOOKS TO BE IN THE 03Z FRI TO 15Z FRI PERIOD. THE PROGS LOOK REASONABLE...BUT THE QUESTION REMAINS WHERE EXACTLY THIS AREA OF HEAVY PRECIP SETS UP. AFTER EXTENSIVE COORDINATION WITH KABQ AND KGJT...WILL PUT OUT A WINTER STORM WATCH FOR THE CENTRAL MTS AND HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF THE WETS AND SANGRES BEGINNING THU EVE AND LASTING THROUGH FRIDAY. THERE IS ENOUGH CONFIDENCE THAT THESE AREAS WILL SEE SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL...POSSIBLY OVER A FOOT BY THE END OF FRIDAY. STILL QUITE A BIT OF UNCERTAINTY ON HOW MUCH THE PLAINS WILL SEE...WILL ALL DEPEND ON WHERE THE HEAVIEST BAND SETS UP...BUT LIGHT AMOUNTS IN THE 2-5 INCH RANGE LOOK REASONABLE AT THIS POINT. ONE THING THAT LOOKS PRETTY SOLID IS THE LIKELIHOOD OF VERY COLD AIR REMAINING OVER THE AREA ON FRIDAY. SOME GUIDANCE SUGGESTS THE I-25 CORRIDOR MAY NOT EVEN MAKE IT OUT OF THE TEENS OR LOWER TWENTIES FRI AFTERNOON. WILL STAY CONSERVATIVE...BUT IT STILL LOOKS LIKE TEMPS WILL REMAIN AT OR BELOW FREEZING FOR THE PLAINS ON FRI...SO IT WILL BE COLD HOWEVER YOU SLICE IT. FINALLY...ACT THREE ARRIVES AS THE NRN SYSTEM PULLS AWAY INTO THE NRN PLAINS AND GREAT LAKES...LEAVING THE SRN SYSTEM AS A CUTOFF LOW OVER THE BAA AREA. INCONSISTENCY REMAINS BETWEEN THE MORE NRN ECMWF AND THE SRN TRACK OF THE GFS. THE FORMER WOULD BRING MORE LIGHT PRECIP TO OUR AREA THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK...WHILE THE LATTER WILL ONLY BRING PRECIP TO THE SRN ZONES AND COULD LEAVE AREAS N OF HGWY 50 DRY. ENSEMBLE POPS SUGGEST LOW CHANCES FOR PRECIP FOR THE NRN AREAS...AND A GOOD CHANCE FOR SOME MORE LIGHT SNOW FOR THE SRN MTS...SO NO NEED TO CHANGE THE FORECAST AT THIS POINT. WILL BE AN INTERESTING AND CHALLENGING PERIOD OF WEATHER AHEAD. ROSE && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z THURSDAY AFTERNOON) ISSUED AT 1045 AM MST WED NOV 20 2013 VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED AT COS...PUB AND ALS THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS WITH INCREASING CLOUDS MID AND HIGH LEVEL CLOUDS SPREADING FROM WEST TO EAST AS A MINOR WEATHER DISTURBANCE MOVES ACROSS THE SOUTHERN GREAT BASIN. WILL SEE SNOW INCREASING ACROSS THE CONTDVD THIS AFTERNOON AND PERSIST OVERNIGHT. MAIN CONCERN REMAINS ARRIVAL OF A STRONG ARCTIC FRONT MOVING ACROSS MONTANA AND INTO WYOMING AT THIS TIME. THIS STRONG COLD FRONT LOOKS TO WILL MOVE INTO THE COS AND PUB AREAS BETWEEN 09Z AND 12Z...WITH CIGS RAPIDLY LOWERING...GUSTY NORTHERLY WINDS 15-25KTS AND GENERALLY LIGHT RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS AND BRIEF MVRF CONDITIONS. LITTLE IF ANY ACCUMS EXPECTED ON RUNWAYS. && .PUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER STORM WATCH FROM THURSDAY EVENING THROUGH FRIDAY AFTERNOON FOR COZ058>061-064-066>068-073>075-080. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 4 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 7 PM MST THURSDAY FOR COZ060-066-068. && SHORT TERM...28 LONG TERM...ROSE AVIATION...MW
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO 605 AM MST WED NOV 20 2013 COZ058>089-093>099-211315- 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- 605 AM MST WED NOV 20 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL...EAST CENTRAL...SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT OW ACCUMULATION CAN BE EXPECTED ALONG THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE...BEGINNING LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND CONTINUING THROUGH THE NIGHT. ABOUT 1 TO 3 INCHES CAN BE EXPECTED OVER THE SAWATCH AND MOSQUITO RANGES...WITH 2 TO 5 INCHES OVER THE EASTERN SAN JUAN AND LA GARITA MOUNTAINS. THE SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS AND THE PIKES PEAK AREA COULD SEE AN INCH OR TWO TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE ACROSS THE EASTERN PLAINS THURSDAY MORNING. WIDESPREAD RAN AND SNOW SHOWERS ARE EXPECTED BEHIND THE FRONT...AND LIGHT ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE POSSIBLE FOR ELEVATIONS ABOVE 6000 FEET. OVER THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS...PERIODS OF SNOW WILL CONTINUE...WITH SEVERAL INCHES OF NEW SNOW ACCUMULATION BY THURSDAY EVENING. AS MORE MOISTURE ARRIVES FROM THE SOUTH AND WEST...AN AREA OF HEAVY SNOW IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ACROSS SOUTHEAST COLORADO THURSDAY NIGHT. THIS WILL LEAD TO POTENTIALLY SIGNIFICANT ACCUMULATIONS ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS THROUGH FRIDAY. LIGHTER ACCUMULATIONS COULD ALSO OCCUR ACROSS THE LOWER ELEVATIONS. HEAVY SNOWFALL MAY ADVERSELY AFFECT THE COMMUTE FRIDAY MORNING AS ROADS BECOME ICY AND SNOW COVERED. TRAVEL OVER THE MOUNTAIN PASSES WILL BECOME VERY HAZARDOUS BY FRIDAY MORNING. AS A STORM SYSTEM CONTINUES TO TRACK CLOSER TO COLORADO FROM THE SOUTHWEST...PERIODS OF LIGHT TO MODERATE SNOW WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE AREA THROUGH MONDAY. THE BEST CHANCE FOR ACCUMULATING SNOW WILL BE OVER THE MOUNTAINS AND HIGHER ELEVATIONS SOUTH OF HIGHWAY 50 DURING THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER CONDITIONS THAT MEET REPORTING CRITERIA FOR SPOTTERS WILL BE POSSIBLE OVER THE MOUNTAINS FROM EARLY EVENING THROUGH THE NIGHT. 28/44
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
15 winter storm. 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, November 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: 479844, 479841, 479838, 479852, 479851, 479853, 479854, 479846, 479840, 479842, 479845, 479847, 479848, 479849, 479850.