A storm system brought heavy snow to the North Central Mountains, then brought strong winds and heavy snow to the northeast plains of Colorado. 5 inches, 3 miles east-northeast of Tabernash; 12 inches at Winter Park, 11 inches at Rawah SNOTEL; 10 inches at Echo Lake; 8 inches at Deadman Hill and Willow Park.
Every event with a place to put it; 10 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 heavy snow to the North Central Mountains, then brought strong winds and heavy snow to the northeast plains of Colorado. In the mountains, storm totals included: 15 inches at Cabin Creek; 12.5 inches, 3 miles east-northeast of Tabernash; 12 inches at Winter Park, 11 inches at Rawah SNOTEL; 10 inches at Echo Lake; 8 inches at Deadman Hill and Willow Park. Across the northeast plains of Colorado, storm totals included: 9 inches in Peetz; 8 inches in Brush and 5 miles west-southwest of Leroy; 7 inches at Fort Morgan, 4 miles west-northwest of Iliff and Sterling; 6.5 inches, 4 miles northwest of Elizabeth; 6 inches, 11 miles south-southeast of Haxtun and Woodrow; 5 inches, 21 miles north of New Raymer; with 4 inches in Julesburg. In Peetz, strong winds produced snow drifts, up to 4 feet deep.
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 Dec 13, 2:48 PM MST, 3 hours 12 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO ISSUED BY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO 248 PM MST SAT DEC 13 2014 .SHORT TERM...(THIS EVENING THROUGH SUNDAY) ISSUED AT 246 PM MST SAT DEC 13 2014 MID TO HIGH CLOUD CEILINGS HAVE HELD AFTERNOON TEMPERATURES DOWN COMPARED TO FRIDAY WITH SHOWERS AND AND MUCH COOLER TEMPERATURES IN STORE FOR SUNDAY. A MARITIME PACIFIC TROUGH WAS WORKING WAS MOVING THROUGH UTAH TODAY THEN WILL DEEPEN AND CLOSE OVER NE NM BY SUNDAY MORNING BEFORE TRACKING INTO SW KS BY SUNDAY AFTERNOON. AS USUAL WITH WINTER STORMS IN NE COLORADO THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAILS. PLAINS AND FRONT RANGE RAIN/SNOW UNCERTAINTY REMAINS BUT THE MOUNTAINS LOOK TO GET SIGNIFICANT SNOW CENTERED ON SUNDAY MORNING. AS THE UPPER TROUGH PASSES OVER THE FOUR CORNERS STRONG LOW LEVEL CONVERGENCE WILL BRING SNOW TO THE PARK RANGE EVENTUALLY WORKING INTO SUMMIT COUNTY AND THE FRONT RANGE AROUND MIDNIGHT. THE HEAVIEST SNOWFALL IS EXPECTED SUNDAY MORNING WITH 1-2 INCH PER HOUR SNOWFALL RATES. BY SUNDAY AFTERNOON 4-12 INCH ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED FAVORING NORTH-FACING SLOPES. ON THE PLAINS LEE SIDE SURFACE LOW DEEPENS AND DROPS SOUTH. A COLD FRONT WORKS THROUGH THE PLAINS AND FRONT RANGE AFTER MIDNIGHT BRINGING BRISK NW WINDS BUT LITTLE PRECIPITATION. SUNDAY AS THE VERTICALLY STACKED LOW DEEPENS TO OUR SOUTHEAST SOME SHOWERS WILL FILL IN OVER THE PLAINS. A DEEP MOISTURE BAND IS EXPECTED IN FAR NE COLORADO. THE RAIN SNOW LINE STILL LOOKS UNCERTAIN FOR THE PLAINS. BUT FOR NOW ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED MAINLY OVER THE PALMER DIVIDE AND EAST OF STERLING-AKRON. .LONG TERM...(SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY) ISSUED AT 246 PM MST SAT DEC 13 2014 SNOW PERSISTS IN THE MTNS SUNDAY NIGHT. A VERTICALLY STACKED LOW LIFTS NORTHEAST ACROSS KS WITH A HEAVIER SNOW BAND SETTING UP NORTHWEST OF THE SURFACE LOW CENTER. THIS BAND CLIPS EXTREME EASTERN PORTION OF THE FORECAST AREA. WILL CARRY HIGH POPS HERE SUNDAY NIGHT WITH 2-4 INCHES OF SNOW ACCUMS EXPECTED FOR SEDGWICK AND PHILLIPS COUNTIES AND 1-3 INCHES IN WASHINGTON COUNTY. COULD ALSO BE A PERIOD OF ELEVATED WIND FOR THE POTENTIAL OF SOME BLOWING SNOW. LATER SHIFTS CAN RE-EVALUATE FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF ANY WINTER HIGHLIGHT HERE. SNOW SHOULD BEGIN TO TAPER DOWN BY MONDAY MORNING AS THE SURFACE LOW CONTINUES MOVING AWAY...BUT THE NORTHERN PORTION OF THE SPLIT UPPER TROUGH SLIDES ACROSS WY/NE CO IN BEHIND IT...KEEPING A CHANCE OF SNOW ACROSS THE MTNS AND NORTHERN PLAINS INTO MONDAY AFTERNOON. THE PACIFIC WAVE TRAIN LOOKS TO CONTINUE THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEK. TRANSITORY RIDGE MOVES ACROSS MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY FOR MOSTLY DRY WEATHER. MODELS INDICATE THE NEXT PACIFIC TROUGH MOVES ASHORE MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY. EJECTING LEAD SHORTWAVE DISTURBANCE WILL BRING A CHANCE OF MTN SNOW WEDNESDAY AS IT MOVES THROUGH IN SOUTHWEST FLOW. THE CHANCE OF MTN SNOW CONTINUES THROUGH THURSDAY WHEN THE MAIN TROUGH FORECAST TO PASSES. MODEL DIFFERENCES GROW AFTER TUESDAY THROUGH...SO WILL REMAIN CONSERVATIVE ON MTN POPS FOR NOW AND KEEP THE PLAINS MOSTLY DRY. MODELS SHOW ANOTHER PACIFIC TROUGH MOVING INLAND FRI NIGHT/SATURDAY. AGAIN GOOD AMOUNT OF MODEL SPREAD SO FORECAST CONFIDENCE IS BELOW AVERAGE FOR LATE NEXT WEEK. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE TAFS THROUGH 00Z SUNDAY LATE AFTERNOON) ISSUED AT 246 PM MST SAT DEC 13 2014 LIGHT GENERALLY SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL CONTINUE LATE TODAY BEFORE A COLD FRONT PASSAGE AFTER MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TURNS WINDS TO NORTH. FRONTAL PASSAGE TIMING AT DIA LOOKS AROUND 09Z. UPSLOPE FLOW AND LIFT FROM AN APPROACHING WINTER STORM WILL ALLOW FOR RAIN SWITCHING OVER TO SNOW SUNDAY MORNING. CEILINGS WILL BE VFR UNTIL THE FRONTAL PASSAGE WHEN CEILINGS WILL QUICKLY DROP TO MVFR THEN TO IFR OR BELOW. ACCUMULATING SNOW IS POSSIBLE THROUGHOUT SUNDAY. && .BOU WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 6 PM MST SUNDAY FOR COZ033-034. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 6 PM MST SUNDAY FOR COZ031. && SHORT TERM...JOE LONG TERM...JAD AVIATION...TGJT
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO ISSUED BY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO 1208 PM MST SAT DEC 13 2014 COZ030>051-141915- 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- 1208 PM MST SAT DEC 13 2014 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST AND NORTH CENTRAL COLORADO. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT FOG WILL PERSIST IN THE STERLING THROUGH EARLY AFTERNOON. DRIVERS ARE URGED TO USE CAUTION AND USE LOW BEAMS OR FOG LIGHTS IF ENCOUNTERING FOG. FOG WILL LIKELY RETURN TONIGHT...THIS TIME TO PHILLIPS AND SEDGWICK COUNTIES. AN APPROACHING WINTER STORM WILL BRING ACCUMULATING SNOWFALL OVER THE MOUNTAINS TONIGHT. MOISTURE WILL INCREASE OVER THE MOUNTAINS THIS AFTERNOON WITH SHOWERS INCREASING LATE THIS AFTERNOON TO BECOME WIDESPREAD THIS EVENING. THE ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO PUSH SOUTH ACROSS THE AREA AFTER MIDNIGHT...WITH RAIN AND SNOW TO PUSH EAST ACROSS THE FOOTHILLS AND URBAN CORRIDOR INCLUDING THE PALMER DIVIDE TOWARDS SUNRISE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY A DEVELOPING STORM SYSTEM WILL BRING SNOW TO MOST OF NORTHEAST AND NORTH CENTRAL COLORADO ON SUNDAY. THE SNOW WILL CONTINUE TO SPREAD EAST ACROSS THE FRONT RANGE URBAN CORRIDOR IN THE MORNING AND THEN ACROSS THE EASTERN PLAINS BY SUNDAY AFTERNOON. TEMPERATURES WILL BE WARM ENOUGH FOR POSSIBLY EVEN A BIT OF LIGHT RAIN TO MIX IN AT TIMES IN LOWER ELEVATIONS OF THE EASTERN PLAINS. THERE WILL BE A THREAT OF MORE SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL AND BLOWING SNOW WHERE TEMPERATURES ARE COLDER OVER THE PALMER DIVIDE...AS WELL AS THE NORTHEAST CORNER OF THE STATE LATE SUNDAY AFTERNOON INTO SUNDAY NIGHT. 3 TO 6 INCHES OF SNOW ARE POSSIBLE IN THOSE LOCATIONS. AT THIS TIME...MAINLY LIGHTER SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 1 TO 3 INCHES ARE EXPECTED ALONG THE FRONT RANGE URBAN CORRIDOR. HOWEVER...THE TRACK OF THE STORM IS STILL SOMEWHAT UNCERTAIN SO STAY TUNED TO THE LATEST FORECASTS AND POTENTIAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS. IN THE MOUNTAINS...TOTAL ACCUMULATIONS OF 4 TO 12 INCHES CAN BE EXPECTED FROM TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT. MAINLY DRY WEATHER IS THEN EXPECTED MONDAY INTO WEDNESDAY. ANOTHER DISTURBANCE MAY BRING MAINLY LIGHT SNOW WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND 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, 4 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Colorado in 2014Every state in 2014This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, December 2014
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: 551023, 552589, 552590, 551025, 551026, 551027, 551028, 551024, 551029, 551030.