Two skiers exited the Keystone Ski Resort and descended into the North Fork of Swan River. They triggered a moderate sized avalanche that ran about 1500 vertical feet.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 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.
Two skiers exited the Keystone Ski Resort and descended into the North Fork of Swan River. They triggered a moderate sized avalanche that ran about 1500 vertical feet. One skier was partially buried but was able to dig himself out. The other skier, was completely buried and his body was recovered the following day. The victim was buried in approximately 4.6 feet of snow, in a small stand of trees.
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 Feb 10, 9:54 AM MST, 1 hour 51 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO 954 AM MST MON FEB 10 2014 .UPDATE...VISIBILITIES HAVE IMPROVED JUST ENOUGH TO LET THE DENSE FOG ADVISORY EXPIRE. IN THE MOUNTAINS...SNOW HAS DEVELOPED AS EXPECTED...SO WILL LET THE ADVISORY CONTINUE THROUGH NOON. ON THE PLAINS...RADAR ECHOES HAVE INCREASED ON THE PLAINS AS THE UPPER DISTURBANCE MOVES OUT OF THE MOUNTAINS. WILL UPDATE THE FORECAST TO INTRODUCE THE CHANCE OF LIGHT SNOW ACROSS THE PLAINS. DO NOT EXPECT ANY ACCUMULATIONS...SINCE IT SHOULD ONLY SNOW FOR A COUPLE HOURS AT BEST. THE LATEST RAP MODELS HAVE BEEN INDICATING THAT PRECIPITATION WILL BE ENDING OVER THE MOUNTAINS AND PLAINS BY ABOUT 21Z AS THE DISTURBANCE DROPS SOUTH OF THE FORECAST AREA. THEREFORE...THE REST OF THE SHORT TERM PART OF THE FORECAST LOOKS OKAY FOR NOW. && .AVIATION...HAVE BEGUN TO SEE INDICATIONS THAT VISIBILITIES WILL BE RAPIDLY IMPROVING OVER THE NEXT HOUR OR SO. WITH THE UPPER DISTURBANCE MOVING OUT OF THE MOUNTAINS...WE SHOULD SEE INCREASED VERTICAL CIRCULATIONS WHICH SHOULD HELP BREAK UP THE SATURATED BOUNDARY LAYER THAT IS TRAPPING ALL THE FOG OVER THE AREA. A FEW SNOW FLURRIES MAY MOVE OVER THE AIRPORTS THROUGH ABOUT 22Z...BUT NO SNOW ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 417 AM MST MON FEB 10 2014/ SHORT TERM...SNOWFALL AND WINDS HAVE PRETTY MUCH LET UP IN THE HIGH COUNTRY AT THIS HOUR WITH THE FCST AREA IN BETWEEN WAVES OF MOISTURE RICH PACIFIC AIR. MTN CAMS HARDLY SHOWING ANY SNOWFALL ON THE PASSES AND UP AT THE EISENHOWER TUNNEL. THAT WILL LIKELY CHANGE IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS WITH THE LAST IN A SERIES OF WAVES OF PACIFIC MOISTURE MAKES ITS WAY ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA. THIS WAVE OF CLOUDS AND PRECIP CURRENTLY PASSING OVER NORTHERN UTAH/SWRN WYOMING. AT ITS CURRENT SPEED...BEST MOISTURE AND QG LIFT WILL PASS OVER THE NRN MTNS AND HIGH VALLEYS OF COLORADO BETWEEN 12Z AND 18Z TODAY. IT WILL BE A QUICK SHOT WITH NOT MUCH WIND AS THE STRONG PACIFIC JET WILL BE WELL SOUTH OF THE REGION. LOCAL OROGRAPHIC SNOW MODEL INPUTTING THE FOLLOWING PARAMETERS... 6.5C/KM LAPSE RATE...275 DEG 25KT 700-500MB MEAN WIND...NEG 3 QG VERTICAL VELOCITY...MOIST LAYER TO 600 MBS AND A SNOW-WATER RATIO OF 13:1...GENERATED A 9 HR SNOW TOTAL OF 4-7 INCHES FOR THE MTN ZONES 31...33 AND 34 ENDING AT 19Z TODAY. THIS BARELY MEETS THE CRITERIA FOR A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY. BUT WITH SO MUCH SNOW ALREADY ON THE ROADS IN THE HIGH COUNTRY...THOUGHT WISE TO ADVISE THAT MORE SNOW WAS ON THE WAY...ALBEIT NOT MUCH COMPARED TO WHAT FELL OVER THE PAST FEW DAYS. AGAIN...WIND NOT EXPECTED TO BE A BIG PROBLEM WITH THIS LAST SHOT OF SNOW. BY AFTERNOON..BELIEVE WE/LL SEE RATHER QUICK IMPROVEMENT WITH DRYING AND SUBSIDENCE ON THE BACK SIDE OF THIS PASSING SHORTWAVE TROUGH. ON THE PLAINS...DEALING WITH LOW CLOUDS AND AREAS OF DENSE FOG... SPECIFICALLY ALONG THE I-25 CORRIDOR FROM CENTRAL DENVER TO FORT COLLINS. VISIBILITIES IN THIS AREA OF FOG VARYING FROM 1/4 TO 1/16 MILE WHICH IS NOW BEING REPORTED AT DIA. DENSE FOG ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED FOR THIS AREA MOMENTARILY AND WILL RUN UNTIL 16Z THIS MORNING. LATER TODAY...PASSING WAVE OF MOISTURE AND LIFT IS EXPECTED TO FILL SKIES OVER THE PLAINS WITH MID-LEVEL CLOUDS CAPABLE OF A FEW SNOW FLURRIES...MAINLY SOUTH AND EAST OF DENVER. OTHERWISE IT/LL BE DRIER AND SLIGHTLY WARMER TODAY. TONIGHT...DRY UP CONTINUES WITH SCATTERED AREAS OF LIGHT SNOWFALL WRAPPING UP IN THE HIGH COUNTRY LATE. HOWEVER...MODEL SFC AND BOUNDARY LAYER MOISTURE FIELDS INDICATE AN AREA OF SATURATED AIR ALONG THE SOUTH PLATTE RIVER DOWNSTREAM FROM THE DENVER METRO AREA FROM MID-EVENING ONWARD. THEREFORE WILL ADD FOG TO THIS THIS AREA IN TONIGHT'S FORECAST. LONG TERM...THE UPCOMING WEEK WILL STILL BE UNDER A MODERATE NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT ACROSS COLORADO WITH SEVERAL IMPULSES TO MOVE ACROSS THE STATE. TUESDAY WILL BE THE DRIEST DAY FOR THE MOUNTAINS...BUT THEN A WEAK WAVE AND ASSOCIATED JET STREAK WILL BRUSH NORTHERN COLORADO WITH A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SNOW IN THE MOUNTAINS AND FAR NORTHEAST PLAINS TUESDAY NIGHT. WITH THIS WAVE THERE WILL BE SOME GUSTY WINDS OVER THE HIGHER MOUNTAINS AND EAST SLOPES BUT UNDER 50KT. BIGGER CONCERNS WILL FOCUS ON THE HIGH WIND POTENTIAL FOR LATE WED AFTERNOON THROUGH THURSDAY AM OVER EAST SLOPES. NAM CROSS SECTIONS SHOWING CROSS BARRIER FLOW INCREASING TO 60-80KT WED EVENING WITH STRONG MOUNTAIN TOP STABILITY DEVELOPING IN WARM AIR ADVECTION PERIOD. SHEAR PROFILE ALSO LOOKS GOOD FOR AMPLIFYING MOUNTAIN WAVE. TOO EARLY FOR A HIGH WIND WATCH BUT CERTAINLY ONE MAY BE NEEDED IN LATER SHIFTS. MOISTURE WILL ALSO BE INCREASING IN THE MOUNTAINS WITH SNOW DEVELOPING AGAIN WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY WITH STRONG OROGRAPHIC FLOW BUT INITIAL LAPSE RATES WILL INITIALLY BE ON THE LOW SIDE. MAIN CHANGES TO THIS FORECAST PACKAGE WILL BE INCREASING WINDS AND SNOW CHANCES IN THE MOUNTAINS. ACROSS LOWER ELEVATIONS...DOWNSLOPE WINDS WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY WILL LEAD TO DRY AND QUITE MILD CONDITIONS FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR AS TEMPERATURES CLIMB TO WELL ABOVE NORMAL HIGHS FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK. OCCASIONAL WAVE CLOUDS AT TIMES FOR GENERALLY PARTLY CLOUDY CONDITIONS FOR THE WEEK. BY THIS WEEKEND...BROAD HIGH PRESSURE ALOFT WILL SPREAD BUILD OVER THE REGION WITH GENERALLY DRY AND MILD OVER THE STATE. STILL COULD BE A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SNOW SHOWERS IN THE MOUNTAINS WITH SOME LINGERING LOW LEVEL MOISTURE. AVIATION...LIFR VSBYS IN FOG RANGING FROM 1/4 MILE AND BELOW AT DENVER AREA TERMINALS UNTIL AROUND 15Z THIS MORNING. AFTER 15Z... SUSPECT WE/LL SEE RATHER QUICK IMPROVEMENT IN VSBYS AS DRIER AIR MIXES DOWN FROM THE FOOTHILLS AND PALMER DIVIDE. SHOULD GO FROM IFR TO MVFR CONDITIONS BETWEEN 15Z AND 18Z AND REMAIN MVFR WITH 3000-5000 FOOT CLOUD BASES THROUGH EARLY THIS EVENING. OVERNIGHT DENVER AREA SHOULD SEE PREVAILING VFR CONDITIONS AFTER 03Z WITH SHALLOW POCKETS OF FOG FORMING IN LOW LYING AREAS AFTER 06Z. WINDS SHOULD REMAIN LIGHT AND VARIABLE FOR MOST OF TODAY AND TONIGHT. && .BOU WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL NOON MST TODAY FOR COZ031-033-034. && SHORT TERM...DANKERS LONG TERM....99 AVIATION...DANKERS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO 1106 AM MST MON FEB 10 2014 COZ030>051-111815- 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- 1106 AM MST MON FEB 10 2014 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST AND NORTH CENTRAL COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SNOWFALL IN THE MOUNTAIN AREAS WILL BE DECREASING THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AS A WEATHER DISTURBANCE MOVES AWAY FROM THE MOUNTAINS AND DRIER AIR BEGINS MOVING OVER THE REGION. ADDITIONAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS THROUGH THE AFTERNOON SHOULD BE LESS THAN 3 INCHES. A FEW SNOW SHOWERS MAY LINGER OVER NORTHWEST FACING SLOPES THIS EVENING...BUT NO ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED. ON THE PLAINS...AREAS OF FOG WILL GRADUALLY LIFT THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. SCATTERED LIGHT SNOW SHOWERS OR SNOW FLURRIES COULD OCCUR AT TIMES...BUT NO SNOW ACCUMULATION IS EXPECTED. CLEARING SKIES ARE EXPECTED LATER TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY DRY AND MILD ON TUESDAY...THEN SNOW AND GUSTY WINDS WILL SPREAD BACK INTO THE MOUNTAINS LATE WEDNESDAY AND CONTINUE THROUGH FRIDAY. THE STRONGEST WINDS ARE EXPECTED FROM WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING OVER THE FRONT RANGE FOOTHILLS WITH GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH POSSIBLE. ACROSS LOWER ELEVATIONS...MAINLY DRY AND MILD THROUGH THE REST OF THE WEEK. TEMPERATURES WILL CLIMB INTO THE 50S FROM WEDNESDAY THROUGH THE WEEKEND. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED TODAY OR TONIGHT.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 avalanche. Local standard time, as filed.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avalanche, S & Se Grand / W Central & Sw Boulder / Gilpin / Clear Creek / Summit / N & W Park Counties Above 9000 Feet | 2014-02-10 | 46 | Male | Outside/Open Areas | Direct |
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, February 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: 504137.