A strong upper level jetstream coupled with abundant moisture from the Pacific brought an extended period of heavy snow to the North Central Mountains of Colorado where enhanced banded snowfall allowed storm totals to exceed 2 feet over a 3-day period. Across the Front Range Foothills, strong downslope winds in excess of 80 mph preceded the storm.
Every event with a place to put it; 13 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 strong upper level jetstream coupled with abundant moisture from the Pacific brought an extended period of heavy snow to the North Central Mountains of Colorado where enhanced banded snowfall allowed storm totals to exceed 2 feet over a 3-day period. Across the Front Range Foothills, strong downslope winds in excess of 80 mph preceded the storm. Locally heavy snowfall eventually spilled over into northern foothills and adjacent plains. Across the plains, the heaviest snowfall generally occurred north of Interstate 70. Storm totals across the Urban Corridor and Northeast Plains ranged from 5 to 11 inches, with the heaviest snowfall in central Weld and northern Washington Counties.
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 Jan 29, 10:36 AM MST, 1 hour 24 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO 1036 AM MST WED JAN 29 2014 .UPDATE... && .SHORT TERM...A POTPOURRI OF WEATHER TO DEAL WITH OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS...BUT IT DOESN/T END THERE. WILL LEAVE THE LATER PERIODS ALONE FOR NOW. ENOUGH CHANGES TO DISCUSS IN THE SHORT TERM. IN THE SHORT-SHORT TERM...STRONG AND GUSTY WINDS HAVE ALREADY DEVELOPED IN PORTIONS OF THE FRONT RANGE THIS MORNING...NOTABLY IN THE FOOTHILLS OF NORTHERN JEFFERSON... BOULDER...GILPIN AND CLEAR CREEK COUNTIES. SAW A RECORDED GUST OF 80 MPH ATOP COAL CREEK CANYON NEAR WONDERWU ABOUT AN HOUR AGO AND GUSTS IN THE 50-60 MPH RANGE IN THE LOWER FOOTHILLS WEST- SOUTHWEST OF BOULDER AROUND THE SAME TIME. THE 1500 METER GJT-DEN PRESSURE GRADIENT CONTINUES TO TIGHTEN NOW SITTING AT 9 MBS. UPWARD TREND LIKELY TO CONTINUE THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AND SHOULD THE GJT-DEN PG GRADIENT EXCEED 11 MBS...MAY SEE HIGH WIND WARNING CRITERIA WIND SPEEDS. FRONT RANGE FOOTHILLS NOW IN A HIGH WIND WATCH STARTING AT 01Z THIS EVENING. BASED ON LATEST DATA AND INCREASING PG GRADIENT WILL LIKELY UPGRADE THIS WATCH TO A WARNING SHORTLY. STILL APPEARS LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING TIME PERIOD BEST TIME FOR STRONGEST DOWNSLOPE WINDS. SAME GOES FOR WINDS IN THE HIGH COUNTRY WHERE WINTER STORM WARNING GOES INTO EFFECT AT NOON MST IN ZONE 31...AND 6 PM MST IN THE MTN ZONES 33..34 AND MTN VALLEY ZONES 30 AND 32. HAVE MY DOUBTS THAT WARNING CONDITIONS WILL DEVELOP IN THE ZONE 31 BY NOON. SUSPECT IT/LL BE AFTER 3 OR 4 PM MST TODAY BEFORE ACCUMULATING SNOWFALL RAMPS UP. FOR NOW WILL LEAVE WINTER WEATHER HIGHLIGHT ALONE... BUT AS I SAID BEFORE...WILL BE UPGRADING THE HIGH WIND WATCH TO A WARNING. OTHERWISE MADE MINOR ADJUSTMENTS TO SKY AND TEMPERATURES GRIDS. BEFORE WRAPPING UP...MUST SAY THE POTOURRI OF WEATHER I REFERRED TO ABOVE MAY ACTUALLY OCCUR TOMORROW INTO FRIDAY WHEN A COUPLE OF COLD FRONTS AND A STRONG PACIFIC JET STREAM COULD POTENTIALLY PRODUCE ALL SORTS OF WIND...RAIN/SNOW...SNOW...BLOWING SNOW AND COLDER TEMPERATURES ON THE PLAINS OF NORTHEAST COLORADO. LATEST MODEL RUN PAINTS ALL SORTS OF SNOW SOMEWHERE IN NORTHEAST COLORADO BY FRIDAY MORNING. A COUPLE SHOW A BAND OF HEAVY SNOW UP ALONG THE WYOMING BORDER...ONE INDICATES A BAND OF HEAVY SNOW ACCUM ACROSS THE FORT COLLINS/LOVELAND/GREELEY AREA...WHILE ANOTHER SHOWS A WIDE SWATH OF SIGNIFICANT ACCUMULATION BY LATE THU NIGHT ACROSS SOUTHERN PORTIONS OF THE CWFA INCLUDING THE GREATER DENVER METRO AREA. AT THIS TIME...CONFIDENCE IN THE MODEL QPF AND SNOW ACCUMULATION SOLUTIONS LOW. HOPEFULLY WE/LL SEE SOME AGREEMENT IN THEM WITH THE NEXT MODEL RUN. STAY TUNE. .AVIATION...VFR CONDITIONS AT DENVER AREA AIRPORT TERMINALS THROUGH 12Z TONIGHT. WINDS MAIN CONCERN NEXT 24 HOURS... ESPECIALLY ACROSS WESTERN AND PERHAPS NORTHERN SECTIONS OF THE METRO AREA. GUSTS TO AROUND 60 MPH POSSIBLE AT BJC AND PERHAPS TO 40 MPH AT DIA THIS EVENING. CONFIDENCE NOT AT HIGH FOR DIA. SHOULD SEE CLOUD LOWERING OVERNIGHT BUT REMAINING ABOVE 8000 FT AGL. CHANGES IN THE WEATHER POSSIBLE ON THURSDAY. WILL ELABORATE IN MORE DETAIL LATER. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 330 AM MST WED JAN 29 2014/ SHORT TERM...NW FLOW ALOFT WILL GRADUALLY BECOME MORE WNW BY TONIGHT. MOISTURE WILL INCREASE IN THE MTNS ESPECIALLY THIS AFTN THRU TONIGHT WITH ATMOSPHERE BECOMING MOIST ADIABTIC. MEANWHILE WITH STG UPPER LEVEL JET OVERHEAD THIS WILL LEAD TO BANDED PCPN AND ENHANCE SNOWFALL RATES NOT ONLY IN THE MTNS BUT HIGHER VALLEYS AS WELL. THUS HAVE ADDED ZNS 30 AND 32 TO THE WINTER STORM WARNING. WINDS WE BE VERY GUSTY ESPECAILLY OVER THE HIGHER MTN PASSES WITH ZERO VISIBILITIES AT TIMES TONIGHT. EAST OF THE MTNS ONCE CONCERN FOR LATER THIS AFTN INTO THE EVENING HOURS WILL BE HIGH WIND THREAT IN THE FOOTHILLS AS THERE DOES APPEAR TO BE SOME POTENTIAL FOR A MTN WAVE WITH COMPONENT ALONG WINDS IN THE 60-65 KT RANGE . GREATEST THREAT APPEARS TO BE BETWEEN 03Z AND 09Z BASED ON CROSS-SECTIONS WITH THE MAIN AREA OF CONCERN IN THE NORMAL HIGH WIND BELT FM CENTRAL BOULDER COUNTY DOWN INTO NWRN JEFFERSON COUNTY. OVERALL CONFIDENCE IS NOT HIGH ENOUGH TO ISSUE A WARNING AT THIS POINT SO WILL JUST PUT OUT A WATCH. OVER NERN CO IT WILL BE DRY WITH WARMER TEMPERATURES THIS AFTN AS DOWNSLOPE COMPONENT KICKS IN. READINGS WILL RANGE FROM THE MID 40S TO LOWER 50S OVER THE PLAINS WITH MID TO UPPER 50S POSSIBLY AROUND THE DENVER AREA. MEANWHILE OVERNIGHT THERE MAY BE A SLIGHT CHANCE OF RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS ALONG THE WY-NE BORDER AREA AS A WK COOL FNT MOVES INTO THAT AREA AFTER MIDNIGHT. LONG TERM...MODELS HAVE A 120 TO 140 KNOT WESTERLY JET MAXIMUM OVER THE CWA THURSDAY AND THURSDAY NIGHT. BY FRIDAY...CONTINUING FRIDAY NIGHT...THE FLOW ALOFT DECREASES SOMEWHAT AND IS WEST- SOUTHWESTERLY. FOR THE MOST PART...THE QG VERTICAL VELOCITY FIELDS HAVE UPWARD SYNOPTIC SCALE ENERGY FOR THE FORECAST AREA THURSDAY THROUGH FRIDAY EVENING...WITH IT BEING FAIRLY STRONG ON FRIDAY. A NUMBER OF THE MODELS HAVE COME TO AGREEMENT CONCERNING THE BOUNDARY LAYER FLOW OVER THE CWA THURSDAY AND THURSDAY EVENING... IT'S NEARLY DUE EASTERLY UPSLOPE. THERE IS A WEAKER GRADIENT INDICATED FOR FRIDAY AND FRIDAY EVENING SO PERHAPS NORMAL DIURNAL PATTERNS WILL WIN OUT. BY EARLY SATURDAY MORNING...ANOTHER COLD AIR MASS WITH UPSLOPE BEHIND IT IS PROGGED INTO THE CWA BY 12Z. FOR MOISTURE...IT IS DEEP AND WIDESPREAD ON MOST OF THE MODELS FOR ALL THE CWA THURSDAY AND THURSDAY NIGHT. THE EAST DRIES OUT A LITTLE BIT FRIDAY MORNING...BUT THEN THE DEEP MOISTURE COVERS ALL AREAS AGAIN THE REST OF THE DAY AND FRIDAY NIGHT. THE OUTLIER BEING THE NAM...WHICH SHOWS A SOMEWHAT DRIER EAST FRIDAY NIGHT. THE QPF FIELDS PRETTY MUCH SHOW MEASURABLE SNOWFALL FOR ALL THE CWA THURSDAY THROUGH FRIDAY EVENING...THE HIGHEST AMOUNTS OVER THE MOUNTAINS. SO WITH THE MOISTURE...QG ASCENT...THE JET OVERHEAD ..SOME COLD AIR ADVECTION AND OROGRPAHIC HELP WILL KEEP THE HIGHLIGHTS GOING IN THE MOUNTAINS AND HIGH VALLEYS INTO THURSDAY EVENING AND NIGHT. WILL UP POPS A BIT OVER THE PLAINS WITH ALL THAT IN MIND INCLUDING SOME UPSLOPE FLOW. NO "LIKELY"S FOR NOW ON THE PLAINS. FOR TEMPERATURES...THURSDAY'S HIGHS LOOK TO BE 3-8 C COLDER THAN TODAY'S. FRIDAY'S HIGHS ARE 1-2 C COLDER THAN THURSDAY'S. FOR THE LATER DAYS DAYS...SATURDAY THROUGH TUESDAY ..AN UPPER TROUGH MOVES ACROSS THE CWA SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY. WEAK ZONAL FLOW ALOFT IS PROGGED ON SUNDAY. BY MONDAY ..SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW ALOFT IS ON THE INCREASE...WITH ANOTHER UPPER TROUGH TO MOVE ACROSS ON TUESDAY. MOISTURE IS NOT VERY SIGNIFICANT ALL FOUR DAYS...EVEN WITH THE UPPER LEVEL SYSTEMS. THE CWA LOOKS TO STAY IN A COLDER THAN NORMAL AIRMASS ALL FOUR DAYS. NO SIGNIFICANT POPS RIGHT NOW ANYWHERE...BUT THAT MAY CHANGE. AVIATION...WINDS WERE DRAINAGE EARLY THIS MORNING WITH ONLY SOME HIGHER LEVEL CLOUDS MOVING ACROSS. WINDS SHOULD STAY SSW THRU THE AFTN. THIS EVENING AS HIGHER WINDS DEVELOP IN AND NR THE FOOTHILLS MAY SEE A SWITCH TO A MORE WLY COMPONENT IN THE EARLY EVENING HOURS AND THEN MORE WNW AFTER MIDNIGHT. && .BOU WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 5 AM MST FRIDAY FOR COZ033-034. HIGH WIND WATCH FROM 6 PM MST THIS EVENING THROUGH LATE TONIGHT FOR COZ035-036. WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO MIDNIGHT MST THURSDAY NIGHT FOR COZ030-032. WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 5 AM MST FRIDAY FOR COZ031. && SHORT TERM...BAKER LONG TERM....RJK AVIATION...BAKER
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO 1130 AM MST WED JAN 29 2014 COZ030>051-301830- 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- 1130 AM MST WED JAN 29 2014 ...SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL AND STRONG WINDS FOR THE HIGH COUNTRY IN NORTH CENTRAL COLORADO THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST AND NORTH CENTRAL COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SNOW WILL GRADUALLY DEVELOP IN THE MOUNTAINS OF NORTH CENTRAL COLORADO THIS AFTERNOON AND BECOME MORE WIDESPREAD AND HEAVIER THIS EVENING. WIND GUSTS FROM 60 TO 70 MPH WILL CAUSE WHITEOUT CONDITIONS ABOVE TIMBERLINE AND ON THE HIGHER PASSES OVERNIGHT. HIGH COUNTRY ACCUMULATIONS BY LATE TONIGHT WILL RANGE FROM 7 TO 14 INCHES WITH 4 TO 8 INCHES IN THE MOUNTAIN VALLEYS WEST OF THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE BY MORNING. ALONG THE EAST SLOPE OF THE FRONT RANGE...GUSTY WEST WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO STRENGTHEN THROUGH THE AFTERNOON WITH GUSTS APPROACHING 70 MPH IN AREAS PRONE TO HIGH WINDS SUCH AS IN THE FOOTHILLS OF JEFFERSON AND BOULDER COUNTIES. BY THIS EVENING HIGH WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO BECOME MORE WIDESPREAD OVER THE FRONT RANGE AND IN FOOTHILLS WITH POTENTIAL GUSTS TO AROUND 80 MPH UNTIL AROUND 3 AM MST TONIGHT. THE STRONG AND GUSTY WINDS WILL PRODUCE BLOWING SNOW CAUSING NEAR WHITE OUT CONDITIONS. NEAR THE BASE OF THE FOOTHILLS...WIND GUSTS TO NEAR 60 MPH THIS EVENING WILL ALSO PRODUCE BLOWING SNOW AND REDUCED VISIBILITIES IN OPEN AREAS SUCH AS ALONG HIGHWAY 93 BETWEEN GOLDEN AND BOULDER. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY SNOW...HEAVY AT TIMES IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE OVER THE MOUNTAINS AND HIGH VALLEYS ON THURSDAY INTO THURSDAY NIGHT. ACCUMULATIONS THURSDAY AND THURSDAY NIGHT WILL BE SIGNIFICANT...WITH 7 TO 14 MORE INCHES OF SNOW. WEST WINDS GUSTING UP TO 50 MPH WILL CAUSE BLOWING SNOW. SNOW WILL CONTINUE IN THE MOUNTAINS ON FRIDAY... ALTHOUGH INTENSITIES WILL BE LIGHTER. ACROSS THE PLAINS SNOW WILL BE LIKELY LATE THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND THURSDAY NIGHT WITH ANOTHER ROUND OF SNOW POSSIBLE FRIDAY. ACCUMULATING SNOW CAN BE EXPECTED. THERE WILL BE A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SNOW IN THE MOUNTAINS SATURDAY THEN AGAIN ON MONDAY. DRY CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL SATURDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. COLDER AIR WILL SPREAD OVER THE OUTLOOK AREA BY THE WEEKEND WITH TEMPERATURES MUCH BELOW NORMAL FOR ALL THE FORECAST AREA THROUGH NEXT TUESDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED TODAY OR TONIGHT BUT SNOW REPORTS WILL BE APPRECIATED. BAKER/D_L
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
11 winter storm, 1 high wind, 1 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
Storm totals included: 15 inches at Columbine, 14 inches at Tower, 11 inches at Zirkel and 10 inches at Buffalo Park.
Peak wind gusts included: 95 mph, 1 mile northwest of Lyons; 87 mph, 3 miles east of Gold Hill; 86 mph at the NCAR Mesa Lab or 3 miles south-southwest of Boulder.
Storm totals included: 15 inches at Lake Irene, 12 inches at Wild Basin and 9 inches at Phantom Valley.
Storm totals included: 32.5 inches, 2 miles south-southeast of Breckenridge; 25.5 inches at Fremont Pass, 19 inches, 9 miles east-northeast of Dillon; 18 inches at Copper Mountain, 16 inches, 1 mile east of Dillon and 7 miles south-southwest of Frisco; 15 inches at Elliot Ridge, Fremont Pass and Hoosier Pass; 14 inches, north of Fairplay, 13 inches at Jackwhacker Gulch and 11 inches at Winter Park.
A trained spotter in Fraser measured 22.5 inches of snowfall.
Storm totals included: 18 inches, 5 miles west-southwest of Nederland; 8 inches, 2 miles east-southeast of Allenspark; 7 inches at Copeland Lake and 7 miles east-northeast of Virginia Dale; with 6 inches near Estes Park.
Storm totals included: 8 inches at Crow Hill and Pine Junction, 7.5 inches, 3 miles north of Bailey, 7 inches, 4 miles west-northwest of Conifer, with 6 inches at Genesee and Grant.
Storm totals included: 9 inches, 13 miles east-northeast of Nunn; 8 inches, 3 miles east-northeast of Fort Collins; 7 inches, 2 miles southeast of Loveland; 6 inches, 4 miles east of Fort Collins and 2 miles north of Loveland.
Storm totals included: 10 inches, 1 mile northwest Louisville; 8 inches, 1 mile southwest of Westminster; 6.5 inches in north Longmont, 5.5 inches, 3 miles east-northeast of Eldorado Springs, and near Louisville and Niwot; 3 to 5 inches elsewhere.
Storm totals included: 11 inches, 4 miles east of Akron; 10 inches in Otis, with 8 inches at Akron and Cope. CO61, from Otis to Sterling, was icy and snowpacked and nearly impassable due to blowing and drifting snow.
Storm totals included: 7.5 inches, 1 mile west of Northglenn; 5 inches, 5 miles northeast of Westminster; 4.5 inches, 5 miles west-northwest of Brighton; with 2 to 4 inches elsewhere.
Storm totals included: 8 inches in Evans, 5 inches in Galeton and Greeley, with 2 to 4 inches elsewhere.
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, January 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: 497821, 497835, 497822, 497823, 497825, 497826, 497827, 497828, 497829, 497830, 497831, 497894, 497908.