A spring storm brought moderate to heavy snow to parts of the Front Range Foothills. Storm totals included: 11 inches, near Estes Park and 5 miles west-southwest of Nederland; 9 inches near Allenspark and Frisco.
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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 spring storm brought moderate to heavy snow to parts of the Front Range Foothills. Storm totals included: 11 inches, near Estes Park and 5 miles west-southwest of Nederland; 9 inches near Allenspark and Frisco.
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 Apr 2, 2:49 PM MST, 3 hours 11 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO 349 PM MDT THU APR 2 2015 .SHORT TERM...(THIS EVENING THROUGH FRIDAY) ISSUED AT 349 PM MDT THU APR 2 2015 UPPER TROUGH OVER THE NORTHERN ROCKIES HAS ITS JET RUNNING ACROSS SOUTHERN COLORADO AND A SURFACE LOW DEEPENING OVER SOUTHEASTERN COLORADO WHICH ALLOWED COOLER AIR TO MOVE SOUTH INTO THE STATE IN NORTHERLY SURFACE WINDS. SOME QG LIFT AS WELL AS SOME POTENTIAL INSTABILITY ARE ALLOWING SOME CONVECTIVE AND BANDING PROPERTIES TO THE PRECIPITATION THIS AFTERNOON....AND IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH THE EARLY EVENING BEFORE QG LIFT DECREASES. THESE TWO MECHANISMS WILL MAKE SNOWFALL AMOUNTS EXTREMELY VARIABLE ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA. VISIBILITIES WILL BE VERY LOW UNDER THESE STRONG SHOWERS AND BANDS...SO TRAVELERS SHOULD BE AWARE. OVERALL...THE HIGHER SNOWFALL AMOUNTS ARE EXPECTED TO BE FOUND NORTH OF I70 AND EAST OF THE DIVIDE. A FEW THUNDERSTORMS HAVE FORMED EAST OF DIA AND CONTINUE TO MOVE FURTHER TOWARD KANSAS. THESE SHOULD BE DONE AND OUT OF THE AREA BY 6 PM. TEMPERATURES CONTINUE TO DROP ALONG THE URBAN CORRIDOR AND UP ACROSS THE NORTHERN STATE BORDER...WHERE ELBERT AND LINCOLN COUNTIES ARE STILL INCREASING AS SOUTH WINDS HAVE YET TO SWITCH OVER TO NORTH. EXPECT THE BULK OF THE PRECIPITATION TO BE DECREASING BY MIDNIGHT WITH SOME LIGHT SNOW CONTINUING THROUGH THE EARLY MORNING HOURS. TEMPERATURES OVERNIGHT WILL BE COOLING INTO THE 20S...WHICH COULD IMPACT ROADS LATER TONIGHT. LOOK FOR COOLER TEMPERATURES AND LIGHT WINDS TOMORROW ACROSS THE AREA WITH CLOUDS CLEARING IN THE MORNING AS SUBSIDENCE ON THE BACK OF THE JET MOVES OVER THE AREA. A FEW LIGHT SHOWERS WILL BE POSSIBLE IN THE EARLY MORNING WITH LITTLE TO NO ACCUMULATION. .LONG TERM...(FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY) ISSUED AT 349 PM MDT THU APR 2 2015 UPPER LEVEL RIDGING...LITTLE IN THE WAY OF QG DYNAMICS AND A GENERALLY DRY AIRMASS WILL PREVAIL FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH EASTER SUNDAY. A LITTLE SOMETHING IN THE WAY OF DYNAMICS SWINGS BY ON MONDAY BUT IT LOOKS LIKE THE RESULT WOULD ONLY BE AN INCREASE IN THE WINDS AND SMALL THREAT OF MOUNTAIN PRECIPITATION...AND THAT GENERALLY IN THE NORTHERN REACHES OF THE CWA. MORE SUBSTANTIAL AND PROLONGED QG LIFT IS SCHEDULED TO ARRIVE ON TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY ASSOCIATED WITH GENERAL TROUGHINESS OVER THE CENTRAL ROCKIES. THIS WILL BRING A BETTER THREAT OF PRECIPITATION ALONG WITH COOLER TEMPERATURES TO THE ENTIRE AREA AT THAT TIME. AFTER ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES EARLY IN THE PERIOD THERMOMETER READINGS SHOULD BE CLOSER TO OR A BIT BELOW NORMAL BY TUESDAY SHOULD REMAIN THERE THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE PERIOD. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE TAFS THROUGH 00Z FRIDAY LATE AFTERNOON) ISSUED AT 349 PM MDT THU APR 2 2015 NORTH-NORTHWESTERLY WINDS TO REMAIN FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS ACROSS THE AIRPORTS BEFORE WEAKENING SLIGHTLY BUT REMAINING NORTHERLY. CEILINGS BELOW 1000 FEET WILL CONTINUE AROUND THROUGH THE NIGHT WITH SNOW SHOWERS BECOMING MORE WIDESPREAD. BEST CHANCE FOR SNOW WILL BE DURING ABOUT 00Z TO 06Z. EXPECT VISIBILITY TO BE AROUND A MILE IN THE SNOW AND OCCASIONALLY FALL TO A QUARTER MILE UNDER THE HEAVIER SNOW. BANDING AND CONVECTION MAY REDUCE VISIBILITIES EVEN FURTHER. CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO IMPROVE AFTER 06Z AS THIS SYSTEM STARTS TO SHIFT OFF TO THE EAST...HOWEVER LIGHT SNOW AND MVFR CEILINGS/VIS WILL LIKELY REMAIN THROUGH 10Z. LIGHT WINDS AND VFR CONDITIONS FRIDAY. && .BOU WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && SHORT TERM...KRIEDERMAN LONG TERM...ET AVIATION...KRIEDERMAN
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO 1030 AM MDT THU APR 2 2015 COZ030>051-030430- 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- 1030 AM MDT THU APR 2 2015 ...RAIN AND SNOW FOR THE AREA TODAY...BECOMING SNOW TONIGHT... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST AND NORTH CENTRAL COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SCATTERED RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS ACROSS THE AREA WILL BE TRENDING TO MOVE TO THE NORTH THROUGH EARLY THIS AFTERNOON. THIS MIX WILL THEN CHANGE TO ALL SNOW BEHIND A COLD FRONT THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING WHILE PUSHING BACK SOUTH. SNOWFALL AMOUNTS ARE EXPECTED TO BE 3 TO 7 INCHES IN THE FRONT RANGE MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS WITH 1 TO 5 INCHES ALONG THE FRONT RANGE AND EASTERN PLAINS. THE HEAVIER SNOWFALL AMOUNTS WILL BE FOUND OVER THE NORTHERN PARTS OF THE AREA...MAINLY NORTH OF I70. ROADS MAY BE SLUSHY AT TIMES UNDER THE HEAVIER SNOW THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING AS TEMPERATURES COOL. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY SNOW WILL COME TO AN END FRIDAY MORNING WITH HIGH TEMPERATURES REMAINING BELOW AVERAGE FOR THE DAY. WARMER AND DRIER CONDITIONS WILL MOVE IN FOR THE WEEKEND AND EARLY NEXT WEEK WITH ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES UNDER MOSTLY SUNNY SKIES. THE NEXT POTENTIAL WEATHER PRODUCER MAY ARRIVE TUESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY BRINGING COOLER TEMPERATURES AND ANOTHER CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION TO THE REGION. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED TODAY OR TONIGHT. KRIEDERMAN/ET
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 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, April 2015
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: 564099, 564100.