Strong to high winds occurred across the eastern mountains and adjacent terrain. Wind gusts in excess of 75 mph occurred across the higher elevations of the Sangre De Cristo and Wet Mountains, as well as Pikes Peak.
Every event with a place to put it; 4 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.
Strong to high winds occurred across the eastern mountains and adjacent terrain. Wind gusts in excess of 75 mph occurred across the higher elevations of the Sangre De Cristo and Wet Mountains, as well as Pikes Peak.
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 Dec 19, 8:25 PM MST, 1 hour 35 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO 825 PM MST SAT DEC 19 2015 .UPDATE... ISSUED AT 824 PM MST SAT DEC 19 2015 BASED ON RECENT INCOMING DATA...00Z/20TH COMPUTER SIMULATIONS/FORECAST SOUNDINGS...ETC. AND RECENT 74 MPH WIND GUST AT THE PIKES PEAK SENSOR...HAVE CONVERTED EXISTING HIGH WIND WATCH TO A HIGH WIND WARNING FROM 03Z-22Z SUNDAY FOR PUBLIC ZONES 72<75...78<82 AND 87-88. IN ADDITION...WILL DEPICT A HIGH WIND WATCH FOR PUBLIC ZONES 84/85 FROM 10Z-22Z SUNDAY. ALSO HAVE ADJUSTED FRONT-END OF THE GRIDS/ZONES TO REFLECT RECENT OBS/ETC. && .SHORT TERM...(THIS EVENING THROUGH SUNDAY) ISSUED AT 240 PM MST SAT DEC 19 2015 ...STRONG WINDS POSSIBLE ACROSS THE EASTERN SLOPES LATE TONIGHT... HIGH CLOUDS ASSOCIATED WITH THE SUBTROPICAL JET OVER THE BAJA REGION WILL CONTINUE TO STREAM OVER CO THROUGH EARLY SUN MORNING. CLOUDS INITIALLY SLOWED TEMPS FROM CLIMBING TODAY...BUT OBS AS OF 2 PM NOW SHOW MID 50S OVER THE I-25 CORRIDOR. MAIN FOCUS IN THE FORECAST OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS WILL BE A SHORTWAVE TROUGH CURRENTLY OVER CA...WHICH WILL MOVE INTO THE FOUR CORNERS REGION SUN MORNING AND THEN THROUGH CO DURING THE DAY TOMORROW. THE TROUGH WILL BRING SOME LIGHT SNOW TO THE CONTDVD THROUGH SUNDAY. SNOW WILL BEGIN OVER THE SW MTNS LATE TONIGHT...THEN SHIFT TO THE CENTRAL MTNS SUN MORNING AND AFTERNOON. COULD SEE SOME LIGHT SPOTTY ACCUMS IN THE 1-3 INCH RANGE BY TOMORROW EVENING. SNOW RATES SHOULD BE LOW ENOUGH THAT IMPACT WILL BE LIMITED. MAIN CONCERN WITH THIS SYSTEM IS THE POTENTIAL FOR STRONG WINDS ALONG AND E OF THE ERN MTN RANGES LATE TONIGHT THROUGH SUN MORNING. THERE ARE SOME SIGNIFICANT MODEL DIFFERENCES THAT ARE MAKING THE POTENTIAL FOR HIGH WINDS A BIT HARD TO PIN DOWN. THE HIGHER RES NAM RUNS CONTINUE TO SHOW THE BEST POTENTIAL FOR HIGH WINDS OVER THE SRN SANGRES AND SPANISH PEAKS REGION...WHILE THE HIGH RES WRF SHOWS BETTER POTENTIAL FARTHER TO THE NORTH...ALONG THE ERN SLOPES OF THE RAMPARTS. BELIEVE THE WRF MAY BE OVERDOING SURFACE WIND POTENTIAL...BUT GIVEN THE FAIRLY STRONG CROSS-BARRIER FLOW THERE DOES APPEAR TO BE SOME POTENTIAL FOR MOUNTAIN WINDS LATE TONIGHT INTO SUN MORNING. HAVE ADDED THE PIKES PEAK REGION TO THE HIGH WIND WATCH FOR TONIGHT. MAIN AREA OF CONCERN IS ALONG THE ERN SLOPES OF THE RAMPARTS...FROM I-25 WESTWARD INTO EXTREME ERN TELLER COUNTY. BEST WINDOW FOR STRONG WINDS WOULD BE IN THE 09-15Z TIME FRAME. WILL HAVE TO WAIT TO SEE IF WINDS START TO PICK UP THIS EVENING IN THE FAVORED AREAS FROM KAFF TO THE RAMPARTS. FARTHER TO THE SOUTH...A SIGNIFICANT MOUNTAIN WAVE AND/OR GAP FLOW EVENT IS POSSIBLE FROM ROUGHLY SPANISH PEAKS NWD TO THE SRN WET MOUNTAIN VALLEY. WIND GUSTS IN THE 75 MPH RANGE WILL BE POSSIBLE THERE...PARTICULARLY FROM 09-15Z. AS THE WAVES BREAK DOWN WITH INCREASING FORWARD SHEAR SUN MORNING...BREEZY TO WINDY CONDITIONS WILL SPREAD TO THE I-25 CORRIDOR SUN AFTERNOON. EXPECT HIGHS TOMORROW IN THE 50S OVER THE PLAINS...AS WINDS AND MIXING COMPENSATE SOMEWHAT FOR FALLING TEMPS ALOFT. TEMPS IN THE MTNS WILL BE MAINLY IN THE 20S...WITH ONGOING SHSN OVER THE CONTDVD. ROSE .LONG TERM...(SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY) ISSUED AT 240 PM MST SAT DEC 19 2015 SUN NIGHT THROUGH MON NIGHT...WESTERLY FLOW ALOFT WL BRING SOME MSTR AND SNOW SHOWERS TO PORTIONS OF THE CONTDVD...ESPECIALLY THE CENTRAL MTNS. DURING THIS TIME-FRAME ACCUMULATIONS DO NOT LOOK SIGNIFICANT AND WL NOT ISSUE ANY HIGHLIGHTS. THE REST OF THE FORECAST AREA SHOULD BE DRY DURING THIS TIME. ALSO...THERE WL BE PERIODS OF SOME BREEZY TO WINDY CONDITIONS OVER AND TO THE LEE OF THE MTNS. HIGH TEMPS ON MON SHOULD BE AROUND TO A LITTLE ABOVE AVERAGE. ON TUE AN UPR TROF WL MOVE INTO THE AREA AND BRING ADDITIONAL MSTR TO THE CONTDVD. CHANCES FOR ACCUMULATING SNOW WL INCREASE ALONG THE CONTDVD WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR SEVERAL INCHES OF ACCUMULATION. AT THIS TIME IT LOOKS LIKE THE ERN MTNS WL MOSTLY REMAIN DRY ON TUE AS WILL THE SERN PLAINS. THE WESTERLY FLOW WL KEEP TEMPS WARM ACRS MOST OF THE FORECAST AREA...WITH HIGHS ON TUE BEING ABOVE AVERAGE ACRS THE PLAINS AND IN THE SAN LUIS VALLEY. THE TROF WL EAST OF THE STATE BY WED MORNING. IT WL LIKELY SPREAD SOME SNOW INTO THE ERN MTNS AND COULD BRING SOME ISOLD PCPN TO PORTIONS OF THE SERN PLAINS. IT SHOULD STILL BE BREEZY TO WINDY OVR AND NR THE MTNS. UNSETTLED WX IS EXPECTED FOR WED...WITH THE MTNS AND HIGH VALLEYS LIKELY SEE SOME PCPN AS MOIST WESTERLY FLOW CONTINUES OVR THE AREA. THE MODELS ALSO HINT AT SOME ISOLD SHOWERS OVR THE SERN PLAINS...BUT WL LEAVE THAT AREA DRY FOR NOW. IT STILL LOOKS LIKE TEMPS WL BE ABOVE AVERAGE ACRS THE PLAINS ON WED...AND AROUND TO SLIGHTLY ABOVE AVERAGE IN THE SAN LUIS VALLEY. WED NIGHT...AS A SHORTWAVE TROF MOVES BY TO THE NORTH...A FRONT IS EXPECTED TO DROP SOUTH THRU SERN CO BRINGING COOLER TEMPS TO THE AREA FOR THU. SNOW IS STILL EXPECTED ALONG THE CONTDVD WED EVENING WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR SOME ISOLD SHOWERS OVR ERN AREAS...BUT BY THU MORNING MUCH OF THE AREA IS FORECAST BY THE MODELS TO BE DRY. THE DRY CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO BE SHORT LIVED...AS MOISTURE IS EXPECTED TO INCREASE AGAIN OVR THE WESTERN HALF OF THE STATE AHEAD OF AN INCOMING UPR TROF. THIS WL LEAD TO MORE SNOW ALONG THE CONTDVD...AND THEN SPREADING TO THE ERN MTNS IN THE AFTERNOON. THE UPR TROF THEN BEGINS TO TAKE SHAPE OVR THE GREAT BASIN THU NIGHT BUT THEN SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES APPEAR BETWEEN THE GFS AND ECMWF. BY 00Z SAT THE GFS HAS A CLOSED LOW SITTING OVR NWRN AZ...WHILE THE ECMWF HAS A PROGRESSIVE TROF MOVING WY AND CO. THE ECMWF THEN TAKES THE UPR LOW INTO MN ON SAT WITH A TRAILING TROF AND FRONT OVR CO. AT THE SAME TIME...THE GFS MOVES THE CLOSED LOW SOUTH INTO NORTHERN MEXICO. SOME OF THE GFS ENSEMBLE MEMBERS ALSO SHOW A MORE PROGRESSIVE SYSTEM. TIME WILL TELL...BUT FOR NOW THERE IS HIGH UNCERTAINTY WITH THE FORECAST FOR FRI THRU SAT. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z SUNDAY EVENING) ISSUED AT 240 PM MST SAT DEC 19 2015 MAIN CONCERN CONTINUES TO BE THE POTENTIAL FOR MOUNTAIN WAVES AND STRONG WINDS LATER TONIGHT THROUGH SUN MORNING. EXPECT MODERATE TO SVR TB OVER THE PEAKS AND EAST OF THE SANGRES...WETS...AND RAMPARTS TONIGHT AND SUN MORNING. ALSO COULD SEE A BRIEF PERIOD OF LLWS SUN MORNING AT KCOS. THE TAF SITES WILL REMAIN VFR THROUGH SUNDAY. THE CONTDVD WILL CONTINUE TO SEE OBSCD RIDGES WITH PERSISTENT SHSN FROM LATER TONIGHT ONWARD. IN FACT...THE CENTRAL CO MOUNTAINS COULD SEE NEARLY CONSTANT LIGHT SHSN FOR MOST OF THE COMING WEEK. ROSE && .PUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... HIGH WIND WATCH FROM 3 AM MST SUNDAY THROUGH SUNDAY AFTERNOON FOR COZ084-085. HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 3 PM MST SUNDAY FOR COZ072>075-078>082- 087-088. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO 839 PM MST SAT DEC 19 2015 COZ058>089-093>099-210345- 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- 839 PM MST SAT DEC 19 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL...EAST CENTRAL...SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT AN APPROACHING QUICK MOVING STORM SYSTEM WILL SPREAD STRONG WINDS INTO THE REGION FROM TONIGHT INTO SUNDAY. LOCATIONS...INCLUDING TELLER COUNTY AND PIKES PEAK AS WELL AS PORTIONS OF EXTREME WESTERN EL PASO COUNTY TO THE WEST OF INTERSTATE 25...THE SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS...WET MOUNTAINS...WET MOUNTAIN VALLEY...SOUTHERN INTERSTATE 25 CORRIDOR AND SPANISH PEAKS REGION HAVE THE HIGHEST POTENTIAL OF EXPERIENCING THE STRONGEST WINDS...WITH MOUNTAIN LOCATIONS PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED CAPABLE ON NOTING WIND GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 75 MPH AT TIMES...WHILE NEARBY LOWER ELEVATIONS HAVE THE POTENTIAL OF EXPERIENCING WIND GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH AT TIMES. IN ADDITION...LIGHT SNOW IS ANTICIPATED OVER THE SECTIONS OF CONTINENTAL DIVIDE TONIGHT. NEW SNOW ACCUMULATIONS ARE PROJECTED TO GENERALLY REMAIN UNDER AN INCH THROUGH SUNRISE SUNDAY OVER THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY SUNDAY WILL BE WINDY OVER THE SOUTHERN MOUNTAINS AND PLAINS ADJACENT TO THE SOUTHERN I-25 CORRIDOR. GUSTS TO 75 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN WITH GUSTS TO 60 MPH POSSIBLE ACROSS THE LOWER ELEVATIONS THROUGH MIDDAY BEFORE GRADUALLY DECREASING. ELSEWHERE...GUSTS TO 50 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN WITH GUSTS TO 40 MPH LOWER DOWN. SNOW WILL FALL ALONG THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE SUNDAY WITH 2 TO 4 INCHES POSSIBLE. SNOWFALL WILL BECOME ISOLATED ALONG THE DIVIDE SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY BEFORE INCREASING AGAIN MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY. SNOW WILL CONTINUE ALONG THE DIVIDE THROUGH WEDNESDAY WITH SOME ACTIVITY SPREADING TO THE EASTERN MOUNTAINS AT TIMES. STRONG WINDS WILL COMBINE WITH THE SNOW TO PRODUCE AREAS OF BLOWING...DRIFTING AND REDUCED VISIBILITIES. SEVERAL INCHES OF SNOW WILL BE POSSIBLE ALONG THE DIVIDE DURING THIS PERIOD WITH ONLY SPOTTY LIGHT ACCUMULATIONS POSSIBLE ELSEWHERE. SNOWFALL WILL DECREASE ALONG THE DIVIDE WEDNESDAY NIGHT BEFORE INCREASING AGAIN THURSDAY AFTERNOON WITH THE APPROACH OF A NEW WEATHER SYSTEM. THIS NEXT SYSTEM HAS THE POTENTIAL TO SPREAD SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL TO THE EASTERN MOUNTAINS AND PLAINS THURSDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY. HOWEVER...THIS IS STILL NEARLY A WEEK A WAY AND VERY UNCERTAIN. STAY TUNED TO YOUR NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PUEBLO AND WE'LL KEEP YOU POSTED. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER CONDITIONS THAT MEET REPORTING CRITERIA FOR SPOTTERS WILL BE POSSIBLE TONIGHT OVER TELLER COUNTY AND PIKES PEAK AS WELL AS PORTIONS OF EXTREME WESTERN EL PASO COUNTY TO THE WEST OF INTERSTATE 25...THE SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS...WET MOUNTAINS...WET MOUNTAIN VALLEY...SOUTHERN INTERSTATE 25 CORRIDOR AND SPANISH PEAKS REGION.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
4 high wind. 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, December 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: 611553, 611554, 611555, 611556.