A winter storm brought heavy snow to areas in and near the Front Range Foothills. 5 inches near Evergreen; 11 inches, 4 miles east-northeast of Conifer, Copeland Lake and Roach SNOTEL.
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The episode as NWS BOU wrote it up.
A winter storm brought heavy snow to areas in and near the Front Range Foothills. In the Front Range Mountains and Foothills, storm totals included: 20 inches, 3 miles south-southeast of Jamestown; 17 inches at Lake Eldora, 4 miles south-southeast of Pinecliffe and 3 miles southwest Ward; 15 inches at Nederland; 13.5 inches, 12 miles northwest of Golden; 12 inches near Allenspark, Aspen Springs, Genesee and Kittredge; 11.5 inches near Evergreen; 11 inches, 4 miles east-northeast of Conifer, Copeland Lake and Roach SNOTEL. Elsewhere, storm totals ranged from 5 to 10 inches.
Along the Urban Corridor, the heaviest snowfall occurred in those areas adjacent to the foothills and near the Palmer Divide. Storm totals included: 11.5 inches just south of Boulder; 9.5 inches near Highlands Ranch, Lakewood and Ken Caryl; 9 inches in Westminster; 8.5 inches near Castle Pines and Centenniel; with 8 inches near Broomfield; with 7.5 inches in Arvada. Lesser amounts of 3 to 7 inches were observed elsewhere.
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 15, 10:09 AM MST, 1 hour 51 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO 1009 AM MST SUN FEB 15 2015 .UPDATE... ISSUED AT 1009 AM MST SUN FEB 15 2015 COLD FRONT HAS PUSHED ACROSS THE NORTHEAST PLAINS AND STRATUS DECK QUICKLY FILLING IN BEHIND IT. RADAR SHOWS ONE BAND OF SNOW...MAINLY VIRGA SO FAR ON THE PLAINS...STRETCHING ACROSS THE NORTHERN PORTIONS OF THE FORECAST AREA. MAIN AREA OF PRECIPITATION IS SINKING SOUTHWARD ACROSS WYOMING AND IS ON TRACK TO REACH THE I-70 CORRIDOR AROUND 2-3 PM. FIRST BAND MAY TRY TO FILL IN AS UPSLOPE COMPONENT DEEPENS THROUGH THE NOON HOUR...BUT MOST OF THE ACCUMULATING SNOW IN LOWER ELEVATIONS SHOULD HOLD OFF UNTIL DEEPER MOISTURE AND BETTER INSTABILITY ARRIVE BY MID TO LATE AFTERNOON. LATEST 12Z MODEL RUNS ARE MORE AGGRESSIVE WITH POTENTIAL ACCUMULATIONS ALONG THE FRONT RANGE AND MANY FAVORABLE PARAMETERS APPEAR IN PLACE FOR A LONGER DURATION INCLUDING THE UPSLOPE...Q-G FORCING...INSTABILITY...AND POTENTIAL EMBEDDED CONVECTION. WILL NUDGE SNOW AMOUNTS UP A BIT WITH SOME POTENTIAL FOR UPGRADING TO A WARNING LATER THIS AFTERNOON. HIGHEST THREAT WOULD BE IN/RIGHT NEXT TO FRONT RANGE FOOTHILLS. && .SHORT TERM...(TODAY THROUGH TONIGHT ) ISSUED AT 425 AM MST SUN FEB 15 2015 AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH CENTERED NEAR YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK WILL DIVE SOUTH-SOUTHEAST TODAY. AT THE SURFACE...A COLD FRONT WILL BE PUSHING SOUTH ACROSS EASTERN COLORADO DURING THE EARLY MORNING. UPSLOPE NORTH TO NORTHEAST WINDS WILL FORM BEHIND THE FRONT. AS THE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH MOVES OVER COLORADO AND COMBINES WITH THE UPSLOPE FLOW...SNOW WILL FORM. EXPECT THE SNOW TO ENTER NORTHEAST COLORADO LATE THIS MORNING AND SPREAD SOUTH THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. BECAUSE OF THE COLDER AIRMASS AND CLOUD COVER...EXPECT HIGHS TO BE MUCH COLDER TODAY WITH READINGS IN THE 30S. ALSO...ANY PRECIPITATION THAT FALLS SHOULD BE SNOW. JUST A SLIGHT CHANCE FOR RAIN WHEN PRECIPITATION BEGINS. THE MAIN AREA SNOW WILL SLIDE SOUTH THIS EVENING WITH THE MAIN TROUGH. HOWEVER UPSLOPE FLOW WILL PERSIST THROUGH THE NIGHT...SO WILL KEEP A GOOD CHANCE FOR SNOW IN THE FORECAST THROUGH OUT THE NIGHT. MAY SEE AN INCREASE IN SNOW LATE TONIGHT AS THE NEXT SYSTEM NEARS NORTHERN COLORADO. WILL GO WITH A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR AREAS WEST OF I-25 TO THE FRONT RANGE MOUNTAINS. WILL BEGIN IT LATE THIS MORNING AND RUN IT THROUGH MOST OF MONDAY AFTERNOON. EXPECT A LULL OR BREAK IN THE SNOW LATE TONIGHT AND EARLY MONDAY MORNING...THEN SNOW PICKS UP AGAIN MONDAY WITH THE NEXT SYSTEM. .LONG TERM...(MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY) ISSUED AT 425 AM MST SUN FEB 15 2015 FORECAST CONTINUES TO UNDERGO CHANGES AS THE 00Z AND 06Z MODEL RUNS GAIN A BETTER HANDLE ON THE NEXT WEATHER MAKER APPROACHING FROM IDAHO AND WRN WYOMING. MODELS SHOW AN AMPLIFYING SHORTWAVE TROUGH AND COLD FRONT SWINGING SOUTHEASTWARD OUT OF WYOMING AND OVER NORTHERN PORTIONS OF THE FCST AREA SOMETIME MONDAY MORNING. MODELS DIFFER AS TO WHEN THIS WILL EXACTLY OCCUR. THE GFS AND ECMWF SHOW A SFC COLD FRONT RACING SOUTH THROUGH THE DENVER AREA BY AROUND 12Z WITH SNOWFALL DEVELOPING SHORTLY THEREAFTER. WHEREAS THE NAM SHOWS A 750-550MB TROUGH AXIS AND SFC COLD FRONT PASSING THROUGH THE FORT COLLINS AREA AT ABOUT THAT TIME...AND NOT LONG AFTER THAT PASSING THROUGH THE DENVER METRO AREA. NAM ALSO INDICATES A NW-TO-SE BAND OF MODERATE SNOWFALL IN THE VICINITY OF THE JET STREAM KNIFING OUT OF WYOMING ALONG ALONG A FT COLLINS TO GREELEY AXIS. COULD SEE SNOWFALL RATES OF 1-2 INCHES PER HOUR IN THIS AREA DURING THE MORNING...BUT A QUICK DROP OFF WITH THE JET...THE UPPER TROUGH AND SFC COLD FRONT MOVING SOUTH OF THERE. GFS AND ECMWF ON THE OTHER HAND...SHOW SNOWFALL ALREADY UNDERWAY IN THE DENVER AREA BY AROUND 12Z WITH DEEPENING POST- FRONTAL ANTICYCLONIC UPSLOPE FLOW. BASED ON A BLEND OF THESE MODELS...WILL GO WITH LIGHT TO MODERATE SNOWFALL SPREADING SOUTH ALONG THE I-25 CORRIDOR THROUGH THE MORNING AND INTO THE AFTERNOON WITH SNOWFALL GRADUALLY DECREASING FROM NORTH-TO-SOUTH THROUGH THE DAY. SAME GOES FOR THE FRONT RANGE MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS. ITS POSSIBLE THE HIGHER TERRAIN NEAR THE WYOMING BORDER COULD SEE 1-3 INCH PER HR SNOWFALL RATES FOR A FEW HOURS IN THE MORNING. THESE INTENSITIES ARE EXPECTED TO SHIFT TO THE SRN FRONT RANGE FOOTHILLS BY AFTERNOON. AND AS THAT HAPPENS SHOULD SEE SNOWFALL DECREASING ACRS ERN LARIMER AND WELD COUNTIES WITH DRIER AIR DOWNSLOPING OFF THE CHEYENNE RIDGE. ALSO EXPECT SNOWFALL TO DECREASE OVER EASTERN SECTIONS OF THE DENVER METRO AREA SUCH AS DIA DURING THE AFTERNOON HRS...WITH NELY UPSLOPE FLOW BECOMING THE MAIN FORCING MECHANISM FOR SNOW PRODUCTION ALONG THE FRONT RANGE. BY THEN THE MAIN BAND OF JET LIFT SHOULD BE WELL SOUTH OF THE AREA. BY MONDAY EVENING...SNOWFALL ALONG THE FRONT RANGE SHOULD BE WRAPPING UP FROM NORTH-TO-SOUTH WITH ADDITIONAL SNOW AMOUNTS BY 6 PM LST RANGING FROM 1-3 INCHES WITHIN THE I-25 CORRIDOR AND FROM 2-5 INCHES IN THE FOOTHILLS. HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF THE FRONT RANGE COULD RECEIVE ANYWHERE FROM 3-7 INCHES OF ADDITIONAL SNOWFALL BY LATE MONDAY EVENING WITH THE GREATER AMOUNTS ABOVE TIMBERLINE AND HIGH PASSES. FARTHER OUT ON THE PLAINS SNOW AMOUNTS SHOULD DROP OFF QUICKLY WITH HARDLY ANY SNOW ACROSS THE NORTHEAST CORNER OF THE STATE. ON TUESDAY...AS COLD ADVECTION AND OROGRAPHIC LIFT PRODUCED BY MODERATE NWLY FLOW CONTINUES TO PRODUCE LIGHT SNOWFALL IN THE HIGH COUNTRY...ANOTHER JET BISECTING THE NERN CORNER OF THE STATE COULD GENERATE SOME BANDED LIGHT SNOWFALL IN THIS AREA WITH LOCAL SNOW AMOUNTS UP TO A HALF INCH POSSIBLE. OTHERWISE SHOULD DRY CONDITIONS ALONG THE FRONT RANGE WITH THE BNDRY LAYER FLOW BECOMING NWLY WHICH IS A DRIER WIND COMPONENT FOR THE AREA. LOOKING AHEAD TO THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEK...THINGS DRY OUT AND GRADUALLY WARM UP AS THE BUILDING UPPER RIDGE OUT WEST BEGINS TO SHIFT EASTWARD. AS THE MTN TOP FLOW TURNS WESTERLY...COULD SEE PERIODS OF STG AND GUSTY CHINOOK WINDS IN AND NEAR THE FRONT RANGE THROUGH NEXT FRIDAY WHICH WILL HELP TO WARM THINGS UP. BY LATE FRIDAY OR EARLY SATURDAY...MEDIUM RANGE MODELS SHOW YET ANOTHER CLIPPER SYSTEM DROPPING IN FROM THE NORTHERN ROCKIES POSSIBLY RETURNING COLD AND SNOW TO THE FCST AREA. WE'RE ENTERING INTO AN ACTIVE WEATHER PATTERN WHICH IS NOT UNCOMMON FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR. STAY TUNE. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE TAFS THROUGH 18Z MONDAY MORNING) ISSUED AT 1009 AM MST SUN FEB 15 2015 STRATUS DECK AND IFR/MVFR CEILINGS ARE QUICKLY FILLING IN BEHIND THE FRONT. THESE WILL REMAIN IN PLACE THROUGH MONDAY EVENING. THERE COULD BE SOME SNOW NEAR THE FRONT RANGE AIRPORTS AS EARLY AS 19Z...BUT MAIN SNOW SHOULD HOLD OFF TIL 20Z-22Z PER LATEST RADAR TRENDS. VISIBILITIES MAY FALL TO 1/2-1 MILE IN HEAVIER SNOW BANDS. LIGHT SNOW SHOULD PREVAIL THROUGH MOST OF TONIGHT AND AT THIS TIME SEE LITTLE BREAK BEFORE NEXT SYSTEM BRINGS MORE SNOW FOR MONDAY. MOST LIKELY TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS WILL RANGE FROM 3-6 INCHES AT KDEN WITH 4-8 AT KBJC AND KAPA...BUT LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS POSSIBLE GIVEN INSTABILITY AND POTENTIAL FOR CONVECTION. && .BOU WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 3 PM MST MONDAY FOR COZ038>041. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM MST MONDAY FOR COZ033>036. && UPDATE...BARJENBRUCH SHORT TERM...MEIER LONG TERM...BAKER AVIATION...BARJENBRUCH
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO 1102 AM MST SUN FEB 15 2015 COZ030>051-161815- 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- 1102 AM MST SUN FEB 15 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST AND NORTH CENTRAL COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SNOW WILL BECOME WIDESPREAD THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE SNOW MAY BE HEAVY AT TIMES ESPECIALLY IN AND NEAR THE FRONT RANGE MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS. ROADS ARE EXPECTED TO BECOME SNOW COVERED IN AREAS THAT SEE HEAVIER SNOWFALL LATE THIS AFTERNOON...AND IN ALL AREAS TONIGHT AS TEMPERATURES DROP AND SNOW CONTINUES TO FALL. IF TRAVELING THIS AFTERNOON OR TONIGHT...ALLOW EXTRA TIME TO REACH YOUR DESTINATION. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY SNOW AND HAZARDOUS TRAVEL CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE MONDAY AND THEN GRADUALLY DECREASE MONDAY EVENING. AT THIS TIME...TOTAL ACCUMULATIONS OF 4 TO 8 INCHES CAN BE EXPECTED ALONG THE FRONT RANGE URBAN CORRIDOR...WITH 6 TO 14 INCHES IN THE FRONT RANGE MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS. LIGHTER AMOUNTS OF 1 TO 4 INCHES CAN BE EXPECTED OVER THE EASTERN PLAINS. SNOW WILL STILL BE LIKELY OVER THE MOUNTAINS INTO TUESDAY MORNING...BEFORE GRADUALLY DECREASING BY SUNSET. ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATIONS IN THE MOUNTAINS WILL NOT BE SIGNIFICANT. DRY WEATHER IS EXPECTED TUESDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY...THEN THE NEXT POTENTIAL STORM MOVES IN. TEMPERATURES WILL BE BELOW SEASONAL NORMALS TUESDAY...THEN WARM UP A BIT WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. COLD AIR RETURNS NEXT SATURDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED TONIGHT. HOWEVER...ANY SNOWFALL REPORTS WILL BE GREATLY APPRECIATED. BARJENBRUCH/RJK
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
5 winter weather, 2 winter storm. 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, February 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: 552309, 552310, 552311, 552312, 552313, 552314, 552315.