A quick moving winter storm generated heavy snow accumulations over portions of southern Colorado. More than 8 inches of snow fell across the southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains and Wet Mountains.
Every event with a place to put it; 7 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.
A quick moving winter storm generated heavy snow accumulations over portions of southern Colorado. More than 8 inches of snow fell across the southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains and Wet Mountains. Six to 10 inches accumulated around Rye (Pueblo County...Woodland Park...Florissant...Cripple Creek (Teller County) and along the Rampart Range in western El Paso County.
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 Feb 15, 3:41 PM MST, 19 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO 341 PM MST SUN FEB 15 2015 .SHORT TERM...(THIS EVENING THROUGH MONDAY) ISSUED AT 326 PM MST SUN FEB 15 2015 ...ONE ROUND OF SNOW TONIGHT...WITH ANOTHER FOR TOMORROW... SNOW ALREADY SPREADING INTO THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS AND PIKES PEAK REGION THIS AFTERNOON AS A MORE AMPLIFIED TROF DIGS INTO NORTHWEST CO. AS MENTIONED IN PREVIOUS DISCUSSIONS...THIS FIRST WAVE IS NOW THE STRONGER OF THE TWO...WHICH HAS SHIFTED TIMING OF THE HEAVIER SNOW TO TONIGHT. WITH MORE WESTERLY TRACK OF THE SOUTHWARD MOVING TROF...THIS BRINGS A HEALTHY SHOT OF UPPER FORCING (DIV Q) ACROSS THE AREA...AND WITH MOISTURE IN PLACE ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST PLAINS BEHIND THE FRONT WHICH CAME IN LAST NIGHT...WE WON'T HAVE TO WAIT LONG TO MOISTEN THE LOW LEVELS. TEMPERATURES IN NORTHEAST COLORADO ARE ALREADY IN THE 20S AND LOWER 30S...AND AS THIS REINFORCING SURGE OF COLDER AIR POURS SOUTHWARD INTO THE SOUTHEAST PLAINS THIS AFTERNOON...CHANGE OVER TO SNOW WILL OCCUR QUICKLY IF NOT IMMEDIATELY. THIS LEADS TO CONCERNS FOR IMPACTS TO ROADWAYS...THOUGH SUSPECT LOWER ELEVATIONS ARE STILL CARRYING SOME RESIDUAL HEAT FROM THE RECENT WARM SPELL. MODELS ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT IN SPREADING SNOW RAPIDLY SOUTHWARD INTO THE AREA THIS EVENING...WITH NORTHEAST UPSLOPE FLOW PROVIDING BEST LIFT TO THE NORTHEAST FACING SLOPES OF THE RAMPART RANGE...PIKES PEAK...WETS...AND SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS. BY 06Z...BEST QG LIFT WILL BE SPREADING EASTWARD ACROSS THE PLAINS...AND NORTHERLY WINDS OFF THE PALMER SHOULD START TO DIMINISH SNOWFALL ACROSS SOUTHERN EL PASO AND NORTHERN PUEBLO COUNTIES...WHILE MAINTAINING A NICE EAST WEST BAND OF SNOW ACROSS SOUTHERN PORTIONS OF THE SOUTHEAST PLAINS...AND ALONG THE LEE OF THE SOUTHEAST MOUNTAINS. H7 WINDS ACTUALLY TURN A TAD EASTERLY AND PACK UP INTO THE ARKANSAS RIVER VALLEY OF CHAFFEE AND LAKE COUNTIES...SO THIS SHOULD BRING THEM A SHOT OF SOME MODERATE SNOWFALL THIS EVENING. BY 12Z...WE SHOULD SEE A MARKED DECREASE IN SNOWFALL AS THE UPPER TROF PULLS AWAY INTO KS. HOWEVER...OROGRAPHICS SHOULD KEEP SOME LINGERING SNOW GOING ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS AND THE PIKES PEAK REGION EVEN INTO TOMORROW MORNING. A BRIEF LULL IN THE ACTION IS EXPECTED MONDAY MORNING...THEN THE NEXT UPPER JET DIVES DOWN THE BACK SIDE OF THE UPPER TROF ACROSS CO WHICH RAMPS SNOW UP AGAIN ACROSS NORTHERN SECTIONS OF THE AREA DURING THE LATE MORNING...BEFORE SPREADING SOUTHWARD AGAIN DURING THE AFTERNOON INTO THE SOUTHEAST MOUNTAINS. SUSPECT THE TIMING OF THIS LATTER WAVE MAY CHANGE AS NEXT MODEL RUNS COME IN. FOR THAT REASON...HAVE DECIDED TO INCORPORATE THE TWO EVENTS INTO ONE HEADLINE FOR THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST MOUNTAINS...AND ADJACENT LOWER ELEVATIONS. WITH THE COLDER AIR ASSOCIATED WITH THIS EVENT...THE MAJORITY OF THE PRECIPITATION WILL LIKELY FALL AS SNOW...WHICH WILL ONLY HELP ACCUMULATIONS. AND WITH TEMPERATURES DROPPING INTO THE 20S...ROADWAYS COULD GET SLICK AND SNOWPACKED EVEN ACROSS THE LOWER ELEVATIONS TOWARDS MORNING. TEMPERATURES WILL PROBABLY STRUGGLE TO WARM MUCH ABOVE FREEZING ON MONDAY ACROSS THE PLAINS. THEREFORE THE SOUTHEAST MOUNTAINS HAVE BEEN UPGRADED TO WARNINGS AND HAVE INCLUDED THE SOUTHERN I-25 CORRIDOR WHERE MODELS AGREE IN AROUND 6-8 INCHES FOR THE RATON MESA REGION. HAVE TAKEN THE REMAINDER OF THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS...UPPER ARKANSAS RIVER VALLEY...WET MOUNTAIN VALLEY...FREMONT COUNTY...EL PASO...PUEBLO...OTERO...AND EASTERN LAS ANIMAS COUNTIES TO ADVISORIES. WITH GENERALLY 3-6 OR 4-8 INCHES DEPENDING ON ELEVATION. THERE ARE SOME POTENTIAL WILD CARDS WITHIN THIS AREA. SOME MODELS SUGGEST NORTHERN EL PASO COUNTY COULD SEE WARNING CRITERIA SNOWFALL AMOUNTS...BUT HIGH RES MODELS HAVE BEEN CONSISTENT IN SETTING UP THE HEAVIER BAND JUST SOUTH OF THIS AREA THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS THUS FORECAST LEANS MORE HEAVILY TOWARDS THE HIGH RES SOLN. AND OF COURSE AS THESE BANDS SET UP AND SPREAD EASTWARD...THERE COULD BE SOME POCKETS OF HEAVIER AMOUNTS WHICH STREAK EASTWARD ACROSS THE ADJACENT EASTERN PLAINS. AT ONE POINT...HRRR WAS SUGGESTING PUEBLO MAY BENEFIT FROM ONE OF THESE...BUT HAS SINCE FOCUSED IT ACROSS SOUTHERN PUEBLO...OTERO COUNTIES AND POINTS SOUTHWARD...WHICH JIVES BETTER WITH THE NORTHEAST OROGRAPHICS INFLUENCE. FOR NOW...AM PLAYING MAINLY THE NORTHEAST FAVORED UPSLOPE REGIONS OF THE SOUTHEAST MOUNTAINS WITH WARNING CRITERIA SNOWFALL AMOUNTS. GENERALLY 8 TO 16 INCHES...BUT HIGHER PEAKS COULD SEE CLOSE TO 2 FEET...ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE WETS AND SANGRES. A GOOD EVENT...AND SOME MUCH NEEDED WINTER TIME PRECIPITATION .LONG TERM...(MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY) ISSUED AT 326 PM MST SUN FEB 15 2015 UPPER TROUGH ACROSS SOUTHERN COLORADO AT 00Z MON EVENING...THEN SHIFTS SOUTH INTO NM BY 00Z AS STRONG UPPER JET CONTINUES TO DIG ACROSS THE SOUTHERN ROCKIES. ENOUGH UPWARD MOTION IN THE 00Z-03Z TIME FRAME TO KEEP SNOW GOING OVER MOST EASTERN MOUNTAINS/I-25 CORRIDOR...BEFORE LOW/MID LEVEL FLOW TAKES ON A MORE UNFAVORABLE N-NW COMPONENT TOWARD 03Z...WHICH SHOULD END SNOWFALL ALONG AND NORTH OF THE ARKANSAS RIVER 04Z-06Z. LIFT HANGS ON LONGER OVER THE SANGRES/WETS/SRN I-25 CORRIDOR...THOUGH EVEN HERE MOST ACCUMULATING SNOW SHOULD BE DONE BY 06Z-09Z. WILL ALLOW HIGHLIGHTS TO TAPER OFF FROM NORTH TO SOUTH THROUGH THE NIGHT...ENDING ALL AREAS BY 12Z. UPPER JET MIGRATES OVERHEAD DURING THE DAY TUESDAY...AND WITH LAPSE RATES REMAINING FAIRLY STEEP...A FEW FLURRIES/SNOW SHOWERS MAY REDEVELOP BY AFTERNOON...AND WILL INCLUDE SOME VERY LOW POPS FOR MOUNTAIN/SRN ZONES. FRESH SNOW COVER WILL HOLD TEMPS BACK MANY AREAS TUE AFTERNOON...ALTHOUGH PLAINS TOWARD THE KS BORDER THAT SEE ONLY LIGHT SNOW MAY REACH THE 40S BY LATE IN THE DAY. FLATTENING UPPER RIDGE BRIEFLY MOVES EASTWARD ACROSS THE ROCKIES THROUGH MID-WEEK BEFORE STRONGLY BUILDING OFF THE WEST COAST BY LATE WEEK. EXPECT GRADUAL WARMING ALL AREAS WED-FRI AS LOW AND MID LEVEL FLOW TAKES ON A MORE WRLY COMPONENT...THOUGH LINGERING SNOW COVER WILL TEMPER THE WARM-UP SOMEWHAT...ESPECIALLY WEDNESDAY...BEFORE READINGS JUMP BACK INTO THE 50S/60S MOST LOWER ELEVATIONS THU/FRI AS 700 MB TEMPS CLIMB BACK ABOVE 0C. WITH UPPER RIDGE OFF THE WEST COAST LATE WEEK INTO NEXT WEEKEND...ENERGY DROPPING INTO THE EASTERN U.S. UPPER TROUGH WILL LIKELY DIG FAIRLY FAR TO THE WEST...ALLOWING COLD AIR TO SPILL SOUTH ACROSS MUCH OF COLORADO DURING THE WEEKEND. BOTH GFS/ECMWF AND VARIOUS ENSEMBLE MEMBERS SUGGEST ANOTHER ROUND OF SNOWFALL ACROSS MUCH OF THE REGION SAT/SUN...WITH AS MUCH AS AN INCH OF QPF OVER THE EASTERN MOUNTAINS WHERE PROLONGED DEEP UPSLOPE FLOW LOOKS POSSIBLE. ALREADY HAVE COLDER TEMPS/CHANCE POPS IN THE GRIDS SAT/SUN...AND EXPECT FORECAST TO CONTINUE TO TREND COLDER/WETTER OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z MONDAY EVENING) ISSUED AT 326 PM MST SUN FEB 15 2015 IFR CONDITIONS ACROSS WILL SPREAD SOUTHWARD ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST MOUNTAINS AND PLAINS THROUGH THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING HOURS AS A BAND OF SNOW DEVELOPS AND DROPS SOUTHWARD. HEAVIEST SNOWFALL WILL LIKELY FALL BEFORE 06Z FOR BOTH THE KCOS AND KPUB...WITH ACCUMULATIONS OF 2 TO 4 INCHES POSSIBLE AT THE TERMINALS BY MORNING. AFTER 06Z...NORTH WINDS OFF THE PALMER SHOULD HELP DIMINISH SNOW AND IMPROVE CIGS...THOUGH THEY WILL STILL REMAIN MVFR AT THE BEST. KALS MAY SEE SOME PASSING SHOWERS EARLY THIS EVENING...THE SKIES CLEAR OUT TOWARDS MORNING. IF IT SNOWS...PATCHY FOG WILL BE POSSIBLE IN THE SAN LUIS VALLEY...BUT THIS LOOKS LIKE A LOW PROBABILITY FOR NOW. CIGS WILL REMAIN MVFR TO IFR FOR THE SOUTHEAST MOUNTAINS AND PLAINS MONDAY...THEN ANOTHER WAVE OF SNOW WILL SPREAD SOUTHWARD WITH IFR CONDITIONS POSSIBLE IN THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING. ANOTHER INCH OR TWO WILL BE POSSIBLE AT THE KCOS AND KPUB TERMINALS. KALS MAY SEE SOME PASSING SHOWERS...BUT NOT EXPECTING MUCH ACCUMULATION. -KT && .PUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 11 PM MST MONDAY FOR COZ059- 061>063-076>078-083-085-086-093. WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 5 AM MST TUESDAY FOR COZ072>075-079- 080-087-088. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 11 PM MST MONDAY FOR COZ058-060- 084. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 5 AM MST TUESDAY FOR COZ094. WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 11 PM MST MONDAY FOR COZ081-082. && SHORT TERM...KT LONG TERM...PETERSEN AVIATION...KT
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO 343 PM MST SUN FEB 15 2015 COZ058>089-093>099-162245- 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- 343 PM MST SUN FEB 15 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL...EAST CENTRAL...SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST COLORADO. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOW WILL SPREAD SOUTHWARD ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST COLORADO THROUGH TONIGHT. THE HEAVIEST ACCUMULATIONS WILL IMPACT THE SOUTHEAST MOUNTAINS WHERE 4 TO 8 INCHES WITH LOCAL AREAS RECEIVING UP TO A FOOT OF SNOW WILL BE POSSIBLE BY EARLY MONDAY MORNING. THE HEAVIEST OF THESE ACCUMULATIONS WILL OCCUR ALONG THE FAVORED NORTHEAST FACING SLOPES. THE I-25 CORRIDOR...FREMONT COUNTY...AND CHAFFEE AND LAKE COUNTIES COULD SEE AROUND 2 TO 6 INCHES...WITH LOCAL AREAS OF SEEING UP TO 8 INCHES. ROADWAYS IN THESE AREAS WILL BECOME SLICK...SNOWPACKED AND ICY...EVEN OVER THE LOWER ELEVATIONS AND COLD AIR POURS SOUTHWARD INTO THE REGION THIS EVENING. THE SOUTHWEST MOUNTAINS AND SAN LUIS VALLEY WILL SEE SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS AT TIMES...WITH LOCAL ACCUMULATIONS OF 1 TO 3 INCHES. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY ANOTHER ROUND OF MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOW WILL MOVE INTO THE AREA MONDAY AFTERNOON AND NIGHT BRINGING ANOTHER ROUND OF ACCUMULATING SNOW TO THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS...SOUTHEAST MOUNTAINS AND ADJACENT LOWER ELEVATIONS. THIS SECOND ROUND MAY PRODUCE HEAVIER AMOUNTS FOR THE SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS AND SOUTHERN I-25 CORRIDOR WHERE AN ADDITIONAL 4 TO 8 INCHES WILL BE POSSIBLE...WITH LOCAL AMOUNTS OF UP TO A FOOT POSSIBLE FOR THE HIGHER PEAKS. ANOTHER 4 TO 8 INCHES CAN BE EXPECTED ACROSS PIKES PEAK AND TELLER COUNTY...WITH ANOTHER 2 TO 7 INCHES FOR CHAFFEE AND LAKE COUNTIES...FREMONT COUNTY...AND THE I-25 CORRIDOR OF EL PASO AND PUEBLO COUNTIES. ELSEWHERE...ADDITIONAL SNOWFALL AMOUNTS WILL BE LIGHT WITH GENERALLY 1-3 INCHES POSSIBLE. ANOTHER STORM IS EXPECTED LATE IN THE WEEK OR NEXT WEEKEND...AND COULD BRING SIGNIFICANT SNOW TO THE AREA...PARTICULARLY THE MOUNTAINS. THE TIMING AND STRENGTH OF THIS STORM ARE STILL HIGHLY UNCERTAIN. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER CONDITIONS THAT MEET REPORTING CRITERIA FOR SPOTTERS WILL BE LIKELY TONIGHT ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST COLORADO. 31/31
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
354 PM MST SUN FEB 15 2015
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0352 PM SNOW COLORADO SPRINGS 38.83N 104.82W
02/15/2015 M2.0 INCH EL PASO CO PUBLIC
I25 AND BAPTIST ROAD
&&
PPThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
7 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: 562572, 562573, 562566, 562567, 562569, 562570, 562571.