A vigorous winter storm system impacted large portions of southern Colorado with significant snow and gusty winds. Crestone (Saguache County) and Alamosa.
Every event with a place to put it; 31 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 vigorous winter storm system impacted large portions of southern Colorado with significant snow and gusty winds. Some reported snow amounts included 6 to 10 inches at Colorado Springs (El Paso County)...Woodland Park (Teller County)...Pueblo and Pueblo West (Pueblo County)...Salida (Chaffee County)...Texas Creek (Fremont County)...Crestone (Saguache County) and Alamosa. Eleven to 15 inches graced Monument and the Air Force Academy (El Paso County)...Penrose (Fremont County)...Walsenburg (Huerfano County)...Poncha Springs (Chaffee County)...while 16 to 20 inches of snow was measured near Beulah and Colorado City (Pueblo County)...Rosita (Custer County) and Monarch Pass (Chaffee County). Twenty to 26 inches was noted near Westcliffe (Custer County)...Rye (Pueblo County) and Maysville (Chaffee County)...while 39 inches covered Wolf Creek Pass (Mineral 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 21, 5:20 AM MST, 2 hours 40 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO 520 AM MST SAT FEB 21 2015 .SHORT TERM...(TODAY AND TONIGHT) ISSUED AT 520 AM MST SAT FEB 21 2015 ...STORM ON THE WAY... MODELS AND FORECASTS REMAIN GENERALLY CONSISTENT WITH PRIOR MODELS AND FORECASTS. ESSENTIALLY...EVERYTHING REMAINS ON TRACK. THERE HAS ALREADY BEEN SOME SCATTERED LIGHT SNOW SHOWER BANDS DRIFTING FROM FREMONT COUNTY INTO NORTHERN PUEBLO AND SOUTHERN EL PASO COUNTIES THIS MORNING...GENERALLY ALONG AND NORTH OF THE HIGHWAY 50 CORRIDOR. NOTHING SIGNIFICANT YET...BUT AN INDICATOR OF HOW PRIMED THE ATMOSPHERE IS FOR THIS UPCOMING EVENT. AVAILABLE LOW LEVEL MOISTURE ACROSS THE PLAINS IS GOOD BY LATE FEBRUARY STANDARDS...WITH SURFACE DEW POINTS GENERALLY IN THE UPPER 20S. THESE ARE ABOUT THE PERFECT DEW POINTS FOR SNOW BECAUSE IF THEY WERE MUCH HIGHER THE PRECIPITATION WOULD FALL AS RAIN...AND IF THEY WERE ANY LOWER THE AIR MASS WOULD BE DRIER. SO...YOU HAVE THE OPTIMUM DEW POINTS FOR THE MOST PRECIPITATION WHILE KEEPING IT STILL IN THE FORM OF SNOW. NOTHING TOO ORGANIZED EXPECTED OVER THE MOST OF THE REGION YET THIS MORNING. MAINLY JUST SCATTERED OR SPOTTY STUFF...AND MOSTLY ACROSS THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS AND PIKES PEAK REGION NORTH OF HIGHWAY 50. THEN...THIS AFTERNOON...FRONTOGENESIS WILL OCCUR ALONG THE PALMER DIVIDE AND BEGIN TO PUSH SOUTH INTO TELLER AND EL PASO COUNTIES. AT THAT TIME...SNOW SHOULD DEVELOP AND BECOMING WIDESPREAD...GRADUALLY PUSHING FROM NORTH TO SOUTH ACROSS THE PIKES PEAK REGION. THIS IS WHEN SNOWFALL SHOULD BECOME WIDESPREAD AND ACCUMULATION RATES SHOULD INCREASE ACROSS THAT AREA. IT IS REALLY NOT UNTIL THIS EVENING WHEN WE START TO SEE THINGS HAPPEN FARTHER SOUTH ACROSS THE PLAINS. THIS EVENING...GENERALLY BETWEEN 8 AND 11 PM...IS WHEN THE FRONTAL SYSTEM WILL PUSH SOUTH INTO MUCH OF THE REST OF SOUTHEAST COLORADO. IT IS PROBABLY NOT UNTIL AFTER MIDNIGHT THAT THINGS REALLY GET GOING IN THE SNOWFALL DEPARTMENT. SO...SOUTHERN AREAS OF THE PLAINS...TO THE SOUTH OF THE IMMEDIATE PIKES PEAK REGION...WILL HAVE TO BE PATIENT. IN ANY EVENT...SNOW SHOULD BE WIDESPREAD...AND HEAVY IN PLACES...ACROSS THE PLAINS BY SUNRISE SUNDAY. WINTER STORM WARNING GOES INTO EFFECT AT NOON TODAY FOR THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS AND PIKES PEAK REGION...EXTENDING JUST INTO CROWLEY AND KIOWA COUNTIES ON THE FAR EASTERN PLAINS. THE WINTER STORM WARNING THEN EXTENDS SOUTH AND WESTWARD TO ENCOMPASS ALL OF THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN MOUNTAINS AND PLAINS AFTER 8 PM. THIS START TIME MAY BE A LITTLE TOO EARLIER FOR WESTERN PARTS OF THE WARNING AREA...BUT IT WAS THE BEST TIME TO ACCOMMODATE THE START TIME COLLABORATED WITH OUR SURROUNDING FORECAST AREAS TO OUR EAST AND SOUTH. WITH THIS PACKAGE...WE ALSO UPGRADED THE WATCH THAT WAS IN EFFECT FOR THE EASTERN SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS TO A WARNING BEGINNING LATE TONIGHT. IN ADDITION...WE PLACED THE SAN LUIS VALLEY UNDER A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY STARTING AT 12 AM SUNDAY MORNING...AS FORECAST MODELS ARE NOW INDICATING PERIODS OF SNOWFALL ACROSS THAT REGION FOR LATE TONIGHT THROUGH MONDAY. LW .LONG TERM...(SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY) ISSUED AT 520 AM MST SAT FEB 21 2015 SUNDAY AND MONDAY...LATEST MODEL RUNS HAVE BEEN COMING IN WITH BULLISH SNOW AMOUNTS ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA...SO CLOSE COORDINATION BETWEEN SHORT AND LONG TERM FORECASTERS HAS PRODUCED SIGNIFICANT CHANGES TO THE ONGOING HIGHLIGHTS. AS THE UPPER LOW SITS OVER SOUTHERN NV...CONSISTENT UPSLOPE COMBINED WITH VERY COLD AIR AND AVAILABLE MOISTURE RESULTS IN AN IMPRESSIVE WINTER EVENT. THE BEST TIME WINDOW FOR DANGEROUS WINTER CONDITIONS LOOKS TO BE AFTER MIDNIGHT TONIGHT THROUGH THE DAY SUNDAY. SNOW WILL CONTINUE ON MONDAY...BUT THE FOCUS WILL START SHIFTING TO ACROSS THE SLV AND TOWARDS THE SW MTS AND CONTDVD. LOOK FOR MAX TEMPS BOTH DAYS TO BE IN THE 20S. TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY...THE UPPER LOW WEAKENS AND DROPS TO THE S-SE THROUGH THE DAY TUE...WITH SNOW TAPERING OFF THROUGH THE MORNING. SNOW WILL LINGER THE LONGEST OVER THE SOUTHERN MTS. CURRENT GRIDS SHOW MAX TEMPS IN THE LOWER 40S BOTH DAYS FOR MUCH OF THE AREA...BUT THESE TEMPS MOST LIKELY WILL HAVE TO BE COOLED SIGNIFICANTLY DUE TO THE EXTENSIVE SNOW COVER FORECAST. POPS WILL BE ON THE INCREASE ONCE AGAIN WED AFTN AND EVE ACROSS THE CENTRAL MTS AND PIKES PEAK REGION AHEAD OF THE NEXT DISTURBANCE. THURSDAY AND FRIDAY...LONG RANGE MODELS CONTINUE TO INDICATE THAT ANOTHER UPPER TROUGH DROPS SOUTH ACROSS THE ROCKIES BEGINNING WED NIGHT...AND LASTS INTO THE WEEKEND. WENT WITH SCATTERED POPS FOR MUCH OF THE AREA AND MUCH COOLER TEMPS...WITH MAX TEMPS NOT WARMING ABOVE FREEZING BOTH DAYS. MOORE && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z SUNDAY MORNING) ISSUED AT 520 AM MST SAT FEB 21 2015 SO FAR...SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS ACROSS THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS AND PIKES PEAK REGION...GENERALLY NORTH OF HIGHWAY 50...BUT NOTHING TOO SIGNIFICANT YET...WITH AREAS OF MVFR CIGS/VSBYS NOTED IN SNOW SHOWERS. SNOWFALL WILL BECOME MORE WIDESPREAD AND INTENSE OVER THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS AND PIKES PEAK REGION THIS AFTERNOON AS FRONTOGENESIS OCCURS ALONG THE PALMER DIVIDE AND BEGINS TO PUSH GRADUALLY SOUTH. THIS EVENING...THE FRONTAL SYSTEM WILL BEGIN TO SHIFT SOUTH THROUGH THE REST OF THE SOUTHEAST PLAINS. THIS SHIFT SHOULD OCCUR SOMETIME BETWEEN 03Z AND 06Z FOR MOST AREAS. HOWEVER...THE SNOWFALL MAY NOT REALLY GET GOING UNTIL AFTER MIDNIGHT. AT THAT TIME...SNOWFALL SHOULD BECOME WIDESPREAD AND LOCALLY HEAVY ACROSS THE PLAINS...AND EXPAND WESTWARD INTO THE EASTERN MOUNTAINS. SNOWFALL SHOULD ALSO DEVELOP OVER THE SAN LUIS VALLEY AFTER MIDNIGHT...DEVELOPING AND EXPANDING WESTWARD INTO THE SOUTHWEST MOUNTAINS BY SUNRISE SUNDAY. SNOWFALL SHOULD THEN CONTINUE WIDESPREAD...LOCALLY HEAVY...ACROSS MOST OF THE FLIGHT AREA...RIGHT ON THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT. SNOWFALL WILL THEN TAPER OFF OVER THE EASTERN PLAINS ON MONDAY...AND FINALLY...OVER THE MOUNTAINS AND SAN LUIS VALLEY MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY. A LONG DURATION SNOW EVENT IS AHEAD WITH LOCALLY HEAVY ACCUMULATIONS POSSIBLE. FOR THE KCOS SITE...EXPECT CONDITIONS TO GO DOWN TO MVFR/IFR/LIFR THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH TONIGHT. FOR KPUB...A LITTLE MORE UNCERTAIN ON THE TIMING BUT STARTING TO DETERIORATE BETWEEN 03Z AND 06Z...WITH MORE CONFIDENCE OF THIS OCCURRING AFTER 06Z. FOR KALS...PROBABLY VFR MOST OF THE TIME UNTIL 06Z...BUT GOING DOWN AFTER THAT. LW && .PUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 8 PM THIS EVENING TO 5 AM MST MONDAY FOR COZ062-072>080-083-086>088-093-094-097>099. WINTER STORM WARNING FROM NOON TODAY TO 5 AM MST MONDAY FOR COZ058>061-063-081-082-084-085-089-095-096. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 5 PM MST MONDAY FOR COZ069>071. WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 6 AM SUNDAY TO 5 PM MST MONDAY FOR COZ064>068. && SHORT TERM...LW LONG TERM...MOORE AVIATION...LW
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO 646 AM MST SAT FEB 21 2015 COZ058>089-093>099-221400- 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- 646 AM MST SAT FEB 21 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL...EAST CENTRAL...SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SCATTERED LIGHT SNOW OVER THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS AND PIKES PEAK REGION THIS MORNING WILL BECOME WIDESPREAD AND LOCALLY HEAVY THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH TONIGHT. FOR THE REST OF SOUTHERN COLORADO...A FEW SPOTTY SNOW SHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE TODAY BUT THE MORE WIDESPREAD SNOWFALL WILL NOT DEVELOP UNTIL LATE THIS EVENING. AFTER MIDNIGHT...SNOW...HEAVY AT TIMES...WILL EXPAND TO COVER MOST OF SOUTHERN COLORADO. SNOW ACCUMULATIONS BY SUNDAY MORNING WILL BE HIGHLY VARIABLE ACROSS THE REGION. THE IMMEDIATE PIKES PEAK REGION...TO INCLUDE TELLER AND EL PASO COUNTIES...WILL SEE THE MOST SNOWFALL BY EARLY SUNDAY. THIS AREA COULD SEE ANYWHERE FROM 6 TO 12 INCHES BY SUNRISE. THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN MOUNTAINS...AND THE REST OF THE SOUTHEAST PLAINS...COULD SEE ANYWHERE FROM 2 TO 6 INCHES OF SNOW BY EARLY SUNDAY. FOR THE SAN LUIS VALLEY AND THE SOUTHWEST MOUNTAIN AREAS...1 TO 3 INCHES OF SNOW WILL BE POSSIBLE BY EARLY SUNDAY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY SNOW WILL BE ONGOING THROUGH SUNDAY ACROSS ALL OF THE FORECAST AREA...WITH THE HEAVIEST HIT AREAS EXPECTED TO BE ALONG THE EASTERN SLOPES OF THE MOUNTAINS AND THE ADJACENT PLAINS. SNOW IS FORECAST TO WIND DOWN ON MONDAY OVER THE EASTERN PLAINS AND I-25 CORRIDOR...WITH THE FOCUS THEN SHIFTING WEST ACROSS THE SAN LUIS VALLEY AND THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE. THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE WILL CONTINUE TO SEE SOME LIGHT SNOW THROUGH TUESDAY...BUT THEN DRY WEATHER IS EXPECTED TUESDAY EVENING AND WEDNESDAY. A NEW WEATHER SYSTEM IS FORECAST TO MOVE INTO THE AREA ON THURSDAY...BRINGING SNOW TO MOST OF THE AREA THAT WILL CONTINUE INTO FRIDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER CONDITIONS THAT MEET REPORTING CRITERIA FOR SPOTTERS IS LIKELY OVER THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS AND PIKES PEAK REGION TODAY AND OVER ALL OF SOUTHERN COLORADO TONIGHT. 50/27
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
31 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: 562507, 562508, 562509, 562510, 562529, 562532, 562539, 562540, 562517, 562518, 562519, 562521, 562526, 562527, 562543, 562544, 562511, 562514, 562515, 562516, 562522, 562523, 562525, 562537, 562541, 562545, 562546, 562548, 562549, 562550, 562551.