A weather system produced heavy snow accumulations of around a foot to the higher elevations of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Snow accumulated to 6 to 8 inches in parts of Teller County and near Monument in far north El Paso County.
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The episode as NWS PUB wrote it up.
A weather system produced heavy snow accumulations of around a foot to the higher elevations of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Snow accumulated to 6 to 8 inches in parts of Teller County and near Monument in far north 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 Mar 18, 3:50 AM MST, 10 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO 450 AM MDT WED MAR 18 2015 .SHORT TERM...(TODAY AND TONIGHT) ISSUED AT 344 AM MDT WED MAR 18 2015 CURRENTLY...THE STATE REMAINED BETWEEN AN UPPER LOW TO THE SOUTHEAST...A PLUME OF MOISTURE OVER THE 4 CORNERS...AND ANOTHER DISTURBANCE DROPPING DOWN ACROSS IDAHO. SKIES REMAINED CLOUDY ACROSS THE STATE WITH PRIMARILY MID TO HIGH LEVEL CLOUDS...BUT THERE HAVE BEEN SOME PERSISTENT PATCHES OF LOW CLOUDS AT 1500-2500 FEET. TEMPS HAVE COOLED INTO THE 30S TO LOWER 40S AS OF 4 AM. TODAY...AN UPPER LOW OFF THE SOUTHERN CA COAST WILL MOVE ONSHORE TODAY...WHILE THE DISTURBANCE TO THE NW OVER IDAHO APPROACHES THE ROCKIES. THIS WILL PROMOTE ISOLATED SHOWERS ALONG THE CONTDVD THROUGH THE MORNING...THEN INCREASING AREAL COVERAGE AND PROBABILITIES TO THE EAST ACROSS THE SLV AND TO THE E MTS THROUGH THE AFTN. AS THE DISTURBANCE TO THE NORTH NEARS...A COLD FRONT IS FORECAST TO DROP DOWN THE EASTERN HALF OF COLORADO MID-AFTN...WHICH WILL SERVE TO BE THE TRIGGER FOR MORE PCPN THROUGH THE EVE. AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT...LOOK FOR TEMPS TO WARM QUICKLY INTO THE 60S. MUCH OF THE EASTERN PLAINS SHOULD REMAIN DRY THROUGH THE DAY. TONIGHT...THE UPPER LOW OVER SOUTHERN CA WILL CONTINUE TO SLOWLY APPROACH...DRAWING SOUTHERLY MOISTURE UP INTO THE 4 CORNERS REGION. AT THE SAME TIME...LLVL SUPPORT WILL BE INCREASING AS UPSLOPE FLOW STRENGTHENS OVER THE E PLAINS DUE TO THE AFTN FRONTAL PASSAGE. MODELS ARE INDICATING IMPRESSIVE QPF AMOUNTS OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN AND ADJACENT PLAINS STARTING AT 00Z. THE SNOW LEVEL WILL START OUT QUITE HIGH INITIALLY...BUT WILL LOWER QUICKLY THROUGH THE EVENING AND OVERNIGHT. THEREFORE...CONVERTED THE ONGOING WATCH TO A VARIETY OF ADVISORIES AND WARNINGS...STARTING BETWEEN 00Z AND 12Z. FOR SPECIFICS...PLEASE CHECK THE WSWPUB PRODUCT. MOORE .LONG TERM...(THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY) ISSUED AT 344 AM MDT WED MAR 18 2015 ...LOWER ELEVATION RAIN AND MOUNTAIN SNOW WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT... UPPER TROF WILL MOVE ACROSS THE AREA ON THURSDAY AS ENERGY SPLITS BETWEEN A CLOSED LOW OVER THE DESERT SOUTHWEST...AND A NORTHERN STREAM TROF MOVING THROUGH THE NRN PLAINS STATES. ALTHOUGH ENERGY WITH THE SPLITTING SYSTEM MOVING ACROSS SOUTHERN CO LOOKS RELATIVELY WEAK COMPARED TO PREVIOUS SYSTEMS...IT WILL BE ACTING ON A RICH SUBTROPICAL MOISTURE PLUME ACROSS CO WITH HIGH PRECIP WATERS. COLD FRONT WILL MAKE ANOTHER PUSH THROUGH THE SOUTHEAST PLAINS THURSDAY MORNING...WITH ONE WAVE OF PRECIPITATION ASSOC WITH EJECTING SHORTWAVE AHEAD OF THE DESERT SOUTHWEST CLOSED LOW PULLING OFF TO THE EAST ACROSS THE FAR EASTERN PLAINS. PRECIPITATION WILL FILL IN AGAIN ACROSS THE EASTERN SLOPES OF THE SOUTHEAST MTS EARLY THURS MORNING AS NORTHEAST UPSLOPE FLOW DEEPENS BEHIND THE FRONT AND TROF AXIS APPROACHES FROM THE WEST. ALL MODELS ARE SHOWING HEALTHY QPF TOTALS ACROSS SOUTHERN CO ON THURSDAY...WITH PRECIPITATION SPREADING INTO THE SOUTHWEST MOUNTAINS THURS AFTERNOON ASSOC WITH THE TROF AXIS...STEEPENING LAPSE RATES AND RESULTANT INSTABILITY. QPF TOTALS SEEM EXCEEDINGLY HIGH...PARTICULARLY ACROSS THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS WHERE MODELS ARE LIKELY SUFFERING FROM CONVECTIVE FEEDBACK ISSUES. HOWEVER...THE SOUTHEAST MOUNTAINS ARE LIKELY TO SEE SOME SIGNIFICANT ACCUMULATIONS WITH THE AID OF UPSLOPE BEHIND THE FRONT. SNOWFALL TOTALS WILL BE HIGHLY DEPENDING ON SNOW LEVELS THURSDAY WHICH WILL LIKELY HOVER BETWEEN 7-8 KFT THROUGH THE DAY. HEAVIER ACCUMULATIONS WILL LIKELY BE ABOVE 8500 FEET...BUT SNOW LEVELS COULD GET LOWER AT TIMES UNDER THE HEAVIER CONVECTIVE SNOW SHOWERS. HAVE OPTED TO UPGRADE HIGHER PEAKS OF THE SOUTHEAST MOUNTAINS TO WARNINGS...WHERE ACCUMULATIONS OF A FOOT OR MORE WILL BE POSSIBLE. LOWER ELEVATIONS OF THE SOUTHEAST MOUNTAINS WILL BE COVERED BY A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY WHERE SNOWFALL AMOUNTS COULD BE MORE HIGHLY VARIABLE DUE TO THE WARM NATURE OF THIS SYSTEM. IF FUTURE MODEL RUNS COME IN COLDER...ITS POSSIBLE THAT SOME OF THESE LOWER ELEVATION ZONES MAY NEED TO BE UPGRADED TO WARNINGS...BUT WILL HAVE TO SEE HOW THIS EVOLVES. THE LOWER ELEVATIONS OF THE I-25 CORRIDOR SHOULD STAY AS ALL RAIN...THOUGH HIGH AREAS OF THE PALMER DIVIDE AND RATON MESA REGION COULD SEE A BRIEF SWITCH OVER TO SNOW AT TIMES THURSDAY MORNING...AND AGAIN THURSDAY NIGHT DOWN SOUTH. NOT EXPECTING MORE THAN AN INCH OR TWO FOR THESE AREAS...MAINLY ON GRASSY SURFACES. PRECIPITATION WILL TAIL OFF FROM NORTH TO SOUTH THURSDAY NIGHT...AND HAVE ADJUSTED HAZARD GRID ENDING TIMES TO END AT 9 PM THURS UP NORTH...AND BY 6 AM FRI FOR SOUTHERN AREAS. ITS POSSIBLE THE EASTERN SAN JUAN AND LA GARITA MOUNTAINS MAY NEED AN ADVISORY THURSDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT...BUT GIVEN THE HIGHLY CONVECTIVE NATURE TO PRECIPITATION AND THE POTENTIAL THAT QPF IS OVERDONE IN THE MODELS...WILL LET LATER SHIFTS GET A LOOK AT SOME MORE MODEL RUNS. BOTH NAM12 AND GFS DEPICT DEEP EASTERLY UPSLOPE FLOW THAT COULD ENHANCE PRECIPITATION ALONG THE WESTERN SIDE OF THE SAN LUIS VALLEY AND EASTERN SLOPES OF THE EASTERN SAN JUANS THURSDAY EVENING...SO ITS PLAUSIBLE THESE AREAS WILL NEED A HIGHLIGHT. RESIDUAL MOISTURE OVER THE SOUTHERN MOUNTAINS WILL KEEP ISOLATED TO LOW END SCATTERED SHOWERS OVER THE SOUTHERN MOUNTAINS FRIDAY AND SATURDAY AS THE CLOSED LOW OPENS UP AND LIFTS OUT ACROSS NM. THE SOUTHEAST PLAINS SHOULD DRY OUT AND WARM UP AGAIN DURING THIS PERIOD. ANOTHER TROF GLANCES BY NORTHERN CO ON SUNDAY SENDING A COLD FRONT THROUGH THE SOUTHEAST PLAINS DURING THE AFTERNOON. THIS SYSTEM LOOKS DRIER WITH EACH RUN...BUT STILL COULD PRODUCE SOME ISOLATED SHOWERS SUNDAY NIGHT/EARLY MONDAY. GFS EVEN SHOWS SOME CAPE ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST CORNER OF THE STATE MONDAY AFTERNOON...WHICH COULD SUPPORT A THUNDERSTORM OR TWO. MODELS DIVERGE FOR THE LONGER RANGE AS GFS CARVES OUT ANOTHER TROF ACROSS THE NORTHWESTERN US ON TUESDAY WHICH DROPS TOWARDS THE GREAT BASIN ON WEDNESDAY. ECMWF IS MUCH LESS AMPLIFIED WITH THIS AND SKIRTS THE SOUTHERN END OF THIS TROF ACROSS NORTH CO ON WED. GIVEN THE MODEL DIFFERENCES...DIDN'T STRAY FAR FROM BLENDED MODEL GUIDANCE FOR NOW. -KT && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z THURSDAY MORNING) ISSUED AT 344 AM MDT WED MAR 18 2015 KALS...VFR CONDITIONS THROUGH 21Z...THEN DECREASING TO IFR AFTER 00Z DUE TO INCREASING LOW CLOUDS AND SHOWER ACTIVITY MOVING IN FROM THE WEST. KCOS...VFR CONDITIONS THROUGH 00Z...THEN DECREASING TO IFR AFTER 03Z DUE TO INCREASING LOW CLOUDS AND SHOWER ACTIVITY. KPUB...VFR CONDITIONS THROUGH 00Z...THEN BECOMING MVFR AFTER 03Z. AREA MOUNTAINS AND MOUNTAIN PASSES...CONTDVD WILL DEGRADE TO IFR TO LIFR BETWEEN 18Z AND 21Z THIS AFTN. EASTERN MTS WILL BECOME IFR TO LIFR BY 00Z. && .PUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 3 AM TO 9 PM MDT THURSDAY FOR COZ081. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 9 PM MDT THURSDAY FOR COZ058-060. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 6 AM TO 9 PM MDT THURSDAY FOR COZ076. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 6 AM THURSDAY TO 6 AM MDT FRIDAY FOR COZ072-074-079. WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 9 PM MDT THURSDAY FOR COZ082. WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 6 AM MDT FRIDAY FOR COZ073-075-080. && SHORT TERM...MOORE LONG TERM...KT AVIATION...MOORE
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO 1044 AM MDT TUE MAR 17 2015 COZ058>089-093>099-181645- 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- 1044 AM MDT TUE MAR 17 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL...EAST CENTRAL...SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY SHOWERS WILL SPREAD INTO THE WESTERN MOUNTAIN AREAS ON WEDNESDAY...AND ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF THE MOUNTAINS AND PLAINS WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY. INITIALLY SNOW LEVELS WILL START OUT AROUND 10000 FEET WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON...BUT WILL DROP TO AROUND 7000 FEET OR A LITTLE LOWER BY THURSDAY MORNING. MODERATE TO LOCALLY HEAVY SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE SOUTHEAST MOUNTAINS...WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT...THOUGH DETAILS CONCERNING WHERE THE HEAVIER AMOUNTS WILL FALL IS STILL UNCERTAIN. RAIN MAY SWITCH OVER TO SNOW ACROSS THE VALLEYS AND PORTIONS OF THE I-25 CORRIDOR BY EARLY THURSDAY MORNING...HOWEVER...THE LACK OF PERSISTENT COLD TEMPERATURES WITH THIS SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO LIMIT ACCUMULATIONS ACROSS THE LOWER ELEVATIONS. MEANWHILE...THE SOUTHEAST PLAINS WILL SEE A GOOD CHANCE OF RAIN WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY. RESIDUAL MOISTURE WILL KEEP ISOLATED SHOWERS ACROSS THE MOUNTAIN AREAS FOR FRIDAY AND SATURDAY. THE NEXT SYSTEM MAY BRING A BRIEF SHOT OF LOWER ELEVATION RAIN AND HIGHER ELEVATION SNOW TO THE SOUTHEAST MOUNTAINS AND PLAINS SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS WILL NOT BE NEEDED TODAY OR TONIGHT.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
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, March 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: 567781, 567782.