A vigorous storm system produced heavy snow in combination with strong winds and deep snow drifts to many sections of southern Colorado. Trinidad (Las Animas County) and the summit of Wolf Creek Pass (Mineral County).
Every event with a place to put it; 16 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 storm system produced heavy snow in combination with strong winds and deep snow drifts to many sections of southern Colorado. Some of the higher reported snow amounts and snow drifts from this event are as follows...12 to 14 inches near Walsenburg (Huerfano County) and Aguilar (Las Animas County) with 3 foot drifts...16 inches with 3 foot drifts near Branson (Las Animas County)...18 inches with 5 foot drifts 10 miles to the west-northwest of Kim (Las Animas County)...18 inches near Springfield (Baca County) and near the Spanish Peaks (Huerfano County)...20 inches near Monument (El Paso County) with 4 foot drifts...and 20 to 22 inches near Woodland Park (Teller County)...Trinidad (Las Animas County) and the summit of Wolf Creek Pass (Mineral County). I-25 was closed for a time south of Walsenburg, as well as US Highway 160 in Baca and Las Animas Counties, and US Highway 287 in Prowers and Baca Counties. People were stranded on US Highway 287 south of Lamar, and had to be rescued.
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 Nov 15, 6:13 PM MST, 1 hour 47 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO 613 PM MST SUN NOV 15 2015 .UPDATE... ISSUED AT 611 PM MST SUN NOV 15 2015 UPDATED FORECAST TO MASSAGE POP GRIDS TONIGHT THROUGH MONDAY...AND INCREASE WINDS FOR MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY. -KT && .SHORT TERM...(THIS EVENING THROUGH MONDAY) ISSUED AT 237 PM MST SUN NOV 15 2015 CURRENTLY...ANOTHER WARM AND BREEZY DAY ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA...AS AN UPPER DISTURBANCE CROSSED THE STATE PRODUCING CONSIDERABLE MID AND HIGH LEVEL CLOUDINESS. FURTHER WEST...AN UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE TROUGH WAS MOVING ACROSS CA AND NV...AND IS SET TO APPROACH COLORADO TONIGHT. TONIGHT AND TOMORROW...A STRONG UPPER LEVEL WEATHER SYSTEM IS ON TRACK TO START AFFECTING THE CWA THIS EVENING...THROUGH TUESDAY. MODELS AGREE ON SWEEPING THE UPPER TROUGH ACROSS THE GREAT BASIN TONIGHT...THEN A CLOSED LOW FORMING AND MOVING EAST ACROSS THE 4 CORNERS ON MONDAY. SNOW IS FORECAST TO BEGIN ACROSS THE SW MTS THIS EVENING...THEN REALLY GET GOING BETWEEN 10 PM AND MIDNIGHT AS THE TROUGH NEARS. OVER THE FIRST PERIOD OF THE FORECAST...TONIGHT...THE MAIN AREAS AFFECTED WILL BE THE CONTDVD...THE SLV AND THE HIGH VALLEYS OF LAKE AND CHAFFEE COUNTIES. AS THINGS PROGRESS AND SLIDE TO THE EAST...SNOW THEN STARTS TO ACCUMULATE ACROSS THE SANGRE DE CRISTOS. AMOUNTS THERE ARE STILL QUESTIONABLE...SO WILL ALLOW THE WATCH TO RIDE FOR THE TIME BEING...OTHERWISE MULTIPLE WARNINGS AND ADVISORIES HAVE BEEN ISSUED FOR THE HIGHER TERRAIN WITH GENERALLY 10 TO 20 INCHES OF TOTAL NEW SNOW POSSIBLE FOR THE PEAKS...AND 5 TO 10 INCHES OF TOTAL NEW SNOW FOR THE IMMEDIATE ADJACENT AREAS. STRONG W- SW WINDS WILL BE AN ISSUE AS WELL FOR THE HIGHER EXPOSED AREAS...CREATING BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW. TEMPERATURES WILL BE A LITTLE TRICKY OVER THE NEXT 24 HRS. BRISK TO GUSTY WINDS TONIGHT WILL MOST LIKELY HELP TO KEEP TEMPS MORE ELEVATED THAN NORMAL...SO SOME AREAS MAY BE QUITE MILD TONIGHT COMPARED TO PREVIOUS NIGHTS. AS FOR MAX TEMPS TOMORROW...WHILE HIGH TEMPS FOR THE MTS AND VALLEYS WILL BE COLD...20S AND 30S FOR THE MTS AND 30S TO AROUND 40 F FOR THE HIGH VALLEYS...THE E PLAINS MAY WARM NICELY AHEAD OF THE SLOW MOVING SYSTEM. THEREFORE...MAX TEMPS FOR THE E PLAINS MAY CLIMB INTO THE 50S TO EVEN THE MID 60S CLOSER TO THE KANSAS BORDER. THE LATEST SPC OUTLOOK EVEN MENTIONS A THUNDERSTORM THREAT FOR THE FAR EASTERN PLAINS...SO INCLUDED THAT AS WELL TOMORROW AFTN IN THE WX GRIDS. FINALLY...THERE IS SOME DISCREPANCY BETWEEN THE GFS...NAM AND EC MODELS ON THE PLACEMENT AND SPEED OF THE UPPER LOW...THOUGH THIS AFFECTS PREDICTED WX FOR MON NIGHT AND TUE MORESO THAN THE SHORT TERM. AT 00Z TUE...MON AFTN...THE EC HAS THE LOW FURTHER SOUTH AND WEST AS COMPARED TO THE GFS AND NAM. WITH THE GFS AND NAM VERY SIMILAR...LEANED TOWARDS THAT SOLUTION WHICH PLACES THE UPPER LOW AT 00Z TUE OVER SOUTH CENTRAL CO AND MORE NORTH INTO THE STATE. HOWEVER...IF THE EC PROVES TO BE CLOSER TO THE TRUTH...THEN THE RESULTING SNOWFALL TOTALS MAY BE FAR MORE SIGNIFICANT. STAY TUNED. MOORE .LONG TERM...(MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY) ISSUED AT 237 PM MST SUN NOV 15 2015 ...POTENT STORM WILL BRING HEAVY SNOW TO PARTS OF THE AREA... ...BLIZZARD WATCH ISSUED FOR THE PALMER DIVIDE... A POTENT PACIFIC STORM SYSTEM...WHICH WAS MOVING ONSHORE OF THE PACIFIC WEST COAST...WILL MOVE ACROSS THE REGION MONDAY NIGHT AND BE JUST EAST OF THE FCST AREA BY TUESDAY. THIS SYSTEM WILL BRING A RAIN/SNOW MIX TO THE PLAINS AND LOCALLY HEAVY SNOW TO THE MTNS. ADDITIONALLY...STRONG SFC WINDS WILL OCCUR WITH THIS STORM...AND BLIZZARD CONDITIONS WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE PALMER DIVIDE STARTING TOMORROW EVENING AND LASTING INTO TUESDAY MORNING. I AM HIGHLY CONFIDENT THAT WIND DRIVEN SNOW WILL OCCUR ACROSS N EL PASO COUNTY TOMORROW NIGHT INTO EARLY TUESDAY. SNOW WILL LIKELY BE ONGOING BY 00Z TUESDAY. THE STRONGER WINDS WILL LIKELY GET GOING AS THE EVENING PROGRESSES...AND BLIZZARD CONDITIONS WILL BE POSSIBLE FROM ABOUT MIDNIGHT TUESDAY INTO THE MORNING DAYLIGHT HOURS OF TUESDAY. TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 5 TO 9 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE FOR THE N EL PASO COUNTY ALONG WITH SIGNIFICANT BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW. PEAK WIND GUSTS ARE EXPECTED TO BE IN THE 45 TO 50 MPH RANGE. APPARENT TEMPERATURES WILL BE IN THE TEENS MONDAY NIGHT AND EARLY TUESDAY. WITHOUT SAYING...TRAVEL ACROSS N EL PASO COUNTY WILL BE DIFFICULT AT BEST MONDAY NIGHT INTO EARLY TUESDAY. HEAVY SNOW WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE WET AND SANGRE DE CRISTO MTNS WITH THIS EVENT. MY CONFIDENCE IS NOT AS HIGH IN THESE AREAS AS A SLIGHTLY MORE NORTHERN TRACK WILL CAUSE LESS SNOW TO FALL OVER THESE MTN RANGES. FOR NOW A WINTER STORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE SANGRES AND WET MTNS. WRAP-AROUND PRECIP WILL OCCUR WITH THIS STORM AND IT SHOULD BE JUST COLD ENOUGH FOR SNOW TO FALL ON MOST IF NOT ALL OF THE PLAINS. HOW MUCH SNOW ACTUALLY ACCUMULATES WILL BE DEPENDENT ON HOW COOL IT REMAINS DURING THE DAY TUESDAY...AND THE TRACK OF THE STORM. BELIEVE THE BEST AREA FOR SNOWFALL WILL BE THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF EASTERN LAS ANIMAS COUNTY WHERE 2-4" OF SNOW WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS. A MORE SOUTHERLY TRACK...SIMILAR TO THE EC GUIDANCE...WILL INCREASE THE ODDS OF HEAVIER SNOW ACROSS LAS ANIMAS COUNTY (AND FOR ALL OF THE PLAINS FOR THAT MATTER). ANOTHER AREA OF THE PLAINS WHICH MAY SEE LOCALLY HEAVIER AMOUNTS WILL BE ACROSS KIOWA COUNTY. THE PRIMARY CONCERN I HAVE REGARDING SNOWFALL FOR THE PLAINS IS THE RATHER WARM TEMPS PREDICTED BY ALL GUIDANCE FOR THE PLAINS TUESDAY. MOST GUIDANCE HAS HIGHS IN THE 40S AND 50S ACROSS THE PLAINS. I UNDERCUT THESE VALUES BY 4 TO 8F IN THE OFFICIAL NDFD DATABASE. OVERALL...THE PLAINS SHOULD DO OK QPF-WISE AS 0.40 TO 0.60 OF LIQUID SHOULD OCCUR WITH THIS EVENT. THE LEAST AMOUNT OF SNOW OVER THE PLAINS WILL FALL OVER NORTHERN PUEBLO COUNTY. TRACE TO 2" WILL BE POSSIBLE THIS REGION. ALL OF THE PLAINS WILL EXPERIENCE STRONG GUSTY WINDS LATE MONDAY NIGHT AND INTO THE DAY TUESDAY. GUSTS TO 45 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE. EL PASO COUNTY AND KIOWA COUNTY WILL LIKELY SEE THE STRONGEST WINDS. AFTER THIS SYSTEM MOVES OUT...NW FLOW ALOFT WILL PREVAIL ACROSS THE REGION AND THIS SHOULD KEEP TEMPS AROUND SEASONABLE VALUES THROUGH THE REST OF THE FCST PERIOD. A COUPLE OF WEAK WAVES WILL BE EMBEDDED IN THE FLOW...AND THE BEST CHANCE OF ADDITIONAL PRECIP WILL BE DURING THE UPCOMING WEEKEND. \/HODANISH && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z MONDAY EVENING) ISSUED AT 237 PM MST SUN NOV 15 2015 VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED FOR EASTERN MTS AND PLAINS OVER THE NEXT 24 HRS...INCLUDING THE TAF SITES OF KCOS AND KPUB. VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED FOR THE CONTDVD...CENTRAL MTS AND SLV...INCLUDING KALS...OVER THE NEXT 12 HRS...THEN CONDITIONS WILL BECOME MVFR TO IFR UNDER HEAVIER SNOW. TONIGHT...CONDITIONS WILL START TO DETERIORATE ALONG THE CONTDVD AS THE NEXT UPPER TROUGH NEARS...AND SNOW BEGINS TO FALL ON WEST FACING SLOPES...ESPECIALLY THOSE OF THE SW MTS. OVERNIGHT...SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL INCREASE ACROSS THE SAN LUIS VALLEY AND AT KALS. INCREASING WINDS...CLOUD COVER AND SNOW POTENTIAL WILL COME TO THE I25 CORRIDOR AFFECTING KCOS AND KPUB BEGINNING MONDAY EVENING. MOORE && .PUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 5 AM TO 11 PM MST MONDAY FOR COZ059- 061. WINTER STORM WATCH FROM MONDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING FOR COZ079>082. WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 2 AM MONDAY TO 5 AM MST TUESDAY FOR COZ058-060. WINTER STORM WATCH FROM 5 AM MST MONDAY THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING FOR COZ072>075. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 11 PM THIS EVENING TO 2 PM MST MONDAY FOR COZ064-065-067. WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 5 AM MST TUESDAY FOR COZ066-068. BLIZZARD WATCH FROM MONDAY EVENING THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING FOR COZ084. && UPDATE...KT SHORT TERM...MOORE LONG TERM...HODANISH AVIATION...MOORE
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO 450 PM MST SUN NOV 15 2015 COZ058>089-093>099-170000- 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- 450 PM MST SUN NOV 15 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL...EAST CENTRAL...SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT SNOW WILL DEVELOP ACROSS THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE IN THE EASTERN SAN JUAN AND LA GARITA MOUNTAINS THIS EVENING AND BECOME HEAVY AT TIMES AFTER MIDNIGHT. SNOW WILL THEN SPREAD INTO THE EASTERN SAWATCH AND WESTERN MOSQUITO RANGES AND THE CREST OF THE SANGRE DE CRISTO RANGE LATE TONIGHT THROUGH DAWN MONDAY. THE HEAVIEST SNOW THROUGH TONIGHT WILL FALL ACROSS THE EASTERN SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS...WITH THE SNOW JUST BEGINNING TO IMPACT THE REMAINDER OF THE SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST MOUNTAINS BY EARLY MONDAY MORNING. INCREASING SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL GUST TO 40 MPH ACROSS CAUSING BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW ACROSS THE HIGHER PASSES AND EXPOSED AREAS...PARTICULARLY ACROSS THE EASTERN SAN JUANS AND LA GARITAS WHERE POOR VISIBILITIES AND SNOW PACKED ROADS CAN BE EXPECTED BY EARLY MONDAY MORNING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY THE STORM SYSTEM WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE ACROSS SOUTHERN COLORADO AND NORTHERN NEW MEXICO MONDAY THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING. HEAVY SNOW WILL CONTINUE ALONG THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE...THEN SPREAD INTO THE SOUTHEAST MOUNTAINS AND PLAINS MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY. THE HEAVIEST SNOW FOR THE SOUTHEAST PART OF THE STATE IS EXPECTED TO AFFECT TELLER AND NORTHERN EL PASO COUNTIES...WITH CONSIDERABLE WIND DRIVEN SNOW AND WHITE OUT CONDITIONS POSSIBLE FOR NORTHERN EL PASO COUNTY MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING. RAIN AND SNOW WILL SPREAD ACROSS THE PLAINS MONDAY EVENING...THEN CHANGE OVER TO ALL SNOW MONDAY NIGHT. COMBINED WITH GUSTY NORTH WINDS UP TO 45 TO 50 MPH...EXPECT POOR VISIBILITIES AT TIMES UNDER THE HEAVIER SNOW BANDS. AS THE SYSTEM MOVES EASTWARD INTO KANSAS ON TUESDAY...PRECIPITATION WILL GRADUALLY DECREASE FROM WEST TO EAST ACROSS THE AREA THROUGH THE DAY. SNOWFALL TOTALS ARE STILL IN FLUX AS THE EXACT TRACK OF THE STORM IS STILL BEING DETERMINED. HOWEVER...BEST ESTIMATES FOR SNOWFALL TOTALS RANGE FROM 1 TO 2 FEET ACROSS THE EASTERN SAN JUAN AND LA GARITA MOUNTAINS...10 TO 15 INCHES WITH LOCALLY UP TO 20 INCHES ACROSS THE SAWATCH AND MOSQUITO RANGES...4 TO 8 INCHES FOR THE INTERIOR VALLEYS OF THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST MOUNTAINS...6 TO 12 INCHES FOR PIKES PEAK AND TELLER COUNTY...5 TO 10 INCHES FOR NORTHERN EL PASO COUNTY...AND 8 INCHES OR MORE FOR THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF THE SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS AND WET MOUNTAINS. THE SAN LUIS VALLEY COULD SEE 1 TO 4 INCHES OF SNOW...WHILE THE SOUTHEAST PLAINS COULD SEE HIGHLY VARIABLE AMOUNTS AT TIMES...RANGING FROM 1 TO 5 INCHES WITH THE HEAVIEST OCCURRING ACROSS THE NORTHERN SLOPES OF THE RATON RIDGE. THERE WILL ALSO BE ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST PLAINS MONDAY AFTERNOON. ONE OR TWO OF THESE STORMS COULD BECOME STRONG...ESPECIALLY NEAR THE KANSAS BORDER WHERE THE MAIN THREAT WILL BE SMALL HAIL...WIND GUSTS TO AROUND 50 MPH...AND LIGHTNING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER CONDITIONS THAT MEET REPORTING CRITERIA FOR SPOTTERS WILL BE LIKELY ACROSS AND NEAR THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE LATER THIS EVENING AND OVERNIGHT. 31/88
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
16 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, November 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: 605281, 605282, 605279, 605280, 605286, 605288, 605289, 605283, 605284, 605285, 605291, 605292, 605293, 605295, 605296, 605297.