A powerful spring snowstorm brought heavy, wet snow to areas in and near the Front Range Foothills and Palmer Divide. Storm totals generally ranged from 2 to 4 feet in the Foothills with 1 to 2 feet across the Mountains and Palmer Divide.
Every event with a place to put it; 10 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 BOU wrote it up.
A powerful spring snowstorm brought heavy, wet snow to areas in and near the Front Range Foothills and Palmer Divide. Storm totals generally ranged from 2 to 4 feet in the Foothills with 1 to 2 feet across the Mountains and Palmer Divide. Front Range Urban Corridor had amounts ranging from 6 to 20 inches...with highest totals across the western and southern suburbs. Denver International Airport flight cancellations totaled 852, almost all on the 16th. Accumulating snow on trees resulted in broken tree limbs and scattered power outages. Over 5,000 customers were without power on the 16th, and over 2,000 on the 17th. Xcel Energy brought in extra crews from surrounding states to help restore power and minimize outage times through the storm. Numerous but mostly temporary road closures from 1 to 5 hours occurred throughout the storm. This included portions of I-70, Highways 86 and 24 west of Limon, Highway 103 Idaho Springs to Evergreen, Highway 287 northwest of Fort Collins to the Wyoming border, Highway 85 from Nunn, CO to the Wyoming border, and Highway 119 through Black Hawk.
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 Apr 15, 10:29 AM MST, 31 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO 1129 AM MDT FRI APR 15 2016 .UPDATE... ISSUED AT 1002 AM MDT FRI APR 15 2016 AREA RADARS HAVE SCATTERED SHOWER COVERAGE OVER THE WESTERN HALF OF THE CWA RIGHT NOW AND A TAD OVER THE FAR NORTHEAST CORNER. THERE IS SOME LIGHTNING IN WESTERN COLORADO. THE MESO SCALE MODELS ARE STILL SHOWING SOME DECENT CAPE OVER THE EASTERN THIRD OF THE CWA THIS AFTERNOON/EARLY EVENING. WILL MAKE A FEW CHANGES TO ALL SNOWFALL FOR THE WEATHER AFTER 06Z TONIGHT FOR THE WESTERN THIRD OF THE PLAINS. CONCERNING ZONES 42...44...AND 45 WILL LEAVE WATCH IN PLACE FOR NOW...WITH A ADVISORY OR WARNING HIGHLIGHT DECISION BY MID AFTERNOON. .SHORT TERM...(TODAY AND TONIGHT) ISSUED AT 355 AM MDT FRI APR 15 2016 BIG WEATHER CHANGES COMING TODAY AS STRONG AND BROAD LOW PRESSURE AREA ALOFT CONTINUES TO EVOLVE OVER THE NORTHERN GREAT BASIN AND NORTHERN ROCKIES. MAIN CONCERN OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS WILL BE THE SEVERE WEATHER POTENTIAL OVER THE EASTERN PLAINS THIS AFTERNOON AND HEAVY SNOWFALL OVER MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH TONIGHT. THE SURFACE COLD FRONT CONTINUES TO PUSH SOUTHWARD OVER THE NORTHEAST PLAINS...AND IS NOW ALONG A LINE FROM AURORA AND STRETCHING EAST TO NORTH OF LIMON. FRONT WILL CONTINUE TO RESULT IN SHALLOW UPSLOPE FLOW AND COOLER TEMPERATURES. READINGS WILL ONLY BE IN THE 50S NORTH AND 60S OVER THE FAR EASTERN PLAINS OF COLORADO. MOISTURE IS ALREADY DEEPENING OVER WESTERN COLORADO AND THIS WILL WORK INTO OUR MOUNTAINS LATER THIS MORNING AND AFTERNOON. SNOWFALL WILL EXPAND AND BECOME WIDESPREAD DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS AS UPSLOPE FLOW DEEPENS. DUE TO THE EARLIER ARRIVAL OF COOLER AIR THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT IS MINIMAL OVER THE URBAN CORRIDOR BUT STILL A THREAT OVER THE FAR EASTERN PLAINS...MAINLY OVER FAR EASTERN ELBERT....LINCOLN AND WASHINGTON COUNTIES. SURFACE BASED CAPES UP TO ABOUT 1500J/KG AND SUFFICIENT SHEAR WILL RESULT IN POTENTIAL FOR AN ISOLATED SEVERE STORM WITH LARGE HAIL THE PRIMARY THREAT. MODEL CONSENSUS STILL SHOWING THE INTENSIFICATION OF THE UPPER LOW JUST SOUTH OF THE 4 CORNERS REGION BY EARLY SATURDAY MORNING. EXPECT INCREASING QG ASCENT THROUGH THE DAY AND MAX LIFT EXPECTED LATER TONIGHT AND SATURDAY MORNING. PRECIP WILL EXPAND OVER THE PLAINS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING BECOMING WIDESPREAD OVERNIGHT. PRECIP WILL START AS RAIN THIS EVENING OVER THE PLAINS AND THEN MIXING WITH SNOW AFTER MIDNIGHT...BECOMING MOSTLY ALL SNOW OVER THE URBAN CORRIDOR BY 12Z SATURDAY. AS FOR THE HILITES...WILL UPGRADE THE WATCH TO A WARNING FOR ZONES 38..39..41 AFTER 06Z TONIGHT BUT HAVE DELAYED THE START OF THE WARNING FOR ZONES 40 AND 43...INCLUDING DENVER UNTIL AFTER 12Z SATURDAY. OTHER CHANGE TO THE HILITES WAS TO UPGRADE ZONE 37 TO A WARNING DUE TO INITIAL FAVORED SOUTHEAST FLOW THERE. .LONG TERM...(SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY) ISSUED AT 355 AM MDT FRI APR 15 2016 THE UPPER LOW WILL MOVE SLIGHTLY EAST SATURDAY BUT CONTINUE TO BRING IN COPIOUS AMOUNTS OF MOISTURE. PRECIPITATION RATES WILL LIKELY BE AT A MAXIMUM DURING THE MORNING AND AFTERNOON HOURS AS MODERATE TO STRONG QG LIFT IS OVERHEAD. SNOWFALL RATES COULD BE IN THE HALF TO POCKETS OF TWO INCH PER HOUR RANGE DURING THIS TIME. MOST OF THE PLAINS WILL SEE PRECIP FALL AS A WET AND HEAVY SNOW EXCEPT FOR AREAS EAST OF A FORT MORGAN TO LIMON LINE WHERE TEMPERATURES MAY BE WARM ENOUGH FOR A MIX OR ALL RAIN. THIS CHANGE OVER LINE IS STILL DIFFICULT TO FORECAST...SO WILL ISSUE A WINTER STORM WATCH FOR EASTERN WELD COUNTY...MORGAN AND EASTERN ARAPAHOE AND ADAMS COUNTIES TO SHOW THE UNCERTAINTY. AREAS FURTHER EAST WILL LIKELY NOT SEE SNOW UNTIL SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY MORNING...ACCORDING TO FORECAST SOUNDINGS. NORTH WINDS WILL BE BLOWING UP TO 30 MPH...HOWEVER BLOWING SNOW OFF THE GROUND WILL BE DIFFICULT OVER THE PLAINS DUE TO THE SNOW BEING WET AND HEAVY. STILL...VISIBILITIES WILL BE IMPACTED FROM HEAVY SNOWFALL RATES. TEMPERATURES WILL BE IN THE MID 30S TO LOWER 40S. SOME OF THE MOUNTAIN VALLEYS MAY SEE RAIN MIX IN DURING THE DAY. THE UPPER LOW IS FORECAST TO START HEADING NORTH VERY SLOWLY SUNDAY AND REMAIN NEAR THE AREA THROUGH TUESDAY. THIS WILL CONTINUE TO BRING SNOW TO THE AREA SUNDAY AT LIGHTER RATES BEFORE IT REALLY STARTS DIMINISHING MONDAY...DOWN TO ISOLATED SHOWERS BY TUESDAY. OVERALL...MODELS HAVE INCREASED THE EXPECTED LIQUID WATER AMOUNTS SLIGHTLY FROM THIS STORM. BY MONDAY MORNING...THE MOUNTAIN AREAS ARE EXPECTED TO HAVE RECEIVED AROUND 2 TO 4 FEET OF SNOW...WITH LESSER AMOUNTS OVER THE HIGH VALLEYS. THE URBAN CORRIDOR MAY SEE A FOOT TO A FOOT AND A HALF OF WET SNOW...WITH AREAS FURTHER EAST SEEING 2 TO 12 INCHES. ADDITIONAL MOISTURE WILL CONTINUE MONDAY AND INTO TUESDAY. ONE CONCERN IS THE AMOUNT OF RAIN EXPECTED TO FALL OVER THE FAR EASTERN PLAINS...CLOSE TO 6 INCHES OVER THE FAR NORTHEAST CORNER OF THE STATE BY TUESDAY. WILL NEED TO MONITOR RIVER LEVELS AND SOILS FOR FLOOD ISSUES. WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY...A LARGE RIDGE WILL BUILD INTO THE AREA...BRINGING DRIER AND WARMER CONDITIONS TO THE AREA. THE WARMER TEMPERATURES WILL HELP MELT THE RECENT SNOW. CONCERNS MAY TURN TO RIVERS AS SNOWMELT DRAINS INTO THE RIVER SYSTEM. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z SATURDAY AFTERNOON) ISSUED AT 1002 AM MDT FRI APR 15 2016 NOT MUCH IN THE WAY OF SHOWERS DIRECTLY UPSTREAM FROM DIA RIGHT NOW. CEILINGS ALREADY DOWN TO BKN050 AND WILL LIKELY ONLY GET LOWER AND STAY THAT WAY THROUGH SUNDAY. WILL LEAVE THE VCTS IN FOR NOW...THERE IS SOME LIGHTNING AROUND AND UPSTREAM. MODELS KEEP THE NORTHEASTERLY WINDS GOING...WITH ANOTHER REINFORCING SURGE OF MORE DUE NORTHERLIES THIS EVENING. WILL LIKELY CHANGE OVER TO ALL SNOW FOR THE PRECIPITATION TYPE BEFORE THE CURRENT 11Z TIME FRAME. && .BOU WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 6 AM MDT SUNDAY FOR COZ031-033>037. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 6 AM MDT SUNDAY FOR COZ030-032. WINTER STORM WARNING FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 6 AM MDT SUNDAY FOR COZ038-039-041. WINTER STORM WATCH FROM SATURDAY MORNING THROUGH LATE SATURDAY NIGHT FOR COZ042-044-045. WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 6 AM SATURDAY TO 6 AM MDT SUNDAY FOR COZ040-043. && UPDATE...RJK SHORT TERM...ENTREKIN LONG TERM...KRIEDERMAN AVIATION...RJK
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO 1059 AM MDT FRI APR 15 2016 COZ030>051-161700- 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- 1059 AM MDT FRI APR 15 2016 ...MAJOR SPRING STORM TO IMPACT COLORADO FROM THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH THE WEEKEND... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST AND NORTH CENTRAL COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE OVER THE MOUNTAINS...FOOTHILLS AND ADJACENT PLAINS THIS AFTERNOON. THE SHOWERS WILL FILL IN OVER THE REST OF THE PLAINS LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING. THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE NORTHEAST COLORADO PLAINS THIS AFTERNOON INTO MID EVENING. SEVERE STORMS ARE POSSIBLE WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS...MAINLY ACROSS LINCOLN AND EASTERN WASHINGTON COUNTIES. RAIN WILL BECOME WIDESPREAD OVER THE NORTHEAST PLAINS THIS EVENING. ACROSS THE URBAN CORRIDOR...RAIN WILL MIX WITH SNOW BY MIDNIGHT...THEN BECOME ALL SNOW BEFORE DAYBREAK ON SATURDAY. SNOW WILL REMAIN HEAVY AT TIMES OVER THE MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS TONIGHT. SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OVER THE URBAN CORRIDOR BY DAWN SATURDAY WILL BE 1 TO 3 INCHES...AND 6 TO 15 INCHES OVER THE MOUNTAINS AND FRONT RANGE FOOTHILLS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY HEAVY SNOW WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS AND SPREAD OVER MOST OF THE PLAINS SATURDAY AND INTO SUNDAY. SNOWFALL RATES MAY APPROACH AN INCH OR TWO PER HOUR AT TIMES DURING SATURDAY. WET AND HEAVY SNOW WILL WEIGH DOWN BRANCHES AND POWER LINES...CREATING POTENTIAL POWER PROBLEMS. ROADS WILL ACCUMULATE WITH SLUSHY AND HEAVY SNOW...MAKING TRAVEL DIFFICULT. ACCUMULATIONS BETWEEN ONE AND FOUR FEET WILL BE POSSIBLE AT ELEVATIONS ABOVE 7000 FEET IN THE MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS. NORTH WINDS WILL GUST BETWEEN 30 AND 50 MPH...HIGHEST OVER THE PLAINS. THE FAR EASTERN PLAINS WILL LIKELY REMAIN MOSTLY RAIN...WITH UP TO 6 INCHES POSSIBLE BY MONDAY...CAUSING POSSIBLE FLOODING ISSUES. LIGHTER PRECIPITATION FROM THE STORM SYSTEM WILL LIKELY CONTINUE MONDAY AND TUESDAY BEFORE DRIER AND WARMER WEATHER IS EXPECTED WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY. THE WARMER TEMPERATURES WILL MELT THE RECENTLY FALLEN SNOW...ADDING TO ALREADY HIGHER RIVER LEVELS...CAUSING ADDITIONAL FLOODING CONCERNS OVER THE PLAINS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED ACROSS LINCOLN AND WASHINGTON COUNTIES AFTER 2 PM. SNOWFALL REPORTS AND CHANGEOVER OF RAIN TO SNOW INFORMATION WILL ALSO BE APPRECIATED.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
8 heavy snow, 2 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
Storm totals included: 32 inches at Joe Wright, 22 inches at Deadman Hill, 21 inches at Bear Lake and Long Draw Reservoir SNOTEL; with 16 inches at Lake Irene.
Storm totals included: 41.5 inches, 3 miles south-southeast of Silver Plume, 22 inches at Cabin Creek, 20 inches at Loveland SNOTEL, 17.5 inches in Breckenridge and 14 inches at Cooper Mountain SNOTEL.
Storm totals included: 42 inches near Nederland and Ward; 36 inches near Allenspark; 25 inches near Eldorado Springs and 19 inches at Gross Reservoir.
Storm totals included: 50.6 inches near Pinecliffe, 46.5 inches, 8 miles north of Blackhawk; 46 inches near Conifer and St. Marys Glacier, 45 inches near Aspen Springs; 42 inches at Genesee; 36 inches, 5 miles southwest of Golden; 31.5 inches in Bergen Park; 29.5 inches near Evergreen; 28 inches near Bailey; with 18.5 inches in Georgetown.
Storm totals included: 16 inches near Superior; 15 inches, 5 miles east of Boulder and at the National Weather Service Office in Boulder; 14.5 inches in Broomfield; 12 inches in Louisville; 11.5 inches in Arvada; with 10.5 inches near Wheat Ridge.
Storm totals included 16 inches in Fairplay.
Up to 12 inches of snow was measured a Williams Fork Dam, with lesser amounts elsewhere.
Storm totals included: 31 inches near Perry Park; 27.5 inches at Ken Caryl Ranch; 24.5 inches near Elizabeth; 21 inches near Elizabeth; 20 inches near Castle Rock and Parker; 18.5 inches near Franktown. Strong winds also produced snow drifts up to 3 feet deep near Castle Rock.
Official snowfall at Denver International Airport was 12.1 inches. Elsewhere, storm totals included: 16 inches in Aurora; 13.5 inches in Westminster; 11 inches near Englewood; with 9.5 inches, 5 miles northeast of Thornton.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Colorado in 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, April 2016
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: 630294, 630295, 630296, 630297, 630298, 630302, 631990, 630300, 630303, 630299.