A slow moving storm system moved across the Four Corners region and strengthened as it moved into southeastern Colorado. The southeasterly flow aloft initially produced snowfall in the and near the foothills of Larimer County.
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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 slow moving storm system moved across the Four Corners region and strengthened as it moved into southeastern Colorado. The southeasterly flow aloft initially produced snowfall in the and near the foothills of Larimer County. By late in the afternoon on the 1st, a deep east to northeasterly flow upslope produced moderate to heavy snowfall that continued through the evening across the rest of Front Range Mountains, Foothills and adjacent plains. The combination of heavy snow and strong winds produced extensive blowing and drifting snow along the Palmer Divide and across the northeast plains of Colorado. Snowdrifts from 3 to 6 ft deep were observed. Numerous roads and highways were closed east of the Interstate 25, including I-70 and I-76 respectively overnight, as the roadways became impassable. The road closures continued through the morning hours as bands of light to moderate snow, with gusty winds to 35 mph persisted. The roads were reopened by the afternoon of the 2nd. In addition, at Denver International Airport, 480 were cancelled on the 1st, with an additional 125 flights on the 2nd. The official measurement at Denver International Airport was 11.6 inches.
In the mountains and foothills, storm totals included: 35.5 inches at Buckhorn Mountain; 25 inches, 4 miles west-southwest of Eldorado Springs; 24 inches at Genesee and 12.5 miles northwest of Golden; 22.5 inches, 4 miles east-northeast of Nederland; 21 inches, 4 miles south-southeast of Pinecliffe; 16.5 inches, 4 miles south-southeast of Brookvale; 14.5 inches near Estes Park; 14 inches at Intercanyon; 13 inches 4 miles west-northwest of Berthoud; Echo Mountain and 3 miles east-southeast of Tiny Town; 12.5 inches near Breckenridge, 12 inches near Antero Junction, 4 miles west-northwest of Conifer and Eldora Ski Area; 11 inches at Roxborough State Park; 9.5 inches, 3 miles southwest of Golden; 9 inches near Bergen Park and Strontia Springs Dam; with 8 inches, 3 miles north of Black Hawk.
Across the Interstate 25 Corridor, storm totals included: 19.5 inches near Parker; 18.5 inches, 4 miles north-northwest of Larkspur; 15 inches just north of Loveland; 14.5 inches near Louisville; 14 inches in northwest Arvada and Ken Caryl; 13 inches near Federal Heights, Northglenn and Ralston Reservoir; 12.5 inches, 4 miles south of Ft Collins; 12 inches in Broomfield, 3 miles north-northwest of Buckley AFB, near Castle Rock, Erie, Highlands Ranch and Wellington; 11.5 inches near Westminster; 11 inches, 3 miles south-southeast of Denver, north Longmont, Lafayette and Mead; 10 inches near Aurora, 3 miles east of Franktown and Wheat Ridge; 9.5 inches in Thornton; 9 inches at Frederick.
Across the Palmer Divide and adjacent plains, storm totals included: 21 inches, 4 miles northwest of Elizabeth; 14 inches, 8 miles southeast of Watkins; 12 inches at Agate and Burdett; 11 inches at Hereford; 10 inches, 4 miles south-southeast of Bennett and near Greeley, Holyoke and 21 miles north of New Raymer; 9 inches near Akron and Byers; 8 inches, 8 miles northwest of Greeley; 7 inches near Hugo; 6 inches near Ft Morgan, Karval and Sterling.
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 Jan 31, 8:22 PM MST, 3 hours 38 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO 822 PM MST SUN JAN 31 2016 .UPDATE... ISSUED AT 759 PM MST SUN JAN 31 2016 LOW LEVEL FLOW HAS BECOME SELY ALONG THE FRONT RANGE WHICH HAS SHIFTED STEADIER LIGHT SNOW IN AND NR THE NRN FOOTHILLS WHILE FURTHER SOUTH ONLY VERY LIGHT SNOW/FLURRIES IS OCCURRING. APPEARS THIS WILL BE THE NORM OVERNIGHT. QG FIELDS FM THE RAP SUGGEST SNOW MAY GRADUALLY BECOME STEADIER BY SUNRISE THRU THE LATE MORNING. MEANWHILE MAIN SYSTEM IS CURRENTLY INTENSIFYING OVER SRN NEVADA/SRN CA AND WILL MOVE INTO THE FOUR CORNERS AREA BY 18Z MON AN THEN EASTWARD INTO SERN CO BY MON EVENING. BELIEVE 700 MB LOW WILL BE MORE CONSOLIDATED AND ALIGNED WITH THE UPPER LEVEL LOW SO EXPECT INCREASING UPSLOPE FLOW BY EARLY AFTN WHICH WILL LEAD TO HEAVIER SNOW INTO MON NIGHT. && .SHORT TERM...(THIS EVENING THROUGH MONDAY) ISSUED AT 304 PM MST SUN JAN 31 2016 THE MOIST WESTERLY FLOW ALOFT IS BEGINNING TO BACK TO THE SOUTHWEST AS AN UPPER TROUGH PUSHES ONSHORE OVER THE WEST COAST TO DIG INTO THE DESERT SOUTHWEST TONIGHT. LIGHT SNOW HAS ALREADY BEGUN TO PUSH NORTH INTO THE FORECAST AREA ALONG AN AREA OF FRONTOGENESIS. THIS SNOW WILL INCREASE AS IT PUSHES NORTH THIS EVENING...WHICH IS THE REASON FOR STAGGERING THE WINTER STORM WARNING TIMES. THEN 700 MB FLOW BECOMES SOUTHERLY LATER THIS EVENING INTO AFTER MIDNIGHT. THIS CAUSES A BIT OF CONCERN AS THIS CAN DOWNSLOPE OVER THE PALMER DIVIDE AND CAUSE DRYING BETWEEN THE PALMER RIDGE AND AREAS NORTH OF DENVER...HAVE DECREASED SNOWFALL AMOUNTS OVERNIGHT IN THIS AREA SLIGHTLY...BUT BELIEVE ENOUGH LOW LEVEL EASTERLY FLOW THAT MAY CYCLONE AROUND OVER THE URBAN CORRIDOR SHOULD KEEP SNOW GOING. THE SOUTHERLY FLOW WILL ALSO HELP INCREASE THE SNOWFALL ALONG THE NORTHERN STATE BORDER ESPECIALLY BY THE CHEYENNE RIDGE AND THE NORTHERN URBAN CORRIDOR. ON MONDAY...THE UPPER LOW IS FORECAST TO MOVE FROM NORTHERN ARIZONA AND THEN BECOME ALMOST VERTICALLY STACKED OVER THE SURFACE LOW OVER FAR SOUTHEASTERN COLORADO BY EVENING. UPWARD QG VERTICAL VELOCITIES WILL BECOME MODERATE TO STRONG WHILE WINDS THROUGH A DEEP LAYER BECOME UPSLOPE AND INCREASE IN SPEED. THIS WILL BRING HEAVIER SNOWFALL BY LATE MORNING ACROSS THE PLAINS AND ALONG THE EAST SLOPES OF THE FRONT RANGE AND FOOTHILLS. SNOWFALL RATES SHOULD BE AROUND HALF AN INCH PER HOUR WITH SOME HIGHER RATES NEAR THE HIGHER TERRAIN. THE MOUNTAINS WEST OF THE DIVIDE WILL NOT BE FAVORED IN THE EASTERLY FLOW....SO AMOUNTS WILL BE FAR LESS. WINDS WILL INCREASE OUT OF THE NORTHEAST DURING THE AFTERNOON OVER THE PLAINS TO 15 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS OF 30 TO 35 MPH TO CREATE HAZARDOUS TRAVEL CONDITIONS IN BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW. VISIBILITIES WILL BE REDUCED TO LESS THAN A HALF MILE IN THESE CONDITIONS. EXPECT 4 TO 6 INCHES TO FALL OVER THE PLAINS DURING MONDAY MORNING AND AFTERNOON...AND 5 TO 10 INCHES IN THE HIGHER TERRAIN. .LONG TERM...(MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY) ISSUED AT 304 PM MST SUN JAN 31 2016 PROLONGED AND STRONG WINTER STORM WILL CONTINUE MONDAY NIGHT BEFORE FINALLY TAPERING OFF TUESDAY. THE MODELS REMAIN QUITE CONSISTENT WITH ONLY MINOR FLUCTUATIONS IN EACH MODEL RUN. IT SHOULD STILL BE NOTED THE STORM IS JUST NOW MOVING ONSHORE SO BETTER SAMPLING FOR THE EXACT TRACK SHOULD BE AVAILABLE IN THE 00Z MODEL RUNS. THAT SAID...WE DO HAVE GOOD CONFIDENCE IN THE OVERALL TRACK OF THE STORM BASED ON CURRENT SATELLITE IMAGERY. THE EXPECTED TRACK TAKES THE MID LEVEL CIRCULATION CENTER IS EXPECTED TO MOVE EAST/NORTHEAST FROM THE NORTHEAST CORNER OF NEW MEXICO TOMORROW EVENING INTO SOUTHWEST KANSAS BY EARLY TUESDAY MORNING. THERE IS STILL GOOD UPWARD Q-G LIFT AND THE BEST UPSLOPE COMPONENT AS WELL AS INSTABILITY BELOW 600 MB THROUGH MONDAY EVENING. THOSE FAVORABLE PARAMETERS START TO FADE OVERNIGHT MONDAY NIGHT. AS A RESULT...THE HEAVIEST SNOW OF THIS EVENT SHOULD CONTINUE INTO TOMORROW EVENING BEFORE STARTING A SLOW DECREASE LATE MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY MORNING. ON THE EASTERN PLAINS...NORTHEAST WINDS 15 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS AROUND 35 MPH WILL LIKELY PRODUCE CONSIDERABLE BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW. AT THIS TIME...WINDS ARE JUST SHY OF BLIZZARD CRITERIA BUT WILL HAVE TO WATCH THIS POTENTIAL MAINLY ALONG/EAST OF A LINE FROM AKRON TO LIMON AS EXPECTED DEPTH OF SNOW AND DRIER NATURE OF SNOW ON THE BACK SIDE OF STORM WILL ALSO ADD TO THE AMOUNT OF BLOWING/DRIFTING. EXPECTED STORM TOTALS WILL BE QUITE HIGH OVER MOST OF THE FORECAST AREA. REASONABLE AGREEMENT BETWEEN 7 AND 14 INCHES WILL FALL OVER MOST OF THE PLAINS DURING THIS LONG DURATION EVENT...HEAVIEST NEAR THE FOOTHILLS AND I-70 CORRIDOR EASTWARD ACROSS THE PLAINS. IN THE FOOTHILLS AND FRONT RANGE MOUNTAINS...INITIAL EXPECTATIONS ARE FOR 10-24 INCHES...WITH THE HEAVIER TOTALS ON EAST FACING SLOPES OF THE FRONT RANGE. MEANWHILE...THE HIGH MOUNTAIN VALLEYS OF GRAND AND JACKSON COUNTIES ARE LIKELY TO BE LARGELY DOWNSLOPED MAINLY LATER IN THIS EVENT AS EASTERLY COMPONENT STRENGTHENS. IT SHOULD BE NOTED SOME MODELS ARE HIGHER THAN THE FORECAST TOTALS...BUT SOME BIAS IS NORMALLY NOTED ON THE HIGH SIDE...AND NOT SURE HOW EFFICIENT DENDRITIC GROWTH WILL BE OUTSIDE OF THE PERIODS OF HEAVIER SNOWFALL. WILL CERTAINLY MONITOR AND ADJUST THE FORECAST AS EVENT UNFOLDS AND MORE CONFIDENCE IS HOPEFULLY ACHIEVED AFTER THE SYSTEM MOVES ONSHORE. ALL THAT SAID...DIFFICULT TRAVEL CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED BOTH BY ROAD AND AIR WITH DELAYS/CANCELLATIONS POSSIBLE THROUGH TUESDAY. SOME RURAL OR SECONDARY ROADS MAY HAVE DIFFICULT TRAVEL BY MONDAY NIGHT DUE TO SNOW DEPTH...AS WELL AS DRIFTING OUT ON THE EASTERN PLAINS. BY TUESDAY NIGHT...CONDITIONS IMPROVE WITH ONLY SOME LINGERING LIGHT SNOW IN THE MOUNTAINS. THE REST OF THE WEEK INTO NEXT WEEKEND WILL FEATURE NORTHWEST FLOW ALLOWING EMBEDDED SHORT WAVES TO BRING A COUPLE PERIODS OF SNOW TO THE MOUNTAINS AND BRIEF COOLDOWNS FOR THE PLAINS. ONE OF THESE APPEARS LIKELY FOR LATE THURSDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY...WITH ANOTHER TOWARD NEXT SUNDAY. OVERALL TEMPERATURES WILL RUN BELOW NORMAL WITH FRESH SNOW COVER AND CHILLY NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z MONDAY EVENING) ISSUED AT 759 PM MST SUN JAN 31 2016 ONLY EXPECT PERIODS OF VERY LIGHT SNOW OVERNIGHT WITH ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATIONS UNDER AN INCH. INTENSITY COULD INCREASE SOME BY SUNRISE HOWEVER HEAVIEST SNOWS WILL PROBABLY HOLD OFF UNTIL AROUND NOON WHICH WILL CONTINUE INTO MON NIGHT AS STG STORM SYSTEM MOVES INTO SERN CO. TOTAL SNOWFALL AT DIA WILL BE IN THE 8" TO 12" RANGE WITH HIGHER AMOUNTS POSSIBLE AT APA AND BJC. && .BOU WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER STORM WARNING FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO NOON MST TUESDAY FOR COZ042-044-048>051. WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL NOON MST TUESDAY FOR COZ033>037. WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL NOON MST TUESDAY FOR COZ038>041-043- 045>047. && UPDATE...RPK SHORT TERM...KRIEDERMAN LONG TERM...BARJENBRUCH AVIATION...RPK
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO 1119 AM MST SUN JAN 31 2016 COZ030>051-011830- 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- 1119 AM MST SUN JAN 31 2016 ...PROLONGED WINTER STORM WITH HEAVY SNOW ACCUMULATIONS LIKELY FOR MOST OF COLORADO... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST AND NORTH CENTRAL COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT PERIODS OF LIGHT SNOW WILL BE POSSIBLE TODAY...MAINLY SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 70. SNOW WILL THEN INCREASE FROM SOUTH TO NORTH THIS EVENING AND THROUGH TONIGHT AS A PACIFIC STORM SYSTEM APPROACHES COLORADO. ROADS ARE EXPECTED TO BECOME SNOW PACKED AND SLIPPERY TONIGHT IN TIME FOR THE MONDAY MORNING COMMUTE. SNOW ACCUMULATIONS TONIGHT WILL LIKELY BE 1 TO 4 INCHES OVER THE PLAINS...WITH HIGHEST AMOUNTS NEAR THE FOOTHILLS....AND 3 TO 8 INCHES OVER THE MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS WITH HIGHEST AMOUNTS NEAR THE I70 CORRIDOR. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY SNOW WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE OUTLOOK AREA MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT AS A SLOW MOVING AND STRONG PACIFIC STORM SYSTEM PASSES OVER COLORADO. THE HEAVIEST SNOWFALL WILL LIKELY OCCUR MONDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING BECAUSE OF A DEEP AND MOIST UPSLOPE FLOW. SOME AREAS OF THE FRONT RANGE MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS COULD SEE 1 TO 1.5 INCH PER HOUR SNOWFALL RATES DURING THIS TIME PERIOD. SNOWFALL RATES ARE NOT EXPECTED TO BE AS GREAT AT LOWER ELEVATIONS. HOWEVER BECAUSE OF THE LONG DURATION OF SNOWFALL...SIGNIFICANT ACCUMULATIONS ARE STILL LIKELY. TOTAL SNOW AMOUNTS BY MIDDAY TUESDAY COULD RANGE ANYWHERE FROM 6 TO 14 INCHES ON THE PLAINS WITH THE HEAVIER AMOUNTS NEAR THE FOOTHILLS AND ALONG THE I-70 CORRIDOR AND PALMER DIVIDE AREA OF THE PLAINS. IN THE FRONT RANGE MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS...LOOK FOR AMOUNTS RANGING FROM 10 TO 24 INCHES WITH THE HEAVIER TOTALS ON EAST FACING SLOPES. STRONG AND GUSTY NORTHEAST WINDS STARTING MONDAY AFTERNOON AND CONTINUING THROUGH TUESDAY ON THE HIGH PLAINS WILL PRODUCE AREAS OF BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW. VISIBILITIES MAY BE SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED AND TRAVEL WILL LIKELY BECOME DIFFICULT ON THE EASTERN PLAINS...WITH THE WORST CONDITIONS ANTICIPATED IN ELBERT...WASHINGTON...AND LINCOLN COUNTIES. MUCH LIGHTER WINDS CAN BE ANTICIPATED ALONG THE I-25 CORRIDOR AND IN THE MOUNTAINS. THIS STORM SYSTEM HAS THE POTENTIAL TO DISRUPT AIR AND GROUND TRAVEL ACROSS COLORADO AND SURROUNDING STATES MONDAY AND TUESDAY. TRAVELERS SHOULD PREPARE TO MAKE ALTERNATE ARRANGEMENTS SHOULD ROADS BE CLOSED AND FLIGHTS BE CANCELLED DUE TO INCLEMENT WINTER WEATHER. BEGINNING WEDNESDAY...CONDITIONS WILL GRADUALLY WARM AND DRY ON THE PLAINS. FOR THE HIGH COUNTRY...A MOIST NORTHWEST FLOW AND THE OCCASIONAL WEATHER DISTURBANCE WILL CONTINUE TO PRODUCE PERIODS OF LIGHT SNOWFALL THROUGH SATURDAY. STAY TUNED FOR THE LATEST UPDATES ON WHAT WILL LIKELY BE A MAJOR SNOWSTORM FOR MOST OF COLORADO. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED TODAY OR TONIGHT. HOWEVER...ANY SNOWFALL REPORTS WILL BE APPRECIATED.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
1043 PM MST SUN JAN 31 2016
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1032 PM HEAVY SNOW 1 NW FRASER 39.95N 105.81W
01/31/2016 M6.0 INCH GRAND CO TRAINED SPOTTER
0945 PM SNOW 4 ENE NEDERLAND 39.98N 105.44W
01/31/2016 M2.0 INCH BOULDER CO TRAINED SPOTTER
0700 PM SNOW 4 SSE BROOKVALE 39.57N 105.40W
01/31/2016 M5.0 INCH JEFFERSON CO TRAINED SPOTTER
&&
KFREDINThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
17 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
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, February 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: 610078, 610079, 610080, 610081, 610082, 610083, 610085, 610086, 610087, 610088, 610089, 610090, 610091, 610092, 610093, 610094, 610095.