Strong winds with periods of moderate to heavy snowfall occurred across the north central mountains of Colorado. The hardest hit areas were in the mountains north of the Interstate 70 Corridor.
Every event with a place to put it; 3 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.
Strong winds with periods of moderate to heavy snowfall occurred across the north central mountains of Colorado. The hardest hit areas were in the mountains north of the Interstate 70 Corridor. Storm totals included 22.5 inches, 9 miles east-northeast of Steamboat Springs; 19.5 inches, 1 mile northwest of Cameron Pass; 18 inches at Mt. Zirkel; 15 inches, 8 miles northwest of Glendevy; 13.5 inches, 3 miles north-northeast of Mt. Audubon; 10.5 inches, 4 miles north-northwest of Longs Peak; 12 inches, 8 miles southwest of Cameron Pass; with 9 inches near Lake Eldora and Rabbit Ears Pass. Lesser amounts of 4 to 8 inches occurred south of the I-70 Corridor. In addition to the heavy snow, strong wind gusts ranging from 50 to 70 mph were measured above timberline.
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 16, 3:58 PM MST, 2 hours 2 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO 358 PM MST SAT JAN 16 2016 .SHORT TERM...(THIS EVENING THROUGH SUNDAY) ISSUED AT 358 PM MST SAT JAN 16 2016 WINDS COMING UP IN ADVANCE OF THE NEXT SHORT WAVE. WE HAVE SEEN 60-70 MPH GUSTS ABOVE TIMBERLINE AND ENOUGH WIND IN SOUTH PARK TO CLOSE HIGHWAY 285. SOME DESCENT INTO THE FOOTHILLS BUT NOT SEEING STRONG WAVE AMPLIFICATION. STILL SOME THREAT OF THAT OR AT LEAST A BETTER PUSH DOWN THE EAST SLOPES INTO THE EARLY EVENING. BEEFED UP THE WINDS A BIT MORE THAN WE HAD IN THE MIDDAY UPDATE...BUT STILL NOT LOOKING LIKE TOO MUCH OF A HIGH WIND THREAT. BY LATE EVENING THE JET CORE HAS PASSES WITH THE HIGHER LEVEL WINDS BECOMING MORE NORTHWEST AND THE CROSS MOUNTAIN SHEAR INCREASES...SO WHILE WINDS WILL REMAIN STRONG THE AMPLIFIED WAVE THREAT SHOULD BE DIMINISHING. MEANWHILE THE SNOW IS COMING...PREVIOUSLY FORECAST AMOUNTS LOOK GOOD HITTING THE WEST FACING PARK RANGE AND OTHER WEST FAVORED AREAS NEARER THE WYOMING BORDER HARDER THAN SUMMIT COUNTY. BUT THE WIND/SNOW COMBINATION WILL STILL BE PRETTY SERIOUS LATER TONIGHT INTO SUNDAY MORNING. COLD FRONT WILL BACK INTO THE PLAINS BUT WILL BE FIGHTING THE STRONG NW FLOW. MODELS STILL SUGGESTING JUST A SHALLOW PUSH THAT STRUGGLES TO GET INTO DENVER...WITH A RIBBON OF OVERRUNNING SNOW LATE TONIGHT/SUNDAY MORNING COVERING THE NORTHEAST CORNER. IF THE COLD AIR PUSHES MORE STRONGLY WESTWARD THE SNOW WILL TOO...BUT THIS IS LOOKING UNLIKELY. THE COLD AIR SHOULD BE RETURNING EASTWARD BY SUNDAY AFTERNOON AS THE SHORTWAVE EXITS...ALONG WITH CLEARING SKIES...MUCH LESS MOUNTAIN SNOW...AND SOME DECREASE IN THE WIND. .LONG TERM...(SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY) ISSUED AT 358 PM MST SAT JAN 16 2016 TAIL END OF SUNDAY/S WAVE MAY KEEP A SMALL THREAT OF PRECIPITATION IN THE FAR NORTHEAST REACHES OF THE CWA EARLY SUNDAY EVENING WITH ACTIVITY DECREASING IN THE MOUNTAINS OVERNIGHT. THE MOUNTAIN ACTIVITY WILL BE STRICTLY OROGRAPHICALLY DRIVEN AS QG SUBSIDENCE WILL BE IN PLACE. RIDGING ON MONDAY WILL RESULT IN GENERALLY DRY WEATHER WITH PRETTY NICE TEMPERATURES FOR THE MIDDLE OF JANUARY. QG LIFT FROM THE NEXT UPPER WAVE WILL OVERSPREAD THE AREA MONDAY INCREASING THE SNOW THREAT AGAIN...MOSTLY IN THE MOUNTAINS. THE EUROPEAN RUN FROM 12Z IS A BIT MORE EXCITED ABOUT PRECIPITATION WITH FEATURE COMPARED TO THE OTHER MODELS...INCLUDING PRODUCING SOME SNOW ON THE LOWLANDS EAST OF THE MOUNTAINS. IT IS ALSO SLOWER THAN THE GEM AND GFS FOR THIS WAVE. QG SUBSIDENCE BEHIND THIS WAVE SHOULD LIMIT PRECIPITATION LATER TUESDAY AND TUESDAY NIGHT BUT ONLY BRIEFLY AS THE VERTICAL VELOCITY CHANGES SIGN TO ASCENT AGAIN BY WEDNESDAY. NOTHING SIGNIFICANT EXPECTED WITH THIS WEAKER TRANSITORY FEATURE. AGAIN...TIMING AND STRENGTH DIFFERENCES EXIST BETWIXT THE MODELS. THEREAFTER PRETTY HEAVY DUTY RIDGING SHOULD PROVIDE FOR DRY BUT OCCASIONALLY WINDY WEATHER FOR THURSDAY THROUGH MOST OF SATURDAY. ANOTHER UPPER TROUGH MAY IMPACT THE REGION BY LATER SATURDAY. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z SUNDAY AFTERNOON) ISSUED AT 358 PM MST SAT JAN 16 2016 STILL A BATTLE GOING ON OVER WIND DIRECTIONS AROUND DENVER. EXPECT EAST WINDS TO WIND AT KDEN...BECOMING MORE SE THIS EVENING. WEST WINDS SHOULD CONTINUE AT KBJC WHILE KAPA MAY VARY BETWEEN SE AND SW. WINDS WILL OCCASIONALLY GUST TO 30 KNOTS AT KBJC THROUGH THE EARLY EVENING...AND THERE WILL BE SOME LLWS IN THE MOUNTAIN WAVE TURBULENCE ALONG THE FOOTHILLS. STILL EXPECTING A BROADER AREA OF E-SE WINDS TO PUSH FROM THE PLAINS INTO DENVER SUNDAY MORNING BEHIND A COLD FRONT...BUT UNCERTAINTY ABOUT HOW STRONG THIS FRONT WILL PUSH WESTWARD. THERE COULD BE MVFR CEILINGS AND LIGHT SNOW...BUT WE EXPECT THE SNOW TO STAY EAST OF DENVER. THE LOW CLOUDS MAY NOT MAKE IT EITHER...THE BEST ESTIMATE AT THIS TIME IS FOR A FEW HOURS OF MVFR CEILINGS SUNDAY MORNING...THEN THOSE CLOUDS SHIFTING EAST AGAIN. IF THERE IS ANY SNOW...ACCUMULATIONS SHOULD BE AN INCH OR LESS. && .BOU WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 5 PM MST SUNDAY FOR COZ031-033-034. && SHORT TERM...GIMMESTAD LONG TERM...ET AVIATION...GIMMESTAD
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO 1056 AM MST SAT JAN 16 2016 COZ030>051-171800- 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- 1056 AM MST SAT JAN 16 2016 ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR THE MOUNTAINS TONIGHT AND SUNDAY... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST AND NORTH CENTRAL COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT LIGHT SNOW WILL CONTINUE IN THE HIGHER MOUNTAINS THIS AFTERNOON...WITH SOME FLURRIES IN THE MOUNTAIN VALLEYS. WIND GUSTS TO 45 MPH WILL CAUSE SOME BLOWING SNOW ABOVE TIMBERLINE. ACCUMULATIONS THIS AFTERNOON ARE EXPECTED TO BE AN INCH OR LESS. SNOW WILL INCREASE ACROSS THE HIGH COUNTRY TONIGHT AS THE NEXT WEATHER DISTURBANCE MOVES INTO THE REGION. WINDS WILL ALSO STRENGTHEN TO 20 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS AROUND 60 MPH ABOVE TIMBERLINE...PRODUCING CONSIDERABLE BLOWING SNOW AND POOR VISIBILITIES OVER THE HIGH MOUNTAIN PASSES. AREAS OF BLOWING SNOW MAY ALSO OCCUR IN EXPOSED LOWER ELEVATIONS. HAZARDOUS WINTER TRAVEL CONDITIONS WILL REDEVELOP AS THE SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW INCREASE THIS EVENING. THE GUSTY WINDS WILL ALSO SPREAD DOWN THE FOOTHILLS WITH A FEW GUSTS AROUND 50 MPH IN WIND PRONE AREAS. OVER NORTHEASTERN COLORADO...ANOTHER BAND OR TWO OF SNOW WILL LIKELY DEVELOP OVERNIGHT. THE MAIN THREAT OF THIS SNOW WOULD BE NORTHEAST OF A GREELEY TO LIMON LINE. A FEW AREAS COULD SEE AN INCH OR TWO OF SNOW WHILE OTHER PLACES HAVE LITTLE OR NO SNOW. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW WILL CONTINUE IN THE MOUNTAINS SUNDAY AND THEN TAPER OFF DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING. TOTAL SNOWFALL FROM TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY IS EXPECTED TO RANGE FROM 4 TO 10 INCHES...WITH AROUND A FOOT OF SNOW EXPECTED IN THE MOUNTAINS FROM RABBIT EARS PASS AREA NORTHWARD TO THE WYOMING BORDER. SNOW PACKED ROADS AND HAZARDOUS TRAVEL CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED IN PLACES. SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS ARE EXPECTED ON THE NORTHEAST PLAINS SUNDAY MORNING. IF ANY ADDITIONAL SNOWFALL OCCURS...IT IS EXPECTED TO BE LIGHT AND LESS THAN AN INCH. THE UNSETTLED WEATHER PATTERN WILL REMAIN OVER THE MOUNTAINS THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK WHILE MILD AND DRY CONDITIONS PREVAIL EAST OF THE MOUNTAINS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SNOWFALL REPORTS FROM SPOTTERS WILL BE APPRECIATED. GIMMESTAD/ET
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 winter storm, 1 winter weather. 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, January 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: 615151, 615154, 615155.