A combination of enhanced banding associated with a strong upper level jet stream, and low level upslope following the passage of a cold front, produced heavy snowfall in northern mountains as well as in and near the foothills of Boulder and Larimer Counties. 5 inches near Blackhawk, with 9 inches at Estes Park.
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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 combination of enhanced banding associated with a strong upper level jet stream, and low level upslope following the passage of a cold front, produced heavy snowfall in northern mountains as well as in and near the foothills of Boulder and Larimer Counties. Storm totals included: 19.5 inches, 4 miles northeast of Ward; 16 inches, 2 miles east-southeast of Allenspark; 13.5 inches near Eldorado Springs; 13 inches at the National Weather Service Office in Boulder, 5 miles east of Boulder and 5 miles south-southeast of Fraser; 12.5 inches at Winter Park Ski Resort, 12 inches at Eldora Ski Area; 11 inches, 7 miles south of Lyons and 7 miles south of Frisco and at Rollinsville; 10.5 inches at Aspen Springs and 10.5 miles west-southwest of Livermore; 9.5 inches near Blackhawk, with 9 inches at Estes Park. In Denver and the surrounding suburbs, storm totals included: 8.5 inches in Broomfield, 1 miles south-southwest of Lafayette and 5 miles northeast of Westminster; 7 inches near Northglenn, 6.5 inches in Thornton and northwest Denver; with 6 inches at Firestone. At Denver International Airport, 4.7 inches of snow was observed.
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 Mar 17, 9:35 AM MST, 1 hour 25 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO 1035 AM MDT THU MAR 17 2016 .UPDATE... ISSUED AT 1018 AM MDT THU MAR 17 2016 UPDATED ALL PRODUCTS TO REFLECT SNOW AND CEILINGS MOVING IN SOONER. UPPER LEVEL JET WITH LEFT EXIT REGION OVER NW PORTIONS OF THE CWA...ESPECIALLY ZONES 31...33...34...38. SEEING SNOW CONTINUING TO FALL OVER THE MOUNTAINS AS WELL AS PORTIONS OF THE HIGHER FOOTHILLS NORTH OF I-70 AND AREAS IN LARIMER AND BOULDER COUNTIES. UPGRADED THE ADVISORY IN THESE AREAS TO A WARNING THROUGH TOMORROW AFTERNOON. UPPER LEVEL INSTABILITY WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE FORECAST PERIOD WITH MULTIPLE SHORTWAVES EMBEDDED IN THE UPPER FLOW KEEPING A STEADY STREAM OF MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY TO THIS REGION. FURTHER SOUTH CEILINGS HAVE MOVED IN SOONER SO HAVE DROPPED TEMPERATURES 10-15 DEGREES TO REFLECT THIS. DO NOT EXPECT HIGHS TO GET OUT OF THE 30S FOR TODAY UNDER OVERCAST SKIES...ESPECIALLY ALONG THE FRONT RANGE AND DENVER. CURRENT MODELS STILL SHOWING POSSIBLE BANDING SETTING UP OVER THE PLAINS THROUGH TOMORROW MORNING. SOME MODELS BRINGING THESE BANDS FURTHER SOUTH THIS EVENING THAT COULD DROP 1-2 INCHES OF SNOW IN ONE HOUR. WITH COOLER TEMPERATURES THIS WILL CREATE THE OPPORTUNITY FOR INCREASED SNOWFALL UP TO 6 INCHES UNDER THESE BANDS...WITH FURTHER EXPECTED TO THE NORTH. NOT RULING OUT UPGRADING THE COUNTIES FURTHER SOUTH SUCH AS BOULDER AND DENVER TO A WARNING LATER ON TODAY WITH THE ONSET OF THESE POSSIBLE BANDS...BUT WILL LOOK FURTHER INTO IT AS THE DAY PROGRESSES. SO FAR HAVE UPDATED MOST GRIDS WITH NEW QPF AND SNOW AMOUNTS TO ACCOUNT FOR HIGHLIGHTS. && .SHORT TERM...(TODAY AND TONIGHT) ISSUED AT 355 AM MDT THU MAR 17 2016 STRONG NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT WILL PREVAIL THROUGH TONIGHT. JET MAX OVER THE NORTHERN ROCKIES WILL DIVE SOUTH-SOUTHEAST AND BE OVER THE CENTRAL ROCKIES THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. THE MOIST NORTHWEST FLOW COMBINED WITH LAPSE RATES OF 6-9 C/KM WILL PRODUCE OROGRAPHIC SNOW OVER THE MOUNTAINS...MAINLY ALONG AND NORTH OF I-70. BY AFTERNOON...AS THE JET MOVES OVERHEAD...SNOW BANDS WILL SHIFT SOUTH. SNOW WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THIS EVENING FOR THE MOUNTAINS AND EXTENDED THE ADVISORY THROUGH THE EVENING. WILL ALSO ADD ZONE 34 TO THE ADVISORY. EXPECT A FEW BANDS OF SNOW TO MOVE OFF THE HIGHER TERRAIN OVER NORTHERN PARTS OF THE FRONT RANGE AND EASTERN PLAINS LATE THIS AFTERNOON. THUS INCREASE POPS FOR THIS. SURFACE LOW PRESSURE DEEPENS OVER THE SOUTHERN ROCKIES TODAY. THIS WILL CAUSE WINDS TO TURN NORTHERLY LATE THIS MORNING AND EARLY AFTERNOON. THIS WILL PULL COOLER AIR INTO THE AREA. LOWERED HIGHS INTO THE LOWER TO MID 40S FOR TODAY. WET BULB TEMPERATURES AT THE SURFACE WILL BE IN THE LOWER 30S. SO WHERE PRECIPITATION OCCURS...EXPECT IT TO BE SNOW OR QUICKLY CHANGE TO SNOW. WARM GROUND TEMPERATURES WILL INITIALLY SLOW ANY SNOW ACCUMULATION. SNOW IS EXPECTED TO SHIFT ONTO THE FRONT RANGE AND EASTERN PLAINS TONIGHT. UPSLOPE FLOW UP TO 700MB SHOULD PRODUCE AN AREA OF LIGHT TO MODERATE SNOW ALONG THE FRONT RANGE. IN ADDITION TO THIS...BANDS OF HEAVY SNOW ARE EXPECTED DUE TO LIFT FROM THE JET. SNOWFALL RATES OF 1 TO 2 INCHES PER HOUR ARE EXPECTED UNDER THE HEAVIEST SNOW BANDS. THE HEAVY SNOW IS EXPECTED TO SHIFT SOUTH THROUGH THE NIGHT. DECIDED TO ISSUE A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR THE FOOTHILLS EAST ONTO THE NEAR BY PLAINS FOR TONIGHT AND INTO FRIDAY. .LONG TERM...(FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY) ISSUED AT 355 AM MDT THU MAR 17 2016 SLANTWISE CONVECTION AND POTENTIAL INSTABILITY GENERATED BY PASSING CYCLONICALLY CURVED 120KT JET WHICH IS PACKING AMPLE MOISTURE IS PROGGED TO BE OVER SWRN PORTIONS OF THE CWA BY FRIDAY MORNING. COMBINE THIS WITH SFC-TO-650 MB NELY UPSLOPE FLOW AND ITS LIKELY WE/LL SEE SNOWFALL...MOSTLY LIGHT...CONTINUING FRIDAY MORNING OVER AND ALONG THE FRONT RANGE MTNS. MODELS SHOW THE BEST OROGRAPHIC LIFT SHIFTING SOUTH TO SOUTHERN PORTIONS OF THE I-25 URBAN CORRIDOR AND SRN FOOTHILLS IN THE MORNING. MODELS INDICATE ANOTHER 0.10-0.20 INCH OF QPF FROM ROUGHLY THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE EAST TO THE I-25 CORRIDOR FROM 12Z-18Z/FRIDAY...EQUATING TO ANOTHER 1-2 INCHES OF SNOW ADJACENT TO THE FOOTHILLS AND OVER THE PALMER DIVIDE..AND ANOTHER 2-3.5 INCHES OVER EAST SLOPES OF THE FRONT RANGE. AREAS WEST OF THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE AND OUT ACROSS THE NORTHEAST CORNER OF THE STATE SHOULD SEE LITTLE ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATION. SAME GOES FOR THE FRONT RANGE...PALMER DIVIDE AND NEARBY PLAINS DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS WHERE LITTLE ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATION IS ANTICIPATED WITH UPSLOPE FLOW AND JETSTREAM WINDS WEAKENING. MAY NOT SEE A TOTAL END TO SNOWFALL UNTIL LATE FRIDAY EVENING...BUT NEW AMTS ONLY MINOR. TEMPERATURES ON FRIDAY COLDEST READINGS SINCE EARLY IN FEBRUARY WITH OUR LAST BIG SNOWFALL ALONG THE FRONT RANGE. GUIDANCE INDICATING HIGHS IN THE LOW/MID 30S ON THE PLAINS AND ONLY SLIGHTLY COOLER 20S/LOWER 30S IN THE HIGH COUNTRY. SATURDAY...SHOULD SEE A DRAMATIC SHIFT TO DRY AND SUNNY CONDITIONS THOUGH TEMPERATURES ONLY SLIGHT WARMER DUE TO A CONTINUATION OF COLD AIR ADVECTION WITH A DEEP N-NWLY FLOW. HIGHS ON SATURDAY STILL 12- 15 DEG F BELOW AVERAGE FOR MOST AREAS. SUNDAY-MONDAY...MODELS SHOW A LARGE HIGH AMPLITUDE UPPER RIDGE PROPAGATING EASTWARD OVER COLORADO ON SUNDAY...THEN FLATTENING OUT ON MONDAY AS IT BACK BUILDS OVER THE GREAT BASIN. THIS WILL STILL KEEP THE CWA UNDER A WARM AND DRY NEAR ZONAL FLOW. THE RESULT WILL BE NEAR AVERAGE TEMPERATURES WITH PLENTY OF SUNSHINE ON SUNDAY...AND HIGHS ANOTHER 10-12 DEG F WARMER ON MONDAY WITH THE HELP OF DOWNSLOPE FLOW AND ADIABATIC COMPRESSION. REST OF THE WEEK...NEXT CHANGE IN OUR WEATHER BEGINS TUESDAY WITH AN UPPER TROUGH AND STRONG JET SWINGING ACROSS THE EASTERN GREAT BASIN. COULD SEE SNOW RETURNING TO THE NRN MTNS BY LATE IN THE DAY. HOWEVER THE BUSINESS END OF THIS UPPER TROUGH APPEARS TO IMPACT THE AREA DURING THE WEDNESDAY-THURSDAY TIME FRAME. GFS BRINGS THIS SYSTEM IN BEFORE THE ECMWF BUT BOTH MODELS SHOW PRECIP CHANCES INCREASING AND TEMPERATURES FALLING THRU THE PERIOD. STILL TOO EARLY TO PIN DOWN PRECIP/SNOW AMTS. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z FRIDAY AFTERNOON) ISSUED AT 1018 AM MDT THU MAR 17 2016 CURRENT IFR CONDITIONS TO CONTINUE THROUGH A MAJORITY OF THE TAF PERIOD WITH THE ONSET OF MULTIPLE FRONTS PUSHING LOWERED CEILINGS FROM THE NORTH AND NORTHEAST WITH SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. FLOW WILL REMAIN FROM THIS DIRECTION THROUGH THE DAY WITH ANOTHER PUSH IN FROM THE NE BEHIND A COLD FRON THAT IS PROGGED TO REACH AREA AIRPORTS BY 22-23Z. THIS WILL KEEP NE FLOW OVER THE AREA WITH SNOW MOVING IN BY THIS TIME OR SHORTLY AFTER. BANDING WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH AN UPPER LEVEL JET FEATURE FORECASTED TO MOVE SOUTH. THIS COULD BRING MODERATE SNOW TO DEN AND APA LATER THIS EVENING WITH 1-1.5 INCHES PER HOUR UNDER THE HEAVIER BANDS. STILL LOOKING AT 3-4 INCHES THIS EVENING WITH UP TO 6 INCHES IF A BAND SETS UP OVER THE AIRPORT. && .BOU WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 6 PM MDT FRIDAY FOR COZ036-039>045. WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 6 PM MDT FRIDAY FOR COZ031-033-035- 038. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM MDT FRIDAY FOR COZ034. && UPDATE...BOWEN SHORT TERM...MEIER LONG TERM...BAKER AVIATION...BOWEN
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO 1144 AM MDT THU MAR 17 2016 COZ030>051-181745- 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- 1144 AM MDT THU MAR 17 2016 ...WINTER STORM WARNINGS AND ADVISORIES FOR MOST OF THE AREA... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST AND NORTH CENTRAL COLORADO. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT SNOW WILL CONTINUE IN THE MOUNTAINS TODAY AND MOVE ONTO THE PLAINS AND SOUTH THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING. LIGHT SNOW WILL FORM OVER THE FOOTHILLS AND EAST INTO DENVER THIS AFTERNOON AND CONTINUE ON AND OFF THROUGH THE DAY. HEAVIER SNOW WILL BE OVER THE MOUNTAINS AND NORTH INTO LARIMER COUNTY. THERE WILL BE OCCASIONAL HEAVIER SNOW UNDER 'BANDS' THAT WILL SET UP TO THE NORTH AND OVER THE DENVER METRO AREA THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. HEAVIER SNOW OF 1 TO 1.5 INCHES IN 1 HOUR WILL BE POSSIBLE UNDER THESE BANDS. WE URGE CAUTION FOR COMMUTERS THIS EVENING AS WELL AS FRIDAY MORNING AS ROADS MAY BECOME SLICK AND SNOW COVERED. INCREASED CLOUD COVER WILL KEEP DAYTIME HIGHS IN THE FOR THE DENVER AREA. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY A STRONG JET STREAM AND A MOIST UPSLOPE FLOW WILL CONTINUE TO PRODUCE SNOW ACROSS THE AREA THROUGH FRIDAY. THE HEAVIEST AND MOST PERSISTENT SNOWFALL IS EXPECTED TO OCCUR IN AND NEAR THE FRONT RANGE FOOTHILLS DURING THE FRIDAY MORNING COMMUTE...RESULTING IN SNOW COVERED OR SLUSH ROADS...ALONG WITH SLICK AND SLOW TRAVEL. THE SNOW IS EXPECTED TO DECREASE FRIDAY AFTERNOON WITH IMPROVING TRAVEL CONDITIONS. TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS FROM TODAY THROUGH FRIDAY ARE EXPECTED TO RANGE BETWEEN 3 AND 6 INCHES ALONG THE I-25 CORRIDOR...WITH UPWARDS OF 8 INCHES IN THE FORT COLLINS/LOVELAND AREAS AS WELL AS UNDER ANY OF THE MORE PERSISTENT HEAVIER SNOW BANDS. FARTHER EAST ON THE EASTERN PLAINS...ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE LIGHTER WITH AMOUNTS RANGING FROM 1 TO 4 INCHES. IN THE MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS...ADDITIONAL SNOWFALL AMOUNTS ARE EXPECTED TO RANGE BETWEEN 4 AND 10 INCHES...WITH HEAVIER AMOUNTS OVER A FOOT POSSIBLE IN THE NORTHERN FRONT RANGE FOOTHILLS. DRY AND WARMER WEATHER WILL THEN RETURN FOR THE WEEKEND AND PERSIST THROUGH MONDAY WITH A LARGE HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE OVER THE STATE. TEMPERATURES ON THE PLAINS BY MONDAY COULD BE AS MUCH AS 15 DEGREES ABOVE AVERAGE. BY TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY...ANOTHER PACIFIC STORM SYSTEM MOVING ACROSS THE GREAT BASIN WILL BRING A CHANCE OF SNOW BACK TO THE FORECAST AREA. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED TODAY OR TONIGHT. HOWEVER...ANY REPORTS OF ACCUMULATING SNOWFALL WILL BE APPRECIATED.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
5 winter weather, 4 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, March 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: 615251, 615252, 615253, 615255, 615256, 615257, 615259, 615260, 615261.