An intensifying storm moving across northern New Mexico generated heavy snow and gusty winds across portions of southern Colorado. Some of the higher reported snow totals included six to nine inches near the communities of Monument, Florissant, Blende, Divide, Falcon, Peterson AFB, Pueblo West, and Rosita.
Every event with a place to put it; 13 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.
An intensifying storm moving across northern New Mexico generated heavy snow and gusty winds across portions of southern Colorado. Some of the higher reported snow totals included six to nine inches near the communities of Monument, Florissant, Blende, Divide, Falcon, Peterson AFB, Pueblo West, and Rosita. Ten to fifteen inches of snow was measured near Texas Creek, Penrose, Walsenburg, Black Forest, Monarch Pass, Maysville, Manitou Springs, Colorado Springs, La Veta and Colorado City. 17 inches of snow graced locations near WestCliffe, while 21 to 22 inches of snow enveloped the communities of Beulah and Rye respectively.
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 Apr 3, 10:26 AM MST, 3 hours 34 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Pueblo CO 1126 AM MDT Mon Apr 3 2017 .UPDATE... Issued at 1014 AM MDT Mon Apr 3 2017 Decided to change to Watch over the southern I-25 corridor to a Winter Weather Advisory for late tonight through Tuesday. Looks like the best chances for significant accumulations in this area should occur mainly between 6 am and noon on Tue. UPDATE Issued at 719 AM MDT Mon Apr 3 2017 After continued analysis of the 06z runs and high res models, have decided to place the San Luis Valley and adjacent higher terrain of the Upper Rio Grande Valley and the east slopes of the La Garitas into an Advisory. Ran this through most of tomorrow except in the San Luis valley where precipitation will decrease by 18z, and temperatures will warm above freezing in the afternoon. Might end up being a low end advisory for the center of the San Luis Valley but with HRRR showing the potential for a nice band of heavy snow to develop there this evening and another round expected Tuesday morning, decided to hoist the advisory now. -KT && .SHORT TERM...(Today and tonight) Issued at 352 AM MDT Mon Apr 3 2017 ...Heavy snow headed for the southern CO Mountains and adjacent plains Tonight... Upper trof will take shape over the 4 corners region this afternoon and evening as a Pacific shortwave and a Canadian shortwave phase over the central Rockies. Models close off an upper low in the base of the mean trof across northeast NM Tuesday morning as the system intensifies. Ahead of the system today, southwest flow will increase and spread moisture into the eastern San Juan mountains this afternoon with rain and snow ramping up across the region after 21z. Rain and snow then spread eastward into the southeast mountains and plains this evening and really blossom overnight as the upper low intensifies to the south. Still trying to hone down where the heaviest precipitation will fall, however the models have been consistently pegging the Wets and Sangre De Cristo mountains and possibly portions of Fremont county with the highest amounts. This is where a combination of upglide over the front and upslope flow as the H7 winds increase out of the east northeast join forces to maximize lift. Once again, it appears Teller and northern El Paso counties may end up on the northern fringes of the storm. Have opted for advisories for those areas, as well as the central mountains, for now. However it is conceivable that Northern El Paso county may need to be upgraded to a Winter Storm Warning given the lower criteria (6" or more) for that zone. Trends in the models which have been shifting the precipitation maxima southward leads to some uncertainty up that way and have decided to play it on the conservative side for now. Northerly downslope flow off the Palmer would also suggest a tight gradient in snowfall totals for that zone boding for lower totals than farther north. The southern I-25 corridor will see a round of showers come off the mountains this afternoon...then a pause as a dry slot works into the region...with rain and snow spreading back into the region late tonight as winds shift out of the northeast. This area could go either way at this point...so have opted for a Winter Storm Watch. Latest runs suggest warnings may be needed for these areas...however a later switch over to snow tonight and any slight warming on Tuesday to slightly above freezing may keep impacts more in the advisory range so will let later shifts get a look at a couple more model runs before deciding. Snow levels should drop down to 4500 feet towards morning...but current thinking is that snowfall across southern El Paso, Pueblo and eastern Fremont counties will stay mainly on grassy surfaces. It is possible that pavement surfaces could become slushy and snowpacked at times under the heavier snow late tonight as temperatures fall towards freezing. It is important to note that this storm is colder than the past several. So expect a quicker change over to snow across the lower elevations tonight. Northern El Paso and Teller counties will likely see snowpacked roads for the morning commute on Tuesday. Western and southern Pueblo counties as well as the southern I-25 corridor could be similarly impacted. Models also show the San Luis Valley seeing some fairly good snowfall late tonight through Tuesday and advisories may become necessary for these regions as well. Will wait for a couple more model runs before deciding these areas as it will all depend on how quickly the storm intensifies as it moves across northern New Mexico. There will be the potential for some isolated embedded thunderstorms this afternoon and evening across southern portions of the area. This could lead to locally intense snowfall rates over the mountains ...particularly across the eastern San Juan mountains this afternoon. Snow levels should drop quickly this afternoon and evening...down to about 7500 feet or so by 03z...so as convection develops across the southeast mountains expect that snow levels will be driven down low enough that flooding on burn scars shouldn't be as much of a risk. -KT .LONG TERM...(Tuesday through Sunday) Issued at 352 AM MDT Mon Apr 3 2017 Models in fair agreement with a strong upper level storm system ejecting northeast out of northern New Mexico Tuesday, with high pressure following in behind. Active weather looks to return to southern Colorado by next weekend, but there is a high degree of uncertainty at this time with the pattern evolution. Tuesday...a strong upper level storm system is forecast to eject northeast out of northern New Mexico into western Oklahoma by late in the day. There have been model run consistency errors, with the latest solutions a bit further south than previous runs. We are still expecting to have snow and lower elevation rain ongoing Tuesday morning. The focus for the heaviest precipitation now appears to be south of Highway 50, especially over the Sangre de Cristo and Wet Mountains, east into the southern I-25 corridor Tuesday morning, through the afternoon. Mountain areas will see heavy snow, with more modest snowfall further east. Up north on the Palmer Divide, the latest solutions have come in with less snowfall, but a few inches are still possible during the morning commute Tuesday morning. This storm system is a bit colder than the previous, which should bring snow levels down to about 4500 feet. Modest rainfall is also possible across the lower elevations of the Plains, especially south of Highway 50. Expect rain and snow to come to an end Tuesday evening, generally from west to southeast, with all precipitation moving away from the area late Tuesday night. For the latest snowfall amounts, please look at the winter weather highlights that are currently in effect. Wednesday through Friday...high pressure building over the Great Basin is forecast to slowly shift eastward through Friday. Broad northwesterly flow aloft will keep cooler temperatures across the region Wednesday and Thursday with 50s to lower 60s for highs. Overnight lows will likely fall into the mid to upper 20s, so those with sensitive vegetation should take precautions to protect it. By Friday, the next upper level disturbance will be taking shape along the west coast, forcing the upper ridge into the Central Plains. Increased southwest flow and mixing should allow temperatures to warm into the 60s and 70s across the region. A few showers may start to move into the Continental Divide late Friday afternoon into the overnight hours. Saturday and Sunday...the upper system along the west coast is forecast to move into the Rockies over the weekend. There is a high degree of uncertainty at this time on regards to storm track and strength. We will likely see increased chances for precipitation across the region, along with cooler temperatures for highs and lows. Mozley && .AVIATION...(For the 18Z TAFS through 18Z Tuesday afternoon) Issued at 1117 AM MDT Mon Apr 3 201 VFR conditions are expected at KCOS thru probably late evening. Some showers may move into the VCNTY of KCOS late this evening, but chances for pcpn increase overnight with CIGS lowering into MVFR or even IFR around 06Z and remain that way thru midday Tue. KPUB should have VFR conditions thru mid to late evening, and then showers may move into the VCNTY and CIGS will lower into the MVFR category. By about 06Z, chances for showers will be high thru midday Tue and CIGS/VSBY may at times lower into the IFR category. KALS may see showers in the area this afternoon, but chances increase this evening and CIGS will lower by mid to late evening. Chances for snow in the VCNTY look fairly high by around 04Z and continuing thru much of the night. By 12Z Tue chances for pcpn should decrease. MVFR conditions are expected from around 04z thru midday Tue. && .PUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Winter Weather Advisory from 9 PM this evening to midnight MDT Tuesday night for COZ058>063-076-077-081-084. Winter Storm Warning from 9 PM this evening to midnight MDT Tuesday night for COZ078-079-082. Winter Storm Warning from 6 PM this evening to midnight MDT Tuesday night for COZ072>075-080. Winter Weather Advisory from 9 PM this evening to noon MDT Tuesday for COZ069>071. Winter Weather Advisory from midnight tonight to 6 PM MDT Tuesday for COZ087-088. Winter Weather Advisory until 6 PM MDT Tuesday for COZ066. Winter Storm Warning until 6 PM MDT Tuesday for COZ068. Winter Weather Advisory from 6 PM this evening to 6 PM MDT Tuesday for COZ065-067. && UPDATE...28 SHORT TERM...KT LONG TERM...MOZLEY AVIATION...28
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Pueblo CO 911 AM MDT Mon Apr 3 2017 COZ058>089-093>099-041515- 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 9000Ft- 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 Ft- Southern Sangre De Cristo Mountains Between 7500 and 11000 Ft- Southern Sangre De Cristo Mountains Above 11000 Ft- Northwestern Fremont County Above 8500Ft- Western/Central Fremont County Below 8500 Ft- Wet Mountain Valley Below 8500 Ft- Wet Mountains between 6300 and 10000Ft- Wet Mountains above 10000 Ft- Teller County/Rampart Range above 7500fT/Pike's 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 Vicinity/Pueblo County Below 6300 Feet- 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- 911 AM MDT Mon Apr 3 2017 This hazardous weather outlook is for portions of central...east central...south central and southeast Colorado. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight Snow will spread into the southwest mountains this afternoon, then into the San Luis Valley and southeast mountains and plains tonight. Snow levels will rapidly drop to around 7500 feet by early evening, before gradually dropping down to around 4500 feet by early Tuesday morning. Snow will fall heaviest at times across the Eastern San Juan mountains, the Wet Mountains and the Sangre De Cristo mountains through tonight, where accumulations of a foot or more will be possible. Roads across the mountains will likely become slick and snowpacked tonight with portions of the I-25 corridor over Northern El Paso County and along the southern I-25 corridor becoming snowpacked by the Tuesday morning commute. Isolated thunderstorms will be possible this afternoon and evening, with the best chances being over the southern mountains, San Luis Valley and south of Highway 50 across the southeast plains. The main threats with thunderstorms will be pea size hail and lightning. Heavy snow bursts will be possible with thunderstorms that occur in and near the mountains through this evening. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Tuesday through Sunday Snow will be ongoing Tuesday morning across much of Southern Colorado. Moderate to heavy snowfall is expected across the mountain areas, east into the southern Interstate 25 corridor, especially during the morning hours. Snow levels look to remain around 4500 with rain expected below this elevation. As for snowfall totals, the Sangre de Cristo, San Juan and Wet Mountains will likely see 8 to 18 inches, while the La Garitas north into the Central Mountains and the Rampart Range see 6 to 12 inches. Over the lower elevations, 4 to 8 inches are possible above 6000 feet, while elevations under 6000 feet see 1 to 4 inches. Expect improving conditions late Tuesday afternoon with clearing conditions Tuesday night. The next upper level disturbance will move across the area by the weekend with another round of precipitation over the area. Snow will likely be confined to the mountains, with chances of rainfall across the Plains. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Weather conditions that meet reporting criteria for spotters will be likely this afternoon through tonight mountains, high valleys and I-25 corridor. 28/28
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
1225 PM MDT MON APR 3 2017
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0200 AM SNOW 2 NE LEADVILLE 39.27N 106.27W
04/03/2017 M1.0 INCH LAKE CO TRAINED SPOTTER
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MOOREThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
13 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Colorado in 2017Every state in 2017This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, April 2017
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: 690444, 690447, 690449, 690452, 690455, 690472, 690460, 690462, 690466, 690471, 690475, 690478, 690479.