A fast moving storm system brought a period of moderate to heavy snowfall to the Park Mountains in western Jackson County. Storm totals included 13 inches, 9 miles east-northeast of Steamboat Springs, with lesser amounts of 4 to 8 inches elsewhere.
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The episode as NWS BOU wrote it up.
A fast moving storm system brought a period of moderate to heavy snowfall to the Park Mountains in western Jackson County. Storm totals included 13 inches, 9 miles east-northeast of Steamboat Springs, with lesser amounts of 4 to 8 inches elsewhere.
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 Dec 3, 2:43 PM MST, 4 hours 17 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Denver/Boulder CO 243 PM MST Sun Dec 3 2017 .SHORT TERM...(This evening through Monday) Issued at 220 PM MST Sun Dec 3 2017 Upper trof over Great Basin this afternoon with associated cold front moving through northwest Utah. Still mainly high level moisture streaming through Colorado ahead of the trof. Based on timing these initial showers will mainly hold off until early evening hours over our northern mountains. Brunt of snow for the mountains will be late evening through the overnight hours. Advisory still looks good for the mountains, especially for zone 31 and 33. Lesser amounts expected further southward through Summit county away from the deeper moisture. Across lower elevations the main impact will be the gusty winds with the front and behind the trof through Monday afternoon with strong QG descent/subsident airmass. Have increased wind speeds to up to 50 mph on the plains and keep winds just below high wind criteria. Winds will decrease by mid to late afternoon Monday over the plains as high pressure dropping down from the north will turn winds to the north and northeast. Will be much colder on Monday behind the front with readings only in the 30s/lower 40s. Mountain snow showers will also be on the decrease Monday afternoon as moisture depth becomes more shallow. .LONG TERM...(Monday night through Sunday) Issued at 220 PM MST Sun Dec 3 2017 Strong downward QG forcing will ease Monday evening with departure of the 700-400 mb trough and transition to a drier north-northwesterly flow aloft. The last of the snow showers in the high country and the smattering of snow flurries across the state's northeast corner should come to an end by around midnight with no addition accumulation. Clearing skies late and continuation of CAA will lower min temps by as much as 15-18 deg F from the night before. However these readings still be near average for the date. Drying and stabilization continues Tuesday with daytime temperatures returning to near average with increased sunshine. Northwest flow aloft also strengthens through the day, causing north-northwest sfc winds to strengthen during the afternoon. Strongest winds likely across the northeast corner of the CWA where gusts could peak around 40 mph. Should see winds ease Tuesday night with a shift to a gentle downslope pressure gradient, resulting in a slight uptick in overnight lows. By Wednesday...models still in reasonably decent agreement as they all show a clipper system racing south across Wyoming during the pre-dawn hours and over the CWA during the morning hours. Although only the GFS hints at any precip with this collapsing pertabation. Will introduce a narrow band of low PoPs over higher elevations, but this may be charitable. Nothing for the plains except a 3-6 deg f lowering of max temperatures. Another clipper system driving south out of the Montana Rockies appears to be packing a bit more moisture and energy. Medium range models show this feature reaching northern Colorado by Thursday morning. Orographics look favorable for at least snowfall on north-northwest facing mtn slopes, but the stability profile does not with gradual warming at mid-levels. So, will just go with chance PoPs in mtn zones 31, 33 and 34 and a slight chance of snow for the northern mtn valleys. No precip for the plains, but plenty of mid and high-level clouds and gusty winds. Temps on the plains also warm by several degs. Friday and beyond, warmup continues as drier air spreads over the region. While the flow aloft remains northwesterly, low-level downslope flow on the plains will gradually warm daytime temperatures back into the mid and upper 50s for the weekend. && .AVIATION...(For the 18Z TAFS through 18Z Monday afternoon) Issued at 220 PM MST Sun Dec 3 2017 Surface cold front expected into terminals in the 06-08z time frame as winds shift to the west and northwest with speeds up to 35 mph. Towards Monday afternoon, will see winds decrease and shift north and northeast as high pressure builds into Colorado from the North. Expect VFR with mainly mid=hi level moisture through this evening. && .BOU WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Winter Weather Advisory from 7 PM this evening to noon MST Monday for COZ031-033. && SHORT TERM...Entrekin LONG TERM...Baker AVIATION...Entrekin
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Denver/Boulder CO 1008 AM MST Sun Dec 3 2017 COZ030>051-040515- 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- 1008 AM MST Sun Dec 3 2017 ...Winter Weather Advisory Northern Mountains Tonight to Midday Monday... This hazardous weather outlook is for northeast and north central Colorado. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight After a warm day, a quick burst of snow and wind will move into the mountains tonight. Snowfall of up to 8 inches is possible in the mountains near the Wyoming border by midday Monday, with 3 to 6 inches further south through Summit county. Wind gusts of 30 to 50 mph will be common in the mountains and foothills overnight. These winds will spread off the mountains onto the plains late tonight, diminishing later during the day on Monday. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Monday through Saturday Gusty northerly winds will usher in significantly colder air across northeast Colorado early Monday following the passage of a strong cold front. Wind gusts on the plains will range from 30 to 50 mph with some blowing dust on the far northeast plains. Snowfall on Monday will be largely confined to the high country, mainly along and west of the Continental Divide where another 1 to 4 inches inches of snow will be possible. Gusty winds may also produce areas of blowing snow on the high passes. Winds and snowfall should diminish in most areas by Monday evening. Tuesday will be dry and slightly warmer. Then, look for temperatures to cool again following the passage a gusty cold front on Wednesday. There will also be a chance of snow in the mountains and a slight chance of snow for parts of the plains. The chilly temperatures and snow chances could linger into Thursday. Any snow accumulation should be light. Dry and warmer conditions should then return to the area for Friday and Saturday. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter reports of snowfall or strong winds will be appreciated. Entrekin/Baker
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
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 2017Every state in 2017This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, December 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: 730709.