A Pacific storm system generated gusty winds and heavy snow to southern Colorado, especially over the higher terrain. Some of the higher reported snow totals included: 6 to 9 inches near the Spanish Peaks and Walsenburg (Huerfano County), Rye and Beulah (Pueblo County), Monte Vista (Rio Grande County), Leadville (Lake County), Kim, Hoehne, Trinidad (Las Animas County), Maysville (Chaffee…
Every event with a place to put it; 12 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.
A Pacific storm system generated gusty winds and heavy snow to southern Colorado, especially over the higher terrain. Some of the higher reported snow totals included: 6 to 9 inches near the Spanish Peaks and Walsenburg (Huerfano County), Rye and Beulah (Pueblo County), Monte Vista (Rio Grande County), Leadville (Lake County), Kim, Hoehne, Trinidad (Las Animas County), Maysville (Chaffee County), and 17 inches near Monarch Pass (Chaffee County).
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 Jan 12, 4:00 PM MST, 0 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Pueblo CO 400 PM MST Thu Jan 12 2017 .SHORT TERM...(This evening through Friday) Issued at 359 PM MST Thu Jan 12 2017 Primary near-short term meteorological concerns includes pops, snow amounts, mixed/freezing precipitation potential at times(primarily over far southeastern sections), gusty winds at times and temperatures. Forecast district currently graced by variable clouds eastern sections to cloudy skies western portions in combination with generally above seasonal mid-January temperatures and relatively tame winds(especially when compared to the previous 3 days). Recent real-time data, computer simulations, PV analysis and forecast model soundings suggest that snow, heavy at times, will be possible over portions of the Continental Divide into Saturday(although recent trends have backed off somewhat on snow amounts and coverage), and at this time will maintain existing Winter Weather Highlights for these locations into Saturday. Meteorological focus then shifts to amount of impact that vigorous closed upper low produces over the forecast district beginning later Friday night and continuing into Monday(for the Saturday night into next week details please view longer term discussion below). Closed upper low located south-southwest of Los Angeles, California at 00Z Saturday moves to approximately 825 miles south of Yuma, Arizona by 00Z Sunday with a lobe of energy generally producing light precipitation over the forecast district from later Friday night into Saturday. In addition, have also depicted some basically light freezing precipitation over far southeastern locations(primarily portions of Baca, Prowers and Kiowa counties) from Friday night into Saturday. The highest potential for gusty winds should be experienced at times from tonight into Friday, in combination with temperatures running near to a category or so below below mid-January climatological averages over most locations. .LONG TERM...(Friday night through Thursday) Issued at 359 PM MST Thu Jan 12 2017 Primary near-short term meteorological concerns includes pops, snow amounts, mixed/freezing precipitation potential at times(primarily over far southeastern sections), gusty winds at times and temperatures. Forecast district currently graced by variable clouds eastern sections to cloudy skies western portions in combination with generally above seasonal mid-January temperatures and relatively tame winds(especially when compared to the previous 3 days). Recent real-time data, computer simulations, PV analysis and forecast model soundings suggest that snow, heavy at times, will be possible over portions of the Continental Divide into Saturday(although recent trends have backed off somewhat on snow amounts and coverage), and at this time will maintain existing Winter Weather Highlights for these locations into Saturday. Meteorological focus then shifts to amount of impact that vigorous closed upper low produces over the forecast district beginning later Friday night and continuing into Monday(for the Saturday night into next week details please view longer term discussion below). Closed upper low located south-southwest of Los Angeles, California at 00Z Saturday moves to approximately 825 miles south of Yuma, Arizona by 00Z Sunday with a lobe of energy generally producing light precipitation over the forecast district from later Friday night into Saturday. In addition, have also depicted some basically light freezing precipitation over far southeastern locations(primarily portions of Baca, Prowers and Kiowa counties) from Friday night into Saturday. The highest potential for gusty winds should be experienced at times from tonight into Friday, in combination with temperatures running near to a category or so below below mid-January climatological averages over most locations.&& .AVIATION...(For the 00Z TAFS through 00Z Friday evening) Issued at 359 PM MST Thu Jan 12 2017 ALS... Winds will be continuously from the south and east with ceilings starting around 10 KFT and lowering to 06 KFT around 12Z. VFR conditions throughout the forecast period. COS... The winds will shift throughout the forecast period, starting from the east and gradually shifting towards the south. Low level saturation will decrease the ceiling to around 04 KFT, if the ceilings lower any more, MVFR is a possibility, but for this forecast, conditions are at VFR the whole time. PUB... Winds will be from the east around 10 KTS for the forecast period, VFR conditions will be present as well. Around 00Z low-level saturation will start creating SCT clouds at 04 KFT, but should remain fairly scarce. && .PUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Winter Storm Warning until 5 PM MST Saturday for COZ066-068. Winter Weather Advisory until 5 PM MST Saturday for COZ058>060. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO 703 AM MST THU JAN 12 2017 COZ058>089-093>099-131415- 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- 703 AM MST THU JAN 12 2017 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL...EAST CENTRAL...SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT LIGHT SNOW AND FLURRIES THIS MORNING WILL BECOME STEADIER AND HEAVIER ALONG THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE LATER TODAY...WITH PERIODS OF MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOW DEVELOPING LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND OVERNIGHT. WEST TO SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO PRODUCE PATCHY BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW...ESPECIALLY ABOVE TIMBERLINE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY SNOW WILL CONTINUE THROUGH AT LEAST SATURDAY ACROSS THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE AREA...LIKELY BRINGING 10 TO 20 MORE INCHES OF SNOW TO THE EASTERN SAN JUAN AND LA GARITA MOUNTAINS, AND 5 TO 10 INCHES ACROSS THE EASTERN SAWATCH AND WESTERN MOSQUITO RANGES, ALONG WITH BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW. THIS WILL CAUSE A MODERATE TO HIGH IMPACT TO TRAVEL ACROSS MOUNTAIN PASSES AND ADJACENT LOCATIONS ONCE AGAIN. MEANWHILE...MUCH OF THE SOUTHEAST COLORADO PLAINS WILL LIKELY SEE A WINTRY MIX OF SIGNIFICANT PRECIPITATION SATURDAY INTO MONDAY...CAUSING A MODERATE TO HIGH IMPACT TO TRAVEL. THE RISK FOR FREEZING RAIN WILL BE MOST LIKELY ACROSS KIOWA, BENT, PROWERS, AND BACA COUNTIES. PRIMARILY DURING SUNDAY. THEN...WHEN COLDER AIR ALOFT MOVES INTO SOUTHEAST PLAINS...A BAND OF MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOW MAY OCCUR LATER SUNDAY INTO MONDAY. PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE FORECASTS OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS AND PLAN ACCORDINGLY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER CONDITIONS THAT MEET REPORTING CRITERIA FOR SPOTTERS WILL BE LIKELY OVER THE MOUNTAINS NEAR THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE TODAY AND TONIGHT. 10/13
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
12 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, January 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: 671486, 671487, 671497, 671488, 671489, 671490, 671491, 671492, 671493, 671494, 671495, 671496.