Colorado, 2018Winter Weather in Colorado, December 2 to 3, 2018
December 2 to 3, 2018 · NWS GJT · 8 events in 8 counties and zones
Within a very broad upper trough a moist low pressure circulation moved across the region and produced significant snowfall in some areas within western Colorado.
Every event with a place to put it; 8 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
Open the live radar over this ground
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 8
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.
Within a very broad upper trough a moist low pressure circulation moved across the region and produced significant snowfall in some areas within western Colorado.
What forecasters said that day
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 Grand Junction, CO wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 2, 4:42 AM MST, 18 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Dec 2, 4:42 AM MST, 18 minutes before
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</html>Winter Weather, Southwestern San Juan Mountains
- When
- December 2, 5:00 AM MST to December 3, 1:00 AM MST
- Where
- Southwestern San Juan Mountains forecast zone
- Reported by
- Department of Highways
- Coordinates
- 37.594, -107.912 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Snowfall amounts of 5 to 8 inches were measured across the area. During the event, temporary road closures occurred on Highway 550 in the Red Mountain Pass area for avalanche mitigation.
Winter Weather, Four Corners / Upper Dolores River Basin
- When
- December 2, 5:00 AM MST to 9:00 PM MST
- Where
- Four Corners / Upper Dolores River Basin forecast zone
- Reported by
- COOP Observer
- Coordinates
- 37.698, -108.507 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Snowfall amounts of 3 to 6 inches were measured across the area. Locally higher amounts included 8 inches at the Yellowjacket cooperative observer station.
Winter Weather, Animas River Basin
- When
- December 2, 6:00 AM MST to 7:00 PM MST
- Where
- Animas River Basin forecast zone
- Reported by
- CoCoRaHS
- Coordinates
- 37.287, -107.843 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Snowfall amounts of 3 to 5 inches were measured across the area. Locally higher amounts included 6 inches in Breen and Redmesa.
Winter Weather, Northwestern San Juan Mountains
- When
- December 2, 6:00 AM MST to December 3, 4:00 PM MST
- Where
- Northwestern San Juan Mountains forecast zone
- Reported by
- Department of Highways
- Coordinates
- 38.210, -107.755 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Snowfall amounts of 4 to 6 inches were measured across the area, including 5 inches in Ouray. During the event, temporary road closures occurred on Highway 550 in the Red Mountain Pass area for avalanche mitigation.
Winter Weather, San Juan River Basin
- When
- December 2, 6:00 AM MST to December 3, 2:00 AM MST
- Where
- San Juan River Basin forecast zone
- Reported by
- CoCoRaHS
- Coordinates
- 37.194, -107.048 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Snowfall amounts of 3 to 5 inches were measured across the area.
Winter Weather, Grand and Battlement Mesas
- When
- December 2, 7:00 AM MST to December 3, 1:00 PM MST
- Where
- Grand and Battlement Mesas forecast zone
- Reported by
- CoCoRaHS
- Coordinates
- 39.159, -108.078 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Snowfall amounts of 4 to 6 inches were measured across most of the zone.
Winter Weather, Grand Valley
- When
- December 2, 12:00 PM MST to December 3, 11:00 AM MST
- Where
- Grand Valley forecast zone
- Reported by
- NWS Employee
- Coordinates
- 39.308, -108.185 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Snowfall amounts of 2 to 4 inches were measured across the Grand Valley, with the lower amounts at the east end of the valley. Numerous vehicle accidents occurred during the evening hours of December 2nd.
Winter Weather, Debeque to Silt Corridor
- When
- December 2, 5:00 PM MST to December 3, 11:00 AM MST
- Where
- Debeque to Silt Corridor forecast zone
- Reported by
- CoCoRaHS
- Coordinates
- 39.308, -108.185 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Snowfall amounts of 2 to 3 inches were measured across the area. This was the first significant snowfall of the season for most of this zone which resulted in many vehicle accidents due to the slick roads.
- Winter Weather
- Snow, sleet or freezing rain below warning levels that still caused disruption, damage or casualties.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
- Dense Fog in Maryland, December 2, 201811 events
- Dense Fog in Maryland, December 2 to 3, 20189 events
- Dense Fog in West Virginia, December 2 to 3, 20187 events
- Dense Fog in Virginia, December 2 to 3, 20187 events
- Winter Weather in Utah, December 2, 20184 events
- Dense Fog in California, December 2, 20183 events
- Dense Fog in Montana, December 2 to 3, 20183 events
- Flood in Arkansas, December 2 to 12, 20181 event
- Damaging Wind in Ohio, December 2, 201852 kt wind · 1 event
- Marine Thunderstorm Wind in South Atlantic Coastal Waters, December 2, 20181 event
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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 789151, 789181, 789162, 789166, 789186, 789224, 789103, 789104.