Colorado, 2018

Winter 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.

Where it happened

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

The toll

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS GJT wrote it up.

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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Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 2, 4:46 AM MST, 14 minutes before
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The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

8 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.

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.

What these are

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.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Colorado in 2018Every state in 2018This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, December 2018

Sources

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.