After additional heavy snow fell on an already unstable snowpack, a natural avalanche occurred southwest of Lake City and destroyed a home.
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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 GJT wrote it up.
After additional heavy snow fell on an already unstable snowpack, a natural avalanche occurred southwest of Lake City and destroyed a home.
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 Mar 12, 2:31 AM MST, 2 hours 29 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Grand Junction CO
331 AM MDT Tue Mar 12 2019
.SHORT TERM...(Today through Wednesday)
Issued at 329 AM MDT Tue Mar 12 2019
A strong closed low off the Baja CA coast will move northeast
over southern AZ this morning, then continue moving across central
AZ to central NM this afternoon and evening. Ahead of this low a
strong southerly flow will draw moisture north and over much of
the area today. Expect widespread lower valley rain and mountain
and high plateau snowfall. Heavy wet snow is expected across all
the mountains. Due to relatively warm conditions the highest snow
accumulations are expected above 9000 feet.
At the same time a strong and cold storm will move out of the
Pacific Northwest to the Great Basin by Wednesday morning. All the
models now show it merging with the southern low and forming a
single impressive storm over the midwest by sunset Wednesday.
Western CO and eastern UT will be under the cold northerly flow
aloft on the west side of this powerful storm.
.LONG TERM...(Wednesday night through Monday)
Issued at 329 AM MDT Tue Mar 12 2019
Classic mid level cyclone will be pounding the Plains with a fully
stacked system and surface low moving toward the occluded stage
by Wednesday evening. This system is so tightly wound by this time
that it appears the trowal will be East of the divide and really
feeding a good frontal band across the High Plains to the Dakotas
where blizzard conditions are looking nasty. What we will have on
our side of the hills is strong cold advection in the lower and
mid levels with PV advection aloft. The deep northerly flow will
be favorable for orographics on north facing slopes and initially
when residual moisture is present...a potential Uncompahgre Gorge
event late Wednesday into early Thursday. Showers are likely to
continue through the day Thursday as instability will be easily
released. Both the GFS and NAM hint at weak mid level low also
developing over the SE San Juan Range as the last part of the jet
moves through Thursday evening. This last push leads to upslope
once again into this region and could easily keep snow going over
CPW through sunrise on Friday. We look to finally get a more
prolonged break in the precipitation so folks can dig
out...literally. Below normal temperatures will hang around in the
wake of this system through Saturday. We then get ridging
followed by WAA and this should bring us back up to near normal
for mid March.
&&
.AVIATION...(For the 12Z TAFS through 12Z Wednesday morning)
Issued at 329 AM MDT Tue Mar 12 2019
Low clouds and precipitation will spread from south to north
today. CIGS will gradually lower from near ILS breakpoints to MVFR
and IFR, with intermittent LIFR in heavier snow showers at KEGE,
KASE, KGUC and KTEX. Mountains and high mountain passes will
remain obscured.
&&
.GJT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
CO...Winter Weather Advisory from 6 PM this evening to 6 AM MDT
Thursday for COZ004-012.
Winter Storm Warning from 6 PM this evening to 6 AM MDT Thursday
for COZ003-009-010-013-017.
Winter Storm Warning until 6 AM MDT Thursday for COZ018.
Winter Storm Warning until midnight MDT Wednesday night for
COZ019.
UT...Winter Weather Advisory from 6 PM this evening to 6 AM MDT
Thursday for UTZ023-025.
Winter Storm Warning from 6 PM this evening to 6 AM MDT Thursday
for UTZ028.
&&
SHORT TERM...CC
LONG TERM...15
AVIATION...CCHazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Grand Junction CO 305 AM MDT Tue Mar 12 2019 COZ001>014-017>023-UTZ022>025-027>029-130915- Lower Yampa River Basin-Central Yampa River Basin- Roan and Tavaputs Plateaus-Elkhead and Park Mountains- Upper Yampa River Basin-Grand Valley-Debeque to Silt Corridor- Central Colorado River Basin-Grand and Battlement Mesas- Gore and Elk Mountains/Central Mountain Valleys- Central Gunnison and Uncompahgre River Basin- West Elk and Sawatch Mountains-Flat Tops- Upper Gunnison River Valley-Uncompahgre Plateau and Dallas Divide- Northwest San Juan Mountains-Southwest San Juan Mountains- Paradox Valley/Lower Dolores River- Four Corners/Upper Dolores River-Animas River Basin- San Juan River Basin-Southeast Utah-Eastern Uinta Mountains- Eastern Uinta Basin-Tavaputs Plateau-Arches/Grand Flat- La Sal and Abajo Mountains-Canyonlands/Natural Bridges- 305 AM MDT Tue Mar 12 2019 This hazardous weather outlook is for eastern Utah and western Colorado. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight Moderate to heavy snowfall will continue over the mountains of eastern Utah and western Colorado. Traveling through all the high mountain passes will be challenging, if not impossible. Scattered to numerous rain showers in the lower valleys and snow showers in the high plateaus are expected as well. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Wednesday through Monday Wednesday and Thursday...Colder with a good chance for rain and snow across all of eastern Utah and western Colorado. Friday through Monday...Slight chance of snow showers across the mountains, otherwise dry. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation will not be needed.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 avalanche. Local standard time, as filed.
A natural avalanche released and hit a residence with 3 people inside along County Road 30, southwest of Lake City. The occupants were rescued and taken to a medical facility. The house was destroyed in the avalanche.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Colorado in 2019Every state in 2019This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, March 2019
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: 801609.