A rapidly intensifying storm system or bomb cyclone brought hurricane strength winds to the northeast plains of Colorado, along with moderate to heavy snowfall. Peak wind gusts ranged from 60 to 80 mph.
Every event with a place to put it; 11 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 BOU wrote it up.
A rapidly intensifying storm system or bomb cyclone brought hurricane strength winds to the northeast plains of Colorado, along with moderate to heavy snowfall. Peak wind gusts ranged from 60 to 80 mph. Thundersnow produced snowfall rates up to 3 inches per hour just west of Denver. Two records were established at Denver International Airport. A record non-thunderstorm wind gust of 80 mph broke the previous record of 63 mph set in Match 13, 2009. A record low sea level pressure of 979.01 MB broke the previous record of 979.9 MB set on February 25, 1998. Snowfall amounts ranged from 2 to 6 inches near the base of the foothills, with up to 20 inches in the mountains and foothills. Along the Palmer Divide east of I-25 and the northeast plains of Colorado, storm totals ranged from 4 to 10 inches.
Widespread outages, multi-vehicle accidents and road closures prompted the governor to declare a state of emergency which activated the Colorado National Guard to assist state and local authorities in rescuing hundreds of stranded motorists. Disaster declarations included the following counties and cities: Adams, Arapahoe, Douglas, Elbert counties, as well as the city of Aurora. Multiple accidents included a 100-car pileup on Interstate 25, from MM 285 to the WY border; with another 100-car accident south of Denver toward Monument. A state trooper was struck and killed on Interstate 76. He was at the scene of a vehicle off the road near Roggen when another car lost control and struck him. Road closures included: Interstate 70 from Denver Airport to Limon, and from Golden to Idaho Springs; I-25 from South Denver to Monument Hill; I-76 closed from northeast Denver to Nebraska.
Nearly 1400 flights in and out of Denver International Airport that were canceled due to the blizzard. Five thousand passengers were stranded at the airport. The number of people who lost power during the storm totaled 445,000. Xcel energy called over 500 employees work to restore power with additional 300 out-of-state workers on their way to assist. Approximately 85,000 people, mostly in the Denver area, were without electricity the following day. At least 335 vehicles were stuck and abandoned on Interstate 25 near Larkspur. In Denver, 250 vehicles were abandoned during the storm. School buses were used to rescue stranded drivers. At least 33 public school districts were closed on the 13 and 14th. Warming centers and shelters opened area wide.
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 Mar 13, 8:59 AM MST, 1 hour 1 minute earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Denver/Boulder CO 959 AM MDT Wed Mar 13 2019 .UPDATE... Issued at 934 AM MDT Wed Mar 13 2019 Powerful winter storm remains on track with intensifying low pressure over southeast Colorado. The mix of rain and snow continues over the Front Range with a complete changeover occuring many places near the foothills and over the i-25 urban corridor. Boulder is one of the last places that is still mainly rain but that will change as well by 11 am. Seen a few lightning strikes in the past hour east of Denver with heavier convective snow expected over I-25 corridor to start 10-11 am and continuing through the afternoon. Snowfall rates up to 2 inches per hour a good bet with the heavier snow. Road conditions expected to deteriorate during the afternoon hours with expected road closures especially east of I-25 with near zero visibilities and wind gusts from 60-80 mph. No changes to current hilites. && .SHORT TERM...(Today and tonight) Issued at 354 AM MDT Wed Mar 13 2019 The general scenario for today's intense winter storm hasn't changed. Main changes with this package were to consider the impressive lift this morning over the north central Colorado mountains through midday, in addition to considerable upslope on north and northeast facing slopes from midday through this afternoon. This requires issuance of warnings for most of this area. The mountains of Larimer county look really favorable for heavy snow this morning as the northerly flow develops and the best QG lift pivots over that area. By later today really strong downslope northwest winds should produce blizzard conditions over much of Larimer county. Surrounding mountain areas will have the strong lift for a long enough period, with some question about how much wind will mix down in areas west of the Front Range. For the lower elevations, the northerly flow is starting to develop just east of the mountains. This is on schedule or perhaps an hour or two early. The precip should develop nicely, but the air is still a little warm for a quick changeover, so we will likely be in the mid 30s with either rain or snow for several hours. This is pretty much as expected, so we won't change the timing of our warnings on the plains. Only change here was to add Fort Collins/Loveland to the blizzard warning area, as it looks good enough in the cities and will be much worse on I-25 going north from there. Model consensus continues to be for slightly higher snow amounts on the plains and with increasing confidence in the snow pattern, we blended in the latest NAM/GFS precip. This gives an extra inch or two in the heavier snow areas, and hits the northern mountains much better than what we had. We also blended in the latest wind guidance which wasn't much different other than being sharper with the initial surge of wind near the mountains late this morning. We also added a bit more wind to the high country. Models are showing a fierce east/west gradient at 700 mb and it's hard to know how they're handling the terrain interaction. There's also potential for some mountain wave action, though in northerly flow this mostly affects uninhabited areas. The Fairplay area and perhaps Georgetown could get a taste of that this afternoon. Didn't want to leave South Park out as they'll get some of the synoptic scale lift this morning, then pretty good wind this afternoon blowing around whatever snow they pick up. It may be marginal, but the area most likely to have a bad combination is the busy US 285 corridor, so an advisory seems appropriate for that area today as well. Snow goes away from northwest to southeast this evening, left the previous forecast alone for this. Winds will continue to cause lots of drifting on the plains through the night though. .LONG TERM...(Thursday through Tuesday) Issued at 354 AM MDT Wed Mar 13 2019 The cyclone that affects Colorado on Wednesday will move northeastward toward the Great Lakes on Thursday. At 12Z Thursday this system will be vertically stacked over Omaha with northwest flow throughout the troposphere over the eastern plains of Colorado. While this system will be weakening, it will still produce strong winds of up to 55 mph across the eastern plains Thursday morning. These winds will continue to blow snow around on the ground along with light lingering snow showers across the eastern plains. With the reduced visibility and hazardous travel conditions, the blizzard warning for the eastern plains will continue until 18Z Thursday. Meanwhile, the northwesterly flow will continue to produce snow showers in the mountains with the I-70 corridor mountains seeing light to moderate snow Thursday morning. To account for the lingering snow, the Winter Storm Warning will continue for the mountains around the I-70 corridor until 18Z Thursday. All other highlights will have ended before 12Z Thursday as the threats will have ended elsewhere. Beyond Thursday, there will be a much quieter weather pattern that takes shape across Colorado which may be a breathe of fresh air for many people. Longwave ridging will develop over the Northwest US with a moisture-starved shortwave over the Gulf of California. A confluent mid to upper level pattern over Colorado will mean subsident and dry conditions Friday through Sunday. There is considerable disagreement in the models for the next shortwave that moves southeastward out of western Canada late Monday and into Tuesday. This system will not have much moisture associated with it but may be able to produce snow showers in the mountains. Temperatures will see a slow warming trend into the beginning of next week but temperatures will still be below normal throughout the extended period. && .AVIATION...(For the 18Z TAFS through 18Z Thursday afternoon) Issued at 934 AM MDT Wed Mar 13 2019 Conditions deteriorating quickly as precip has turned to all snow and heavier bands of snow will be pushing westward over local terminals between 10 am and 11 am. Winds also up to 50kt at KDEN and be on the increase at APA. BJC winds will be slightly less. A slow improvement by early this evening and then snow completely ending by midnight with decreasing winds. && .BOU WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Blizzard Warning until noon MDT Thursday for COZ042-044>046- 048>051. Blizzard Warning until 6 AM MDT Thursday for COZ031-033-035. Winter Storm Warning until noon MDT Thursday for COZ034. Winter Storm Warning until 9 PM MDT this evening for COZ032. Blizzard Warning until midnight MDT tonight for COZ030. Winter Storm Warning until midnight MDT tonight for COZ036-039. Blizzard Warning until midnight MDT tonight for COZ038-040-041- 043. Winter Weather Advisory until 9 PM MDT this evening for COZ037. High Wind Warning until 6 AM MDT Thursday for COZ047. && UPDATE...Entrekin SHORT TERM...Gimmestad LONG TERM...Danielson AVIATION...Gimmestad
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Denver/Boulder CO 1014 AM MDT Wed Mar 13 2019 COZ030>051-141615- 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- 1014 AM MDT Wed Mar 13 2019 ...BLIZZARD CONDITIONS FROM DENVER NORTH AND EAST... This hazardous weather outlook is for northeast and north central Colorado. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight A strong winter storm will spread heavy snow and very strong winds across the the eastern plains and much of the northern mountains by midday. The snow will be heaviest during the day today with snowfall rates up to 2 inches in one hour or less, with the strongest winds this afternoon and evening. The plains east of Interstate 25 will have 6 to 12 inches of snow with wind gusts of 60 to 80 mph. Areas along and west of I-25 will have less wind and snow, but could still have near blizzard conditions for a while during the afternoon. Mountain areas near the Wyoming border will also have heavy snow and windy conditions. There will likely also be a period of heavy snow from Park county north to Grand county and over the Front Range foothills during the morning. The snow in the mountains will diminish in the late afternoon or evening, though some snow will continue over the higher mountains. Snow accumulations in the mountains will range from 4-12 inches in most places, with up to 20 inches in the higher mountains north of Berthoud Pass. Wind gusts of 40-60 mph will be likely in the mountains this afternoon, with gusts up to 80 mph in Larimer county. The snow will gradually end from northwest to southeast during the night tonight. However, strong winds will continue on the plains overnight and blizzard conditions will likely persist. There will likely still be significant drifting snow over eastern parts of the plains much of the day on Thursday, so road closures may be slow to clear behind the storm. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday Strong winds with gusts up to 55 mph across the eastern plains will continue through much of the day Thursday with blowing snow making travel conditions hazardous. The Blizzard Warning will continue through noon Thursday for the eastern plains. By the afternoon, winds and blowing snow will lessen as travel conditions will begin to improve. There will be much quieter weather Friday through Sunday with dry conditions and below normal temperatures. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter reports will be appreciated through this storm with snowfall and high winds.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
841 AM MDT WED MAR 13 2019
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0834 AM SNOW 2 E ESTES PARK 40.38N 105.48W
03/13/2019 M3.5 INCH LARIMER CO TRAINED SPOTTER
0822 AM SNOW 4 S BROOKVALE 39.57N 105.40W
03/13/2019 M3.0 INCH CLEAR CREEK CO TRAINED SPOTTER
0808 AM SNOW 2 SE BRECKENRIDGE 39.48N 106.03W
03/13/2019 M5.2 INCH SUMMIT CO TRAINED SPOTTER
0800 AM SNOW 3 W JAMESTOWN 40.11N 105.44W
03/13/2019 M4.7 INCH BOULDER CO TRAINED SPOTTER
0639 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 4 S GLEN HAVEN 40.39N 105.42W
03/13/2019 M92 MPH LARIMER CO PUBLIC
&&PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
858 AM MDT WED MAR 13 2019
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0835 AM SNOW 1 N GENESEE 39.70N 105.28W
03/13/2019 M3.8 INCH JEFFERSON CO TRAINED SPOTTER
0834 AM SNOW 2 E ESTES PARK 40.38N 105.48W
03/13/2019 M3.5 INCH LARIMER CO TRAINED SPOTTER
0822 AM SNOW 4 S BROOKVALE 39.57N 105.40W
03/13/2019 M3.0 INCH CLEAR CREEK CO TRAINED SPOTTER
0808 AM SNOW 2 SE BRECKENRIDGE 39.48N 106.03W
03/13/2019 M5.2 INCH SUMMIT CO TRAINED SPOTTER
0800 AM SNOW 3 W JAMESTOWN 40.11N 105.44W
03/13/2019 M4.7 INCH BOULDER CO TRAINED SPOTTER
0639 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 4 S GLEN HAVEN 40.39N 105.42W
03/13/2019 M92 MPH LARIMER CO PUBLIC
&&PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
903 AM MDT WED MAR 13 2019
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0858 AM SNOW 4 NE NEDERLAND 39.99N 105.45W
03/13/2019 M5.0 INCH BOULDER CO TRAINED SPOTTER
0835 AM SNOW 1 N GENESEE 39.70N 105.28W
03/13/2019 M3.8 INCH JEFFERSON CO TRAINED SPOTTER
0834 AM SNOW 2 E ESTES PARK 40.38N 105.48W
03/13/2019 M3.5 INCH LARIMER CO TRAINED SPOTTER
0822 AM SNOW 4 S BROOKVALE 39.57N 105.40W
03/13/2019 M3.0 INCH CLEAR CREEK CO TRAINED SPOTTER
0808 AM SNOW 2 SE BRECKENRIDGE 39.48N 106.03W
03/13/2019 M5.2 INCH SUMMIT CO TRAINED SPOTTER
0800 AM SNOW 3 W JAMESTOWN 40.11N 105.44W
03/13/2019 M4.7 INCH BOULDER CO TRAINED SPOTTER
0639 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 4 S GLEN HAVEN 40.39N 105.42W
03/13/2019 M92 MPH LARIMER CO PUBLIC
&&PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
1024 AM MDT WED MAR 13 2019
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1010 AM SNOW 2 E ESTES PARK 40.38N 105.48W
03/13/2019 M6.0 INCH LARIMER CO TRAINED SPOTTER
0948 AM SNOW 4 SE PINECLIFFE 39.88N 105.39W
03/13/2019 M6.0 INCH JEFFERSON CO TRAINED SPOTTER
0934 AM SNOW 3 N SHAFFERS CROSSING 39.51N 105.36W
03/13/2019 M5.0 INCH JEFFERSON CO TRAINED SPOTTER
0858 AM SNOW 4 NE NEDERLAND 39.99N 105.45W
03/13/2019 M5.0 INCH BOULDER CO TRAINED SPOTTER
0835 AM SNOW 1 N GENESEE 39.70N 105.28W
03/13/2019 M3.8 INCH JEFFERSON CO TRAINED SPOTTER
0822 AM SNOW 4 S BROOKVALE 39.57N 105.40W
03/13/2019 M3.0 INCH CLEAR CREEK CO TRAINED SPOTTER
0808 AM SNOW 2 SE BRECKENRIDGE 39.48N 106.03W
03/13/2019 M5.2 INCH SUMMIT CO TRAINED SPOTTER
0800 AM SNOW 3 W JAMESTOWN 40.11N 105.44W
03/13/2019 M4.7 INCH BOULDER CO TRAINED SPOTTER
0639 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 4 S GLEN HAVEN 40.39N 105.42W
03/13/2019 M92 MPH LARIMER CO PUBLIC
&&PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
1055 AM MDT WED MAR 13 2019
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1038 AM SNOW 3 NE ASPEN SPRINGS 39.87N 105.46W
03/13/2019 M8.0 INCH GILPIN CO TRAINED SPOTTER
1035 AM SNOW 1 N GENESEE 39.70N 105.28W
03/13/2019 M6.8 INCH JEFFERSON CO TRAINED SPOTTER
1031 AM SNOW 1 S CRESCENT VILLAGE 39.91N 105.34W
03/13/2019 M7.0 INCH JEFFERSON CO TRAINED SPOTTER
1030 AM SNOW 3 W JAMESTOWN 40.11N 105.44W
03/13/2019 M9.6 INCH BOULDER CO TRAINED SPOTTER
1010 AM SNOW 2 E ESTES PARK 40.38N 105.48W
03/13/2019 M6.0 INCH LARIMER CO TRAINED SPOTTER
0948 AM SNOW 4 SE PINECLIFFE 39.88N 105.39W
03/13/2019 M6.0 INCH JEFFERSON CO TRAINED SPOTTER
0934 AM SNOW 3 N SHAFFERS CROSSING 39.51N 105.36W
03/13/2019 M5.0 INCH JEFFERSON CO TRAINED SPOTTER
0858 AM SNOW 4 NE NEDERLAND 39.99N 105.45W
03/13/2019 M5.0 INCH BOULDER CO TRAINED SPOTTER
0822 AM SNOW 4 S BROOKVALE 39.57N 105.40W
03/13/2019 M3.0 INCH CLEAR CREEK CO TRAINED SPOTTER
0808 AM SNOW 2 SE BRECKENRIDGE 39.48N 106.03W
03/13/2019 M5.2 INCH SUMMIT CO TRAINED SPOTTER
0639 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 4 S GLEN HAVEN 40.39N 105.42W
03/13/2019 M92 MPH LARIMER CO PUBLIC
&&The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
10 blizzard, 1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blizzard, C & S Weld County | 2019-03-13 | 52 | Male | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Indirect |
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: 801195, 801196, 801197, 801199, 801210, 801211, 801212, 801213, 801214, 801215, 801216.