A Spring storm system produced snow, heavy at times to portions of southern Colorado. Six to eight inches of snow graced locations near Texas Creek, Nathrop, Rosita, Buena Vista, Leadville and the Spanish Peaks.
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.
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 Spring storm system produced snow, heavy at times to portions of southern Colorado. Six to eight inches of snow graced locations near Texas Creek, Nathrop, Rosita, Buena Vista, Leadville and the Spanish Peaks. Ten to Twelve inches of snow was measured near the communities of Canon City, Fort Garland and Hillside, while 13 inches of snow covered Maysville and San Isabel. Finally, 15 inches of snow impacted areas near Westcliffe and Monarch Pass.
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 May 8, 10:48 AM MST, 1 hour 12 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Pueblo CO 1148 AM MDT Wed May 8 2019 .UPDATE... Issued at 947 AM MDT Wed May 8 2019 Made minor adjustment to forecast for rest of this morning into the afternoon. Increased max temps along I-25 corridor to account for current trends due to clearing skies. Also increased PoPs over the I-25 corridor south of Pueblo to account for current radar trends. ~Line && .SHORT TERM...(Today and tonight) Issued at 425 AM MDT Wed May 8 2019 Currently...an upper level disturbance is currently spinning over northern New Mexico early this morning. This has led to scattered showers and thunderstorms moving northward out of New Mexico, and further development across the Eastern Plains. Stronger storms will be capable of producing hail to near an inch as they lift north across the Plains. Temperatures remain mild with mid to upper 40s across the region. Areas of fog have also developed across the Plains early this morning. Models in good agreement with this thunderstorm and shower activity continuing through the morning hours. Today...the upper level disturbance over northern New Mexico is forecast to lift across southeastern Colorado and into western Kansas by this afternoon. Meanwhile, a cold front is forecast to surge south over the Plains for this afternoon. As for this morning, elevated instability will continue to produce thunderstorms ahead of the cold front. A few may become strong to severe this morning, with hail to near one inch in diameter and wind gusts near 60 mph. The most likely area to see these storms will be east of I- 25. As we move into the afternoon hours, much will depend on the cold front. High-res model guidance surges the front south across the Plains by 3 PM. Strong northerly winds and cold air advection will reduce the elevated instability across the region. That being said, widespread showers will remain possible, especially along the Eastern Mountains where upslope flow will be maximized. Snow levels will remain high, generally above 12 kft through this afternoon with several inches possible over area peaks. Tonight...the next upper level disturbance will move out of northern Arizona and across southern Colorado overnight. Cold air advection is forecast to continue across the Plains as north winds continue across the area. Expect lift associated with the approaching disturbance to bring moderate to heavy precipitation to much of southern Colorado, especially after midnight. Snow levels are expected to fall quickly overnight into Thursday morning. Went with winter storm warning for the area peaks, with winter weather advisories for the lower elevations. Snow accumulations along the Continental Divide will be highest over the Central Mountains, with lesser amounts over the San Juan Range. Decent accumulations are also expected over the peaks of the Sangre de Cristo and Wet Mountains. Snow levels will likely fall to near 6 kft over the Palmer Divide and Raton Mesa areas by Thursday morning. The morning commute over Monument Hill could be slushy. These areas may see a couple of inches on grassy surfaces. Most of the Plains will see a decent rainfall event. Models in good agreement with spreading widespread light to moderate rainfall across the Plains after midnight, peaking as we move into the morning hours. A couple rumbles of thunder may also be possible through the overnight period. Mozley .LONG TERM...(Thursday through Tuesday) Issued at 425 AM MDT Wed May 8 2019 Thursday and Friday...Upper trough over the Rockies Thu morning will eject a closed low back to the southwest across UT, NV and CA through the day, then the low will linger over the central CA coastline through the day Fri. At the surface, persistent N-NE flow will keep moisture moving towards the I-25 corridor and mts through Thu, before sfc winds shift to a more southerly direction on Fri. This will result in a cool and damp day Thu, with likely to categorical pops over the higher terrain and scattered pops for the plains, and highs only climbing into the 40s for most areas. On Fri as the upper low regresses, and sfc winds become more southerly, the greatest pcpn chances start to pull back to the mts. Temps on Fri are forecast to warm to right around 50F for most areas. Another concern continues to be the overnight low temps Thu night for portions of the plains. Some locations will likely dip to freezing or right below freezing, so sensitive outdoor plants will need to be protected. Saturday and Sunday...The upper low starts to make a move on Sat, sliding east across the CA Baja on Sat, and southern AZ on Sun. The EC indicates a more southern track for this low, but the end result is expected to be very similar. The positioning of the low will continue to draw moisture up across the Four Corners and into CO over the weekend, with a continued threat of rain and snow for the mts and high valleys. There may be a stray shower or two that will move off the mts and into the plains, but for the most part the I25 corridor and areas east will likely remain dry with gradually warming temps. Highs are expected to be in the mid to upper 50s both days for the high valleys, while the plains will warm into the mid 50s to mid 60s on Sat, and mid 60s to mid 70s on Sun. Monday and Tuesday...Significant differences in the models start to appear for the beginning of the next work week. The upper low tracks to the east out of AZ and across NM through Tue. The EC keeps the low over southern NM the entire time, which would mean predominantly dry conditions for the CWA. The GFS edges the low further north, reaching the CO/NM state line Mon night before moving across the OK Panhandle Tue. This solution would mean more pcpn for the area as well as increased cloud cover and slightly cooler temps. For now will go with isolated to low-end scattered pops for the forecast area both days, with the greatest chances tied to the higher terrain. The warming trend will persist, with max temps right around 60F for the high valleys, and upper 60s to upper 70s for the plains. Moore && .AVIATION...(For the 18Z TAFS through 18Z Thursday afternoon) Issued at 1137 AM MDT Wed May 8 2019 A series of disturbances will bring widespread rain and snow showers and lowering CIGs and VIS to the mountains, valleys, and plains of southern Colorado today through tomorrow morning. Light rain showers should develop at the three TAF sites (KALS, KCOS, KPUB) later this afternoon, with a transition to light snow showers or a rain/snow mix this evening. The precip will be accompanied by CIGs and VIS lowering to IFR/LIFR at the three sites for much of the evening, improving slightly late tomorrow morning. Northerly winds will be gusty from the north at KCOS and KPUB, and from the east at KALS, this afternoon and evening, weakening slightly tomorrow morning. && .PUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Winter Weather Advisory from 6 PM this evening to 6 AM MDT Friday for COZ059-061-063-065-067-072-074-076-079-081. Winter Storm Warning until 6 AM MDT Friday for COZ058-060-066- 068-073-075-080-082. && UPDATE...LINE SHORT TERM...MOZLEY LONG TERM...MOORE AVIATION...LINE
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Pueblo CO 1222 PM MDT Wed May 8 2019 COZ058>089-093>099-091830- Western Mosquito Range/East Lake County Above 11000 Feet- Leadville Vicinity/Lake County Below 11000 Feet- Eastern Sawatch Mountains Above 11000 Feet- Western Chaffee County Between 9000 and 11000 Feet- Central Chaffee County Below 9000 Feet- Western Mosquito Range/East Chaffee County Above 9000 Feet- Saguache County West of Continental Divide Below 10000 Feet- Saguache County East of Continental Divide Below 10000 Feet- La Garita Mountains Above 10000 Feet- Upper Rio Grande Valley/Eastern San Juan Mountains Below 10000 Feet-Eastern San Juan Mountains Above 10000 Feet- Del Norte Vicinity/Northern San Luis Valley Below 8500 Feet- Alamosa Vicinity/Central San Luis Valley Below 8500 Feet- Southern San Luis Valley- Northern Sangre de Cristo Mountains Between 8500 And 11000 Feet- Northern Sangre de Cristo Mountains Above 11000 Feet- Southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains Between 7500 and 11000 Feet- Southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains Above 11000 Feet- Northwestern Fremont County Above 8500 Feet- Western/Central Fremont County Below 8500 Feet- Wet Mountain Valley Below 8500 Feet- Wet Mountains between 6300 and 10000 Feet- Wet Mountains Above 10000 Feet- Teller County/Rampart Range Above 7500 Feet/Pikes Peak Between 7500 And 11000 Feet-Pikes Peak Above 11000 Feet- Canon City Vicinity/Eastern Fremont County- Northern El Paso County/Monument Ridge/Rampart Range Below 7500 Feet- Colorado Springs Vicinity/Southern El Paso County/Rampart Range Below 7400 Feet-Pueblo Vicinity/Pueblo County Below 6300 Feet- Walsenburg Vicinity/Upper Huerfano River Basin Below 7500 Feet- Trinidad Vicinity/Western Las Animas County Below 7500 Feet- 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- 1222 PM MDT Wed May 8 2019 This hazardous weather outlook is for portions of central...east central...south central and southeast Colorado. .DAY ONE...This Afternoon and Tonight Isolated to scattered showers and thunderstorms this afternoon across the mountains and eastern plains. Stronger storms will be capable of producing small hail and wind gusts to 50 mph, in addition to cloud to ground lightning. Snow is forecast today over the high mountain peaks. Snow levels will remain high for today, generally above 12000 feet, before falling tonight. As colder air filters into the region, snow levels will fall to near 6500 feet. Accumulations of 8 to 15 inches are possible over the mountain peaks. Minor snow accumulations are possible late tonight over Monument Hill and Raton Pass. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday Showers and isolated afternoon and evening thunderstorms are expected across the entire area Thursday and Friday, then across the higher terrain over the weekend through Tuesday. Any storms that do develop will be capable of producing dangerous cloud to ground lightning, small hail and wind gusts up to 50 mph. Accumulating snow is expected over all of the higher terrain, with snow levels forecast to hover around 6000 feet through Thursday. There is the potential for total new snow amounts of 8 to 20 inches of heavy wet snow across the higher elevations above 10000 feet. Lower elevations between 8000 and 10000 feet could see 4 to 15 inches, with a few inches of slushy wet snow accumulations at times down to 6000 feet on grassy surfaces. Additional snow will be possible along the Continental Divide for Friday and over the weekend. Finally, there is the threat of some spotty freezing temperatures across the plains Thursday night, and care should be taken to protect sensitive outdoor plants. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Weather conditions that meet reporting criteria for spotters will be possible across all of southern Colorado through tonight. 12/12
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
8 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
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, May 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: 830838, 830844, 830846, 830850, 830854, 830857, 830860, 830864.