Winter Storm — Jackson County Below 9000 Feet, Colorado

2006-12-20 to 2006-12-21 · Jackson County Below 9000 Feet, Colorado

Event narrative

In North and Middle Parks storm totals included: 26 inches near Rand, 14.5 inches at Fraser and 10 inches at Walden.

Wider weather episode

A slow moving low pressure system moved from the Desert Southwest and into Southeastern Colorado. As a result, a deep upslope flow developed along the Front Range and Northeast Plains of Colorado. Strong winds and heavy snow brought blizzard conditions to the Interstate 25 Corridor, from the Wyoming state line south to Colorado Springs.

Storm totals generally ranged from 2 to 4 feet in and near the Front Range Foothills and Palmer Divide. Across the Northeast Plains and in high mountain valleys of North and Middle Parks, storm totals ranged from 1 to 2 feet. Strong winds gusting from 40 to nearly 60 mph during the storm produced drifts from 6 to 12 feet deep.

Denver measured 20.7 inches of snow officially, ranked as the 7th biggest snowstorm since 1946. The storm forced the closure of Denver International Airport, stranding nearly 5,000 travelers as 2,000 flights were canceled. D.I.A. remained closed for a total of 45 hours, the longest closure in its 12 year history. Police and National Guardsman rescued hundreds of commuters stuck in the their cars, and sent them to temporary shelters set up by the Red Cross. All highways and interstates, including I-25, I-70 and I-76 were shut down. Mail delivery was also suspended. RTD suspended its bus service for the first time since the March 2003 blizzard. A roof at a discount storm in Aurora collapsed under the weight of the snow. In Lakewood, a power outage left 5,600 residents without electricity briefly.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 2277. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.