Expires:201212232300;Remove:201212232300;902141 WWUS85 KPUB 231201 SPSPUB SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO 501 AM MST SUN DEC 23 2012 COZ059-061>065-067-069>089-093>099-232300- LEADVILLE VICINITY/LAKE COUNTY BELOW 11000 FT- WESTERN CHAFFEE COUNTY BETWEEN 9000 AND 11000 FT- CENTRAL CHAFFEE COUNTY BELOW 9000 FT- WESTERN MOSQUITO RANGE/EAST CHAFFEE COUNTY ABOVE 9000 FT- SAGUACHE COUNTY WEST OF CONTINENTAL DIVIDE BELOW 10000 FT- SAGUACHE COUNTY EAST OF CONTINENTAL DIVIDE BELOW 10000 FT- UPPER RIO GRANDE VALLEY/EASTERN SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS BELOW 10000 FT- DEL NORTE VICINITY/NORTHERN SAN LUIS VALLEY BELOW 8500 FT- ALAMOSA VICINITY/CENTRAL SAN LUIS VALLEY BELOW 8500 FT- SOUTHERN SAN LUIS VALLEY- NORTHERN SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS BETWEEN 8500 AND 11000 FT- NORTHERN SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS ABOVE 11000 FEET- SOUTHERN SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS BETWEEN 7500 AND 11000 FT- SOUTHERN SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS ABOVE 11000 FT- NORTHWESTERN FREMONT COUNTY ABOVE 8500 FT- WESTERN/CENTRAL FREMONT COUNTY BELOW 8500 FT- WET MOUNTAIN VALLEY BELOW 8500 FEET- WET MOUNTAINS BETWEEN 6300 AND 10000 FT- WET MOUNTAINS ABOVE 10000 FT- TELLER COUNTY/RAMPART RANGE ABOVE 7500 FT/PIKES PEAK BETWEEN 7500 AND 11000 FT-PIKES PEAK ABOVE 11000 FT- CANON CITY VICINITY/EASTERN FREMONT COUNTY- NORTHERN EL PASO COUNTY/MONUMENT RIDGE/RAMPART RANGE BELOW 7500 FT- COLORADO SPRINGS VICINITY/SOUTHERN EL PASO COUNTY/RAMPART RANGE BELOW 7400 FT-PUEBLO AND VICINITY/PUEBLO COUNTY BELOW 6300 FT- WALSENBURG VICINITY/UPPER HUERFANO RIVER BASIN BELOW 7500 FT- TRINIDAD VICINITY/WESTERN LAS ANIMAS COUNTY BELOW 7500 FT- 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- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...LEADVILLE...GRANITE...SALIDA... BUENA VISTA...SARGENTS...BONANZA...SOUTH FORK...CREEDE...CENTER... DEL NORTE...ALAMOSA...MONTE VISTA...MANASSA...LA JARA... ANTONITO...SANFORD...SAN LUIS...FORT GARLAND...BLANCA... LA VETA PASS...PONCHA PASS...BLANCA PEAK...CUCHARA...STONEWALL... WESTON...SPANISH PEAKS...COALDALE...COTOPAXI...HILLSIDE... HOWARD...SWISSVALE...TEXAS CREEK...SILVER CLIFF...WESTCLIFFE... RYE...GREENHORN MTN...WOODLAND PARK...PIKES PEAK...CANON CITY... PENROSE...BLACK FOREST...AIR FORCE ACADEMY...COLORADO SPRINGS... PUEBLO...WALSENBURG...TRINIDAD...ORDWAY...OLNEY SPRINGS... LA JUNTA...ROCKY FORD...BRANSON...KIM...EADS...SHERIDAN LAKE... LAS ANIMAS...LAMAR...SPRINGFIELD...WALSH 501 AM MST SUN DEC 23 2012 ...WIDESPREAD SNOW CHRISTMAS EVE AND EARLY CHRISTMAS DAY... A WHITE CHRISTMAS WITH IMPACTS TO HOLIDAY TRAVEL CONTINUES TO LOOK LIKELY ACROSS MANY AREAS OF SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST COLORADO AS THE NEXT WINTER STORM SYSTEM TAKES AIM ON COLORADO. THIS SYSTEM WILL DROP FROM THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST INTO NORTHERN NEW MEXICO BY MONDAY EVENING...SPREADING MODERATE TO POTENTIALLY HEAVY SNOW INTO THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE DURING THE DAY MONDAY. SNOW WILL SPREAD INTO THE SOUTHEAST MOUNTAINS AND PLAINS LATE MONDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT. ALTHOUGH FORECAST SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS ARE STILL SUBJECT TO CHANGE...THE SOUTHEAST MOUNTAINS AND PLAINS WILL LIKELY SEE WIDESPREAD LIGHT TO MODERATE SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS FROM LATE MONDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING. AT THIS TIME...THE SANGRE DE CRISTO AND WET MOUNTAIN RANGES AND TELLER COUNTY COULD SEE 5 TO 10 INCHES OF SNOW WITH SOME OF THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS POTENTIALLY SEEING AS MUCH AS A FOOT. ONE TO 4 INCHES OF SNOW COULD FALL ACROSS MOST THE SOUTHEAST PLAINS AND THE UPPER ARKANSAS RIVER VALLEY...WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS NOT OUT OF THE QUESTION ACROSS NORTHERN EL PASO COUNTY...AND THE NORTHERN SLOPES OF THE RATON MESA REGION...AS WELL AS THE SOUTHERN I-25 CORRIDOR REGION SOUTH AND WEST OF THE CITY OF PUEBLO. THE SAN LUIS VALLEY COULD ALSO PICK UP AN INCH OR TWO OF SNOWFALL FROM THIS STORM. SNOWFALL PREDICTIONS ARE LIKELY TO CHANGE AS THE STORM APPROACHES AND THE FORECAST TRACK AND STRENGTH BECOMES MORE CERTAIN. AREAS WITH GREATEST UNCERTAINTY REMAIN ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST PLAINS WHERE A FEW FORECAST MODEL SIMULATIONS SUGGEST RAPID STRENGTHENING COULD OCCUR AS THE STORM MOVES INTO THE TEXAS PANHANDLE. IF YOU HAVE TRAVEL PLANS ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST COLORADO CHRISTMAS EVE OR CHRISTMAS DAY...BE PREPARED FOR WINTER DRIVING CONDITIONS WITH THE LIKELIHOOD OF SLICK SNOW PACKED ROADS AND REDUCED VISIBILITIES. PLEASE CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE LATEST FORECASTS FOR THE MOST UP TO DATE INFORMATION CONCERNING THIS DEVELOPING WINTER STORM. $$