National Weather Service Pueblo, Colorado
Office Information
Office Location:
WFO Pueblo is located approximately six miles east northeast of downtown Pueblo in the Airport Industrial Park. (38.280 LAT, -104.521 LON)
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The "backyard" of WFO Pueblo with the Pikes Peak Region 40 miles north-northwest
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The Royal Gorge Bridge...approximately one hour west of Pueblo. A dust devil is observed in the center background.
The Great Sand Dunes...and the Sangre de Cristo Mountains...on the east edge of the San Luis Valley
In the San Luis Valley looking toward Blanca Peak (14,345 feet)
Chaffee County of central Colorado...the eastern Sawatch Range...with many 14,000+ foot peaks...flanks the western edge of the Upper Arkansas Valley
Mt. Elbert...highest peak in Colorado (14,440 feet)...the highest point in Pueblo's County Warning and Forecast Area
World famous Pikes Peak (14,115 feet) and Garden of the Gods...just west of our most populous city (Colorado Springs, pop. 390,000) and county (El Paso County, pop. 525,000)
Office Activity:
The National Weather Service Office in Pueblo (PUB) is a full-scale Weather Forecast Office (WFO) with a County Warning and Forecast Area consisting of 21 counties. We forecast from 3300 feet MSL to 14,440 feet MSL, which includes seven mountain ranges. Even in benign weather situations, forecasting is a challenge.
We compose aviation forecasts for three sites: Alamosa, Colorado Springs, and Pueblo.
We have a comprehensive hydrology program, with two major drainage basins (Arkansas River and Rio Grande), dozens of high risk dams, and several river forecast points. We have never had a Service Hydrologist.
We have a large, active Fire Weather Program, composing graphical forecasts year around, and filling between 300 and 400 spot forecast requests annually. We have two IMETs, who spend weeks a year outside the office, providing weather support for wildland fires across the country.
We have 10 full time forecasters (5 Senior Forecasters and 5 General Forecasters).
The surface observation program is limited to the supplemental climatological observations (SCD/ SDO). ASOS observations are augmented by the Pueblo Tower.
There is no upper air program at WFO Pueblo.
The office offers seven separate programs on NOAA All Hazards Weather radio transmitters: Alamosa, Canon City, Walsenburg, Pueblo/Fowler, Colorado Springs, La Junta, and Lamar/Springfield.
We have one WSR-88-D Doppler radar, covering most of southcentral and southeastern Colorado.
We have an active outreach program with ongoing training and support for spotters, the media, emergency managers, and the general public. Our aviation outreach program is important due to the complex terrain (seven mountain ranges) and resultant weather of southern Colorado. DOS Aviation, a training facility for screening pilots, is based at the Pueblo Memorial Airport, and is just down the road from the office.
Our Cooperative Observation Program is also large with around 80 sites in operation.
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Description:
The city of Pueblo is located at the junction of I-25 and US-50 in the heart of southeast Colorado. The city of Pueblo has a population over 100,000 and Pueblo County has nearly 150,000 residents. The immediate area has shown steady growth in recent years, with the business and service industry providing a wealth of shopping and dining opportunities.
The Pueblo area has a natural beauty within the high plains desert region. Recreational opportunities and very good transportation access make Pueblo the hub for commerce and recreation in southeast Colorado. The Pueblo Reservoir is located just west of Pueblo and south of the rapidly growing community of Pueblo West. The reservoir is a popular attraction for people from southeast Colorado north to the Denver metro area. Picturesque mountains views exist to the north and west of Pueblo, with the Wet Mountains some 40 miles in distance.
The Pikes Peak Region (Colorado Springs area, pop. 525,000) is less than an hour’s drive to the north, where recreational and tourist attractions abound as well.
Click this link and this link and the Pueblo Chamber of Commerce for details about life in Pueblo County.
Accommodations:
There are a number of excellent hotel and motel accommodations in the Pueblo area. During late August through Labor Day weekend, accommodations fill as the Colorado State Fair attracts tens of thousands of people from Colorado and surrounding states. Go to this link and this link for a sampling of accommodations in the Pueblo and Pueblo West areas.
Local Transportation:
There is municipal transportation available (but not to the NWS office), and cabs operate in the Pueblo area. The Pueblo Memorial Airport is a regional hub. Flights from Pueblo typically take you to national hubs, Colorado Springs (50 miles north) or Denver (110 miles north). The major north-south interstate route across the Rockies and western Great Plains (I-25) runs through Pueblo, providing easy access to New Mexico, the Colorado Springs and Denver metro areas (including the I-70 east-west corridor), and Wyoming.
Restaurant and Dining Facilities:
Dining opportunities are numerous in the Pueblo area. Cuisine varies from fine dining to fast food, with Mexican cuisine abounding. Colorado Springs, less than an hour to the north offers more opportunities for different local dining experiences.
Taxes:
There is a state income tax of 4.63 percent, and city and county sales taxes. Compared with the rest of the country, property tax in Pueblo County and Colorado is low. For more information on Pueblo County, click the links in the description section above.
Education:
The Primary and Secondary schools in Pueblo County are good. There are two school districts, one covering most of Pueblo County, and the other generally within the city of Pueblo. Click this link or this link or this link for more information on public education in Pueblo County. Pueblo Community College and Colorado State University – Pueblo are located in the city of Pueblo.
Economy:
The local economy in Pueblo County is slowly growing. A number of industries are in the area, including food, manufacturing and green technology facilities. Ranching and agriculture (near the Arkansas River) also are a part of the local economy. Pueblo County peppers are some of the best in the nation.
Climate:
To see climate information, click this link to the NWS Pueblo Web site. In general, Pueblo has a high plains desert climate, with an average of 11 inches of liquid precipitation each year. Pueblo County boasts an average of over 300 days with sunshine each year. Normal daytime high temperatures in January dip into the middle 40s, and rise to the lower to middle 90s during the summer months. The heat of summer is tempered by low humidity and temperatures that quickly drop off in the early evening hours. WInters are fairly pleasant, with plenty of sunny, low humidity days, which makes it seem warmer than it is. Pueblo, on average, receives around 30 inches of snow each year.
Recreation:
There are some excellent golf courses in the Pueblo area. The Pueblo Reservoir is a major attraction for people around the region, offering boating, camping, and miles of walking, ATV, and biking trails. Pueblo West is located just north of the reservoir. Mountain opportunities lie just an hour or so away to the west, including the Wet Mountains and picturesque Wet Mountain Valley and Sangre De Cristo Mountain Range. There are hundreds of miles of hiking, ATV, and biking trails in the mountain areas. Vistas in the Rockies are magnificent. Monarch Ski Resort (2 1/2 hours), Wolf Creek Ski Resort (3 hours) and Breckenridge Ski Resort (2 1/2 hours) are accessible for day trips. Colorado is simply a beautiful state to live in and to explore. For more information, feel free to call our office.
