A strong upper level storm system combined with cold air to produce a widespread heavy, wet snow across parts of central and southeast Colorado from the evening of the 2nd through the 5th. The hardest hit area was the upper Arkansas River Valley from southern Chaffee county into western Fremont county and Custer county.
Every event with a place to put it; 7 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 strong upper level storm system combined with cold air to produce a widespread heavy, wet snow across parts of central and southeast Colorado from the evening of the 2nd through the 5th. The hardest hit area was the upper Arkansas River Valley from southern Chaffee county into western Fremont county and Custer county. Snowfall amounts from 20 to 30 inches were common in the above areas, which include the Buena Vista area in Chaffee county, the Westcliffe area and west of Westcliffe in Custer county, and from the Royal Gorge to Swissvale in western Fremont county. Numerous rock slides were seen on U.S. Highway 50 from Parkdale to Texas Creek. That stretch of road was closed for about one week for clean-up and further blasting of cliff sides. Salida, in southern Chaffee county, received the brunt of the snowfall. Amounts of 36 to 50 inches were claimed during the more than two days of snow. Numerous power failures and trees and limbs were brought down by the heavy, wet snow. The roof of the hot springs pool was taken off after severe structural damage. One radio station was knocked off-the-air for 36 hours. The Wet mountains in Custer and Pueblo counties also received snowfall, ranging from 6 to 15 inches. Teller county and northern El Paso county also received heavy snowfall, mainly later on the 4th and into the morning of the 5th. Up to 20 inches of snow was reported around and in Woodland Park, and 8 to 14 inches was observed in northern El Paso county from the Monument area to Black Forest, and points farther east. The damage estimates for the Salida area and U.S. Highway 50 clean-up are rough at this time.
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 Apr 2, 1:35 PM MST, 5 hours 25 minutes earlier.
SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST COLORADO AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO COLORADO 235 PM MDT MON APR 2 2001 MAIN WEATHER CHALLENGES APPEAR TO BE IN THE LONGER TERM WITH NEXT INCOMING SYSTEM. CWFA CURRENTLY ENJOYING PARTLY CLOUDY SKIES ALONG WITH MILD EARLY APRIL AFTERNOON TEMPERATURES. LAPS DATA INDICATES THAT THE FAR EAST...(ZONES 78/80 AND 81) AND TELLER COUNTY RELATIVELY UNSTABLE THIS AFTERNOON WHILE REMAINDER OF CWA SITTING PRETTY. WILL INTRODUCE SOME ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS MAINLY THESE ZONES TONIGHT. ON TUESDAY MAIN CONCERN WINDS AND WILL HAVE MENTION OF SOME STRONGER WINDS. OTHERWISE...ETA/AVN INDICATE THAT UPPER ENERGY LIMITED THROUGH WEDNESDAY WITH SOME 300-200 MB PV ENERGY NOTED CROSSING THE TEXAS PANHANDLE TUESDAY...WHILE ATMOSPHERIC MOISTURE REMAINS RATHER MEAGER MOST AREAS...THEREFORE GOING FORECAST OF GENERALLY DRY AND WARM WITH OCCASIONAL GUSTY WINDS SHOULD SUFFICE THROUGH WEDNESDAY. FOR THE EXTENDED...(THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY)...AVN/MRF/ECMWF SHOWS MAIN BODY OF STORM SYSTEM PUSHING ACROSS FRIDAY WITH MAIN EMPHASIS WELL NORTH OF CWFA...THEREFORE WILL KEEP UNSETTLED WEATHER LATER THURSDAY INTO SATURDAY WITH A MORE STABLE PATTERN IN PLACE SUNDAY AND MONDAY. .PUB...NONE.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
7 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Colorado in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, April 2001
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: 5250422, 5250424, 5250425, 5250426, 5250423, 5250427, 5250428.