Colorado, 2001

Heavy Snow in Colorado, February 26 to 27, 2001

February 26 to 27, 2001 · NWS GJT · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A stationary Pacific storm system off the coast of California brought abundant moisture into portions of the Four Corners region. Six inches of snow fell in the vicinity of Pagosa Springs.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS GJT wrote it up.

A stationary Pacific storm system off the coast of California brought abundant moisture into portions of the Four Corners region. Six inches of snow fell in the vicinity of Pagosa Springs.

What forecasters said that day

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 Grand Junction, CO wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 26, 12:55 PM MST, 7 hours 5 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 26, 12:55 PM MST, 7 hours 5 minutes before
WESTERN COLORADO & EASTERN UTAH AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO
1255 PM MST MON FEB 26 2001

...SNOW ADVISORY CONTINUES TONIGHT FOR SOUTHWEST SAN JUAN
MOUNTAINS...

CLOSED LOW OFF CA COAST FEEDING VORT MAXES FROM SWRN U.S. INTO CO AND
UT WHERE THEY GET STRETCHED APART BY DEFORMATION ZONE. MDT STRENGTH
SW FLOW MOIST ENOUGH TO PRODUCE LIGHT ORGPHC SNOW OVER THE SAN JUANS.
STRONGER SHOWERS HAVE BEEN ASSTD WITH THE WEAK IMPULSES MOVING
NORTH...GENERALLY LEADING TO BREIEF PERIODS OF MDT TO HVY SHOWERS.
SNOW LEVEL HAS HOVERED AROUND 6500 FEET. AS PER CURRENT FORECAST POPS
WILL REMAIN HIGH TONIGHT...BUT WITH UNIMPRESSIVE SNOW ACCUMULATIONS
WITHIN THE SNOW ADVY CRITERIA FOR THE SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS.

MODELS IN FAIRLY GOOD AGREEMENT TDA IN DUMBELING THE CA LOW OVER THE
SWRN U.S. THRU THRU BEFORE LIFTING IT NE. REMNANTS OFF CURRENT LOW
CENTER GETS SQUEEZED OUT BY STRONG TROUGH DROPPING IN FROM THE PACNW
WITH THE MAIN ENERGY OF OLD LOW TRAVELING OVER CO/UT WED. WILL KEEP
POPS HIGH THUR THURS NIGHT. FRI APPEAR TO BE THE DRIEST DAY AS LOW
CENTER PASSES SOUTH OF THE F.A. AND NEXT S/W TROF APPROACHES BY NW.
THESE TROF MOVES THROUGH SAT AND SUN AND KEEPS A CHC OF PCPN IN THE
MOST AREAS...THEN MRF HAS DRY RIDGING SUN AND MON.    CUOCO

.GJT...SNOW ADVISORY TONIGHT CO ZONE 19.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, San Juan River Basin

When
February 26, 8:00 PM MST to February 27, 6:30 AM MST
Where
San Juan River Basin forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
37.194, -107.048 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Heavy Snow
Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Colorado in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, February 2001

Sources

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: 5232751.