A slow-moving winter storm brought heavy snow to much of southwest Colorado. Snow accumulations of 12 to 18 inches were common over the mountains.
Every event with a place to put it; 4 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 GJT wrote it up.
A slow-moving winter storm brought heavy snow to much of southwest Colorado. Snow accumulations of 12 to 18 inches were common over the mountains. Locally heavier amounts included 21 inches over Molas Pass. In the lower elevations from Durango to Pagosa Springs, snowfall amounts varied from 6 to 8 inches. In addition to the snow, strong southwest winds from 35 to 50 mph blew across the higher mountain passes with a peak wind of 80 mph reported near Telluride.
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 7, 1:26 PM MST, 2 hours 34 minutes earlier.
WESTERN COLORADO & EASTERN UTAH AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO
126 PM MST WED FEB 7 2001
...CORRECTION TO ADD SNOW ADVISORY FOR CO ZONE 21/22 BELOW...
LOW PRESSURE TROUGH OVER GREAT BASIN WITH LOW CENTER DIGGING
SOUTH/SOUTHWEST THROUGH CA TODAY. UPPER LEVEL JET ROUNDING THE BASE
OF THE TROUGH PUTS CWA IN GOOD AREA OF UPPER LEVEL DIVERGENCE WITH
STRONG SOUTHWEST FLOW NEAR THE SURFACE FOR LOWER LEVEL CONVERGENCE
AND ENHANCED OROGRAPHICS. THEN WARM SURFACE TEMPS WILL ENABLE
SUFFICIENT INSTABILITY FOR AN INCREASE IN SHOWERS THIS AFTERNOON.
ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE THIS EVENING...MAINLY OVER THE
SOUTH. THIS TREND WILL CONTINUE THROUGH TONIGHT AS THE TROUGH PUSHES
EASTWARD IN RESPONSE TO NEXT LOW HEADING SOUTHEAST TOWARDS THE OR/WA
COAST. BEST TIMING WILL CORRESPOND WITH SURFACE COLD FRONT THAT WILL
MOVE FROM THE NORTHWEST. ETA INDICATES FRONT THROUGH NORTHERN ZONES
BY AROUND 06Z AND NOT UNTIL BETWEEN 12Z AND 18Z OVER FAR SOUTH...
HOWEVER AVN ABOUT 6 HOURS SLOWER INITIALLY. MOISTURE REMAINS THE
LIMITING FACTOR WITH NO STRONG TAP. BOTH MODELS CLEAR THINGS OUT OF
THE NORTH FAIRLY FAST WITH AN INCREASE IN STABILITY BY THU AFTERNOON.
OVER THE SOUTH ACTIVITY WILL LAST LONGER DUE TO BETTER MOISTURE
THERE AND PROXIMITY TO THE LOW AND THE COLDER AIR ALOFT.
FOR DETAILS...WILL REPLACE WATCH WITH WARNING FOR TONIGHT AND
THURSDAY ZONES 19 AND 23 AND WILL ADD ZONES 21 AND 22 TO SN/BLSN
ADVISORY. THESE ZONES TEND TO BE UNDER THE GUN WITH THIS TYPE OF
REGIME. THEN WILL KEEP NORTHERN HILITES INTO THE MORNING HOURS TO
REFLECT POSSIBLE LATER TIMING AND CONTINUED SNOW OVER AREAS FAVORED
IN NORTH/NORTHWEST SURFACE FLOW. AS COOLER AIR MOVES DOWN FROM THE
NORTH EXPECT LARGEST COOL-DOWN THERE...MODERATING BY THE SOUTHERN
EDGE. BY THURSDAY NIGHT ACTIVITY SHOULD BE ABOUT ENDED ALL AREAS
WITH SIGNIFICANTLY COLDER OVERNIGHT LOWS. FRIDAY WILL BE A REST DAY
WITH COOL TEMPERATURES AND JUST A FEW MOUNTAIN SNOW SHOWERS EXPECTED
DUE TO SHORTWAVE RIDGE. DITTO FOR FRIDAY NIGHT...AS LONG WAVE
TROUGH SETS UP OVER THE WESTERN U.S.
IN THE EXTENDED...MODELS INDICATE BROAD TROUGH IS POSITIONED OVER THE
WESTERN U.S. THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. WILL KEEP FORECAST
UNSETTLED THROUGH EXTENDED AND NOT TRY TO FINE-TUNE TIMING OF
IMPULSES ROTATING AROUND THE BASE OF THE TROUGH.
HEFFERNAN
WESTERN COLORADO AND EASTERN UTAH EMERGENCY MANAGERS SHOULD MAINTAIN
A HEIGHTENED LEVEL OF WEATHER AWARENESS THROUGH THURSDAY DUE TO
WINTER WEATHER.
.GJT...WINTER STORM WARNING TONIGHT AND THURSDAY MORNING FOR CO 04/13
WINTER STORM WARNING TONIGHT AND THURSDAY CO 19/23 UT 28
Z SNOW/BLOWING SNOW ADVISORY TONIGHT AND THURSDAY MORNING FOR CO
1/2/3/5/ UT 23/25
SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW ADVISORY TONIGHT AND THURSDAY CO
9/10/12/17/18
SNOW ADVISORY TONIGHT AND THURSDAY CO ZONE 21/22.The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
4 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, February 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: 5232652, 5232653, 5232654, 5232655.