A strong Pacific storm system brought widespread snow to southwest Colorado. Snowfall amounts across the lower elevations varied from 3 to 6 inches, with 5 to 10 inches common over the San Juan Mountains.
Every event with a place to put it; 5 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 strong Pacific storm system brought widespread snow to southwest Colorado. Snowfall amounts across the lower elevations varied from 3 to 6 inches, with 5 to 10 inches common over the San Juan Mountains. In addition, wind gusts to 52 mph were reported near Telluride during the storm.
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 Jan 11, 2:17 PM MST, 1 hour 18 minutes earlier.
WESTERN COLORADO & EASTERN UTAH AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO
217 PM MST THU JAN 11 2001
PACIFIC STORM ALONG WEST COAST AT MIDDAY WITH GOOD DIFFLUENT MOISTURE
PLUME OUT AHEAD OVER NV MOVING INTO WESTERN UT. REGIONAL RADAR
DISPLAY SHOWS PRECIP STILL IN WESTERN UT AT 21Z. SATELLITE TIMING
HAS LEADING EDGE OF MOISTURE PLUME INTO FORECAST AREA AROUND
03Z. WEST COAST TROUGH TO MOVE INLAND TO GREAT BASIN TONIGHT AND
ACROSS OUR FORECAST AREA LATE FRIDAY. BEST LIFT EXPECTED BETWEEN
ABOUT 03Z-18Z WHEN DYNAMICS COMBINE WITH GOOD LOW LEVEL CONVERGENCE
AND STRONGEST OROGRAPHIC FLOW (SSW 25-35 KTS AT 700 MB). EMBEDDED
VORT MAXES IN FLOW SHOULD HELP PRODUCE PERIODS OF HEAVY SNOW. AMPLE
MOISTURE PRESENT IN ALL MODELS. THUS...I WILL UPGRADE THE CURRENT
WATCH TO WINTER STORM WARNING FOR SE UT/SW CO...AND TO A SNOW
ADVISORY FOR UNCOMPAHGRE PLATEAU (COZ 17). WILL ALSO ADD SNOW
ADVISORY TONIGHT AND FRIDAY FOR COZ 3/9/12/20 AND UTZ 23/25.
THINKING THAT THE SNOW WILL BE TOO WET/HEAVY FOR GOOD BLOWING AND
DRIFTING FOR A S/BS ADVISORY. TIMING MAY BE A LITTLE LONG FOR NE
UT...BUT I WOULD RATHER END IT SOONER THAN HAVE TO EXTEND IT IF
SYSTEM SLOWS. SOUTHERLY FLOW EXPECTED TO GRADUALLY WEAKEN FRIDAY AND
SWING AROUND TO THE WEST AND THEN NORTHWEST BY EARLY FRIDAY NIGHT...
KEEPING SNOW LIKELY IN THE NORTHERN ZONES BUT DECREASING IN THE
SOUTH. MOISTURE AND NW FLOW LOOK SUFFICIENT TO KEEP MENTION OF SNOW
SHOWERS PRESENT MAINLY IN THE NORTH ON SATURDAY.
IN THE EXTENDED (SUN-THU)...MADE SOME CHANGES HERE FOLLOWING MAINLY
THE MRF WITH MEAN TROUGH DEVELOPING OVER MUCH OF THE WEST. PACIFIC
SHORTWAVE ENTERING PAC NW EARLY SUN TO PHASE WITH DISTURBANCE
ROTATING SOUTHWARD FROM CENTRAL CANADA AND THEN DROPPING THROUGH
GREAT BASIN TO FORM CLOSED LOW OVER SWRN U.S. BY TUE. KEPT SOME
MENTION OF PRECIP IN FOR SUN/MON AND IN THE SOUTH TUE. THEN MRF
HAS ANOTHER WAVE BRUSHING THE NORTH ABOUT THU.
JAD
EMERGENCY MANAGERS IN EASTERN UTAH AND SOUTHWEST AND WESTCENTRAL
COLORADO SHOULD MAINTAIN A HIGH LEVEL OF WEATHER AWARENESS TONIGHT
AND FRIDAY DUE TO HEAVY SNOW AND WINDY CONDITIONS. OTHER EMERGENCY
MANAGERS IN NORTHWESTERN COLORADO SHOULD MAINTAIN A HEIGHTENED LEVEL
OF WEATHER AWARENESS TONIGHT AND FRIDAY.
.GJT...WINTER STORM WARNING TONIGHT AND FRIDAY FOR UT ZONES 22/28/29
AND CO ZONES 18/19 AND 21>23.
SNOW ADVISORY TONIGHT AND FRIyDAY FOR CO ZONES 3/9/12/17/20 AND
UT ZONES 23/25.The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
5 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, January 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: 5230240, 5230241, 5230242, 5230243, 5230244.