A vigorous Pacific storm system brought heavy snow to the southwest San Juan Mountains and to the lower elevations of southwest Colorado. Snowfall accumulations of 6 to 12 inches were common over the mountains, while 3 to 6 inches of snow fell over the lower elevations of southwest Colorado.
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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 vigorous Pacific storm system brought heavy snow to the southwest San Juan Mountains and to the lower elevations of southwest Colorado. Snowfall accumulations of 6 to 12 inches were common over the mountains, while 3 to 6 inches of snow fell over the lower elevations of southwest Colorado. The heaviest snowfall amounts were reported near the Durango Mountain Resort (formerly Purgatory Ski Area) with 16 inches, and in the higher foothills surrounding Pagosa Springs and Durango where 6 to 8 inches of snow fell. At the top of the Telluride Ski area, peak winds were recorded to 72 mph, while the remainder of the reported gusts throughout the San Juan Mountains were in the 40 to 50 mph range.
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 24, 3:08 PM MST, 22 minutes earlier.
WESTERN COLORADO & EASTERN UTAH AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO 308 PM MST WED JAN 24 2001 UPPER LOW APPROACHING CA/NV BORDER AT 21Z PER IR AND WATER VAPOR IMA
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, 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: 5230250, 5230251, 5230252, 5230253.