A strong spring storm intensified over the Great Basin and brought strong winds and heavy snow to the mountains of western Colorado. Snowfall accumulations from the storm generally ranged from 12 to 18 inches, although there were reports of up to 20 inches in the Park and Elkhead Mountains near Steamboat Springs.
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 GJT wrote it up.
A strong spring storm intensified over the Great Basin and brought strong winds and heavy snow to the mountains of western Colorado. Snowfall accumulations from the storm generally ranged from 12 to 18 inches, although there were reports of up to 20 inches in the Park and Elkhead Mountains near Steamboat Springs. In addition, wind gusts up to 60 mph were reported near Gothic, Colorado.
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 May 2, 12:00 PM MST, 10 hours earlier.
WESTERN COLORADO & EASTERN UTAH AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO
100 PM MDT WED MAY 2 2001
SCREAMING MESSAGE FOR THIS FORECAST IS STRONG AND DAMAGING WINDS
FOR THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS TONIGHT AND THURSDAY MORNING.
500MB INITIALIZED LOWER WITH AVN SHOWING BEST RUN-TO-RUN
CONSISTENCY AND GENERALLY FOLLOWED. 500-700MB LOW DEEPENS OVER
SOUTHERN UTAH TONIGHT FILLS SOMEWHAT ON THURSDAY AND KICKS OUT FRIDAY
AFTERNOON. GOOD COLD ADVECTION TONIGHT AND AGAIN FRIDAY. SNOW
LEVELS IN CENTRAL UTAH ARE DOWN TO ABOUT 6000 FEET THIS AFTERNOON.
NORTHERN-ZONE WIND: CAG-CYS MSLP GRADIENT AT -7MB AT 18Z AND PROGGED
TO 9MB BY 12Z. MODELS PROG EAST 35-45KTS BUT WITH INVERSION AT
MOUNTAIN-TOP LEVEL (650MB) EXPECT STRONG MOUNTAIN WAVE EFFECT.
LOCAL STUDY BY JONES ET AL HAD A SIMILAR FORECAST FOR BLOWDOWN
EVENT IN APRIL 1999. CONSIDERED ISSUING A BLIZZARD WARNING FOR THE
PARK/GORE/FLATTOPS MTNS...BUT WILL CALL IT A WINTER STORM WARNING
FOR NOW WITH WIND GUSTS AS HIGH AS 75MPH AND WIND CHILLS BELOW -50.
IN DOWNSLOPE FLOW STEAMBOAT WILL SEE MUCH LESS SNOW BUT WIND GUSTS
CLOSE TO MTN NUMBERS. BLOWING SNOW TO CREATE PROBLEMS FOR CRAIG-
HAYDEN. VERY STRONG GRADIENT ALONG THE EASTERN UINTA MTNS TONIGHT BUT
WITH THE RANGE ORIENTED E-W EXPECT LESS WAVE ENHANCEMENT.
SNOW: LESSER AMOUNTS ON THE WEST SIDE OF THE DIVIDE...BUT WITH SNOW
ALREADY FALLING IN PARK/GORE BLOWING SNOW WILL CREATE PROBLEMS
THERE. CONCERN SHIFTS TO SOUTHERN MTNS...WHERE COLD SW FLOW COULD
PRODUCE GOOD ACCUMULATIONS. WILL GO CLOSE TO ADVISORY CRITERIA FOR
NOW. SNOW LEVEL DROPPING TO 5500FT NORTH...7000FT SOUTH.
THURSDAY: WARNINGS AND ADVISORIES OUT UNTIL NOON WHEN THE GRADIENT
SLACKENS SOMEWHAT. LESS FORCING FOR SCATTERED SHOWERS AND COLDER
TEMPERATURES. CLOSE TO MAV POPS BUT LOWER TEMPS.
FRIDAY: UPPER LOW FILLS SOMEWHAT BUT STARTING TO LIFT N-NE LATER IN
THE DAY FOR YET ANOTHER COLD DAY OF HIGH POPS. RAMEY
EXTENDED...LONG RANGE MODELS IN FAIRLY GOOD AGREEMENT AND THE MRF
HAS ALSO SHOWN GOOD CONTINUITY AS WELL. WITH THAT SAID...CLOSED LOW
OVER UTAH BEGINS TO WEAKEN AND DRIFT NORTHEAST THROUGH COLORADO
SATURDAY. THIS WILL KEEP COOL UNSETTLED WEATHER CONDITIONS OVER THE
AREA. A WESTERLY AND SOMEWHAT DRIER FLOW BECOMES ESTABLISHED SUNDAY.
THEN ANOTHER WEAKER STORM SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO DROP SOUTHWARD FROM
MONTANA MONDAY BRINGING A CHANCE OF SHOWERS TO THE NORTH. IN THE WAKE
OF THAT SYSTEM A HIGH AMPLITUDE RIDGE WILL BUILD OVER THE PACIFIC
NORTHWEST...BRINGING OUR CWA A NORTHERLY FLOW THAT SHOULD BE DRY
TUESDAY BUT AN UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM IS EXPECTED IN THE NORTHERLY
FLOW WEDNESDAY. THE FOCUS OF ANY SHOWER ACTIVITY WILL AGAIN BE
MAINLY NORTH OF I-70. MC
.GJT...WINTER STORM WARNING TONIGHT AND THURSDAY COZ04-13
HIGH WIND WARNING TONIGHT AND THURSDAY COZ05
SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW ADVISORY TONIGHT AND THURSDAY
UTZ23 AND COZ02.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, May 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: 5244925, 5244926, 5244927, 5244928, 5244930, 5244931, 5244929.