Winter Storm in Utah, January 26 to 28, 2001

Name: Winter Storm in Utah, January 26 to 28, 2001
Start: 2001-01-26T20:30
End: 2001-01-28T08:00
Location: Utah

January 26 to 28, 2001 · NWS GJT · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

A powerful winter storm brought widespread heavy snowfall to much of southeast Utah. Accumulations of 6 to 12 inches were reported over the La Sal and Abajo Mountains.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 3 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: 3

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 powerful winter storm brought widespread heavy snowfall to much of southeast Utah. Accumulations of 6 to 12 inches were reported over the La Sal and Abajo Mountains. Areas between the 5500 foot level and the 6500 foot level in southeast Utah saw accumulations in excess of 5 inches, with 7 inches reported at Natural Bridges and 10 inches at Blanding. Elevations below 5500 feet received 2 to 5 inches of snow.

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 Jan 26, 2:54 PM MST, 5 hours 36 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 26, 2:54 PM MST, 5 hours 36 minutes before

WESTERN COLORADO & EASTERN UTAH AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO
254 PM MST FRI JAN 26 2001

WATER VAPOR IMAGERY SHOWS UPPER LOW NEAR CENTRAL CALIFORNIA DROPPING
SOUTH ALONG THE COAST AT 21Z. MID AND HIGH CLOUDINESS ADVECTING
NORTHEAST ACROSS ARIZONA/SOUTHERN UTAH AHEAD OF THIS SYSTEM. SFC
OBSV INDICATE THAT PRECIP MAINLY CONFINED TO CALIFORNIA AND WESTERN
NEVADA THIS AFTERNOON. THIS LOW WILL HEAD TO CA/AZ BORDER BY
SATURDAY MORNING AND WILL BE THE MAJOR PLAYER FOR OUR WEATHER THIS
WEEKEND. WILL ADDRESS POPS AND SNOWFALL...MAINLY SOUTH AND CENTRAL.

AS LOW MAKES ITS WAY TO DESERT SOUTHWEST EXPECT SCT PCPN TO BREAK
OUT AFTER MIDNIGHT OVER THE SOUTH IN MOIST SOUTHERLY FLOW. SFC
GRADIENT BEGINS TO TIGHTEN BY 12Z SAT FUNNELING STRONG SOUTH-
SOUTHEAST FLOW (30-40KTS) INTO THE SOUTHERN MOUNTAINS AND SW COLORADO
VALLEY ZONES. MESOETA HAS BEEN CONSISTENT PAINTING 50 KTS AT 700MB
SATURDAY MORNING. ALTHOUGH SPEEDS DECREASE SATURDAY EVENING...THIS
SOUTHERLY FLOW WILL PERSIST THROUGH THE NIGHT. OROGRAPHICS WILL
LIKELY PRODUCE WARNING LEVEL SNOWS...AND WITH GUSTY WINDS...WILL
ISSUE WS WATCH FOR THESE AREAS. LATER SHIFTS WILL NEED TO MONITOR
CO ZNS 12/17/18 FOR POSSIBLE ADVISORIES. ELSEWHERE...SOUTHEAST OR
EASTERLY FLOW LOOKS TO BE SOMEWHAT UNFAVORABLE FOR ACCUMULATING
SNOW ELSEWHERE. HOWEVER...BEST CHANCE APPEARS TO BE SUNDAY AS SFC
LOW MOVES EAST-NORTHEAST ACROSS CWFA AS UPSTREAM KICKER NEARS.
COORDINATION WITH PUB...ABQ AND SLC MUCH APPRECIATED.

IN THE EXTENDED...APPEARS THAT QUICK SHORTWAVE RIDGE WILL TRAVERSE
THE CWFA ON MONDAY IN THE WAKE OF DEPARTING SYSTEM. THIS WILL BRING
A BRIEF RESPITE FROM SHOWERS OVER LOWER ELEV AND LIMIT POPS IN THE
MTNS. NEXT WAVE DROPS IN FROM THE NORTHWEST TUESDAY BRINGING CHC OF
SNOW TO THE CWFA. N-NW FLOW WILL PREVAIL FOLLOWING PASSAGE OF THIS
WAVE AS RIDGE BUILDS OFF THE WEST COAST. WILL LINGER A FEW SNOW
SHOWERS N MTNS LATTER HALF OF THE EXTENDED...OTHERWISE TURNING DRY.

CNJ

.GJT...WINTER STORM WATCH SATURDAY/SATURDAY NIGHT FOR COLORADO
              ZNS 19 AND 21>23...UTAH ZN 28

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, La Sal & Abajo Mountains

When: January 26, 8:30 PM MST to January 28, 8:00 AM MST
Where: La Sal & Abajo Mountains forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 38.304, -109.687 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Canyonlands / Natural Bridges

When: January 26, 8:30 PM MST to January 28, 8:00 AM MST
Where: Canyonlands / Natural Bridges forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 37.626, -109.805 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Southeast Utah

When: January 26, 8:30 PM MST to January 28, 8:00 AM MST
Where: Southeast Utah forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 37.626, -109.805 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Winter Storm: A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Utah in 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings in Utah, January 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: 5230260, 5230261, 5230262.