Utah, 2001

Winter Storm in Utah, May 2 to 4, 2001

May 2 to 4, 2001 · NWS GJT · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A strong spring storm intensified over the Great Basin and brought strong winds and heavy snow to the eastern Uinta Mountains. Snowfall accumulations along the north facing slopes above 6500 feet varied from 12 to 18 inches, except for a report of 33 inches 13 miles west of Manila.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

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 strong spring storm intensified over the Great Basin and brought strong winds and heavy snow to the eastern Uinta Mountains. Snowfall accumulations along the north facing slopes above 6500 feet varied from 12 to 18 inches, except for a report of 33 inches 13 miles west of Manila. In addition to the heavy snow, strong northeast winds of 30 to 40 mph created near-blizzard conditions.

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 May 2, 12:00 PM MST, 10 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 2, 12:00 PM MST, 10 hours before
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 radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Eastern Uinta Mountains

When
May 2, 10:00 PM MST to May 4, 12:00 PM MST
Where
Eastern Uinta Mountains forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
40.506, -109.513 (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

More

Every storm in Utah in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Utah, May 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: 5245018.