Winter Storm in Colorado, January 30 to 31, 2002

Name: Winter Storm in Colorado, January 30 to 31, 2002
Start: 2002-01-30T17:00
End: 2002-01-31T11:00
Location: Colorado

January 30 to 31, 2002 · NWS GLD · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

A strong area of low pressure brought a widespread 4 to 6 inches of snow across parts of eastern Colorado. The storm began the evening of January 30th and continued into January 31st.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 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: 2

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 GLD wrote it up.

A strong area of low pressure brought a widespread 4 to 6 inches of snow across parts of eastern Colorado. The storm began the evening of January 30th and continued into January 31st. The storm impacted travel and many area schools were closed. Also, northwest winds of 15 to 25 mph with higher gusts created areas of blowing and drifting 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 Goodland, KS wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 30, 1:00 PM MST, 4 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 30, 1:00 PM MST, 4 hours before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
100 PM MST WED JAN 30 2002

FOCUS IS ON THE FIRST/SECOND PERIODS WITH INCOMING STORM SYSTEM AND
WHAT TO DO WITH THE INHERITED HILITES/SNOWFALL AMOUNTS.

LOW LEVEL MOISTURE IS PLENTIFUL ACROSS TX/CNTRL OK WITH 850 MB DEWPOINTS
FROM 8-11C. SLY WINDS ABOVE THE COLD DOME ACROSS OUR ZONES EXPECTED
TO ADVECT SOME OF THIS MOISTURE NWRD ACROSS WRN KS...PROVIDING A
MOISTURE SOURCE. THE MODELS ARE FAIRLY SIMILAR IN S/WV TROF TIMING
AND POSITIONING TONIGHT/THURSDAY. STRONGEST 500-300 MB/700-500 MB QG
FORCING PHASES AND PASSES ACROSS OUR CWA TONIGHT WITH 850-700 MB
WARM AIR ADVECTION MAXIMIZING ACROSS THE SERN CWA BETWEEN 06-12Z.
WE HAVE DECIDED TO TRIM BACK THE WINTER STORM WARNING AREA TO THE
FAR SERN ZONES WITH A SNOW ADVISORY FURTHER NWWD SINCE THE PERIOD OF
HEAVIER SNOW WILL BE LESS THAN EARLIER ANTICIPATED WITH UVV CONFINED
TO A SHORTER PERIOD AND SINCE THE 700/500 MB LOW WILL REMAIN OPEN.
500/700 MB TROF AXIS WILL BE ACROSS OUR ERN ZONES BY 18Z/THU...THUS
EXPECT SNOW TO ABRUPTLY END ACROSS THE NWRN ZONES EARLY AND ACROSS
THE SERN ZONES EARLY IN THE AFTERNOON. AFTER COORDINATION WITH
GID/LBF/DDC...WILL GO WITH 3-5 INCHES IN THE SNOW ADVY ZONES AND 5-7
INCHES IN THE WINTER STORM WARNING AREA.

ZONAL FLOW WILL KEEP OUR WEATHER DRY FRIDAY. A S/WV TROF PASSAGE
OCCURS SATURDAY ACROSS THE NRN PLAINS BUT MOISTURE/LIFT WILL BE TOO
LIMITED FOR PRECIPITATION. TRANSITORY S/WV RIDGING OCCURS SUNDAY
BEFORE ANOTHER S/WV TROF PASSES MONDAY...WHEN MOISTURE/LIFT STILL
LOOK MEAGER FOR PRECIPITATION GENERATION. TODAY/S MRF CONTINUES WITH
S/WV RIDGING ON TUESDAY AND ZONAL FLOW ALOFT WEDNESDAY...THUS WE
WILL CONTINUE WITH A DRY FORECAST AND NEAR NORMAL TEMPERATURES.

.GLD...WINTER STORM WARNING TONIGHT AND THURSDAY FOR KSZ015-016-028-
       029-041-042.
       SNOW ADVISORY TONIGHT AND THURSDAY MORNING FOR COZ091-092-
       KSZ001>004-013-014-027-NEZ081.

RUBIN

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Kit Carson County

When: January 30, 5:00 PM MST to January 31, 11:00 AM MST
Where: Kit Carson County forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 39.305, -102.603 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Cheyenne County

When: January 30, 5:00 PM MST to January 31, 11:00 AM MST
Where: Cheyenne County forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 38.828, -102.603 (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 Colorado in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Colorado, January 2002

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: 5276830, 5276831.