Colorado, 2002

Winter Storm in Colorado, March 7 to 8, 2002

March 7 to 8, 2002 · NWS GJT · 12 events in 12 counties and zones

A series of moist Pacific weather systems lead to a protracted winter storm that produced 8 to 20 inches of new snow in the mountains of western Colorado and four to six inches at the lower elevations of northwest Colorado. The highest amount reported was at Gothic with 29 inches, while the ski areas of Crested Butte and Aspen Highlands reported 22 inches and 21 inches, respectively.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 12 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
12

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 series of moist Pacific weather systems lead to a protracted winter storm that produced 8 to 20 inches of new snow in the mountains of western Colorado and four to six inches at the lower elevations of northwest Colorado. The highest amount reported was at Gothic with 29 inches, while the ski areas of Crested Butte and Aspen Highlands reported 22 inches and 21 inches, respectively. In addition, wind gusts of 40 to 60 mph were common in the mountains, with a peak wind gust of 70 mph reported on Red Mountain Pass in the San Juan Mountains.

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 Mar 7, 3:00 AM MST, 1 hour earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 7, 3:00 AM MST, 1 hour before
WESTERN COLORADO & EASTERN UTAH AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO
300 AM MST THU MAR 7 2002

AT 09Z...UNSTABLE AIRMASS WORKING ITS WAY INTO WESTERN UTAH.  PRECIP
IS NOT AS FAR EAST AS PROGGED...SO WILL FOLLOW GUIDANCE BUT DELAY
PRECIP BEGINNING BY 6HRS OR SO. LOCALLY...MIXING HAS BROKEN DRAINAGE
AND SW WINDS ARE GUSTING AT MANY SITES. DEWPOINTS REMAIN IN THE
TEENS.  THIS FIRST WAVE TODAY WILL SERVE TO MOISTEN THE ATMOSPHERE
FOR THE STRONGER FORCING ON FRIDAY.

TODAY: NE UTAH AIRMASS BECOMES UNSTABLE THIS AFTERNOON AND WILL
UPGRADE THE EASTERN UINTA MTNS TO WARNING TODAY-FRI. MIXING ABOVE
500MB AS FRONTAL BAND IN THE AREA AND -24C COLD CORE WORK ITS WAY
OVERHEAD. GUSTS TO 60 MPH AVAILABLE.  SNOWFALL LOOKS MEAGER WITH
SNOW LEVEL AROUND 6000FT MSL...THOUGH CONVECTION THREATENS LOCALLY
HEAVY SHOWERS. FOR THE REMAINDER OF CWA...WINDS THE MAIN CONCERN AS
SNOWFALL DELAYED TO THIS AFTERNOON AND MEAGER AT THAT.  SOUTHERN ZONE
RAIN/SNOW LINE AROUND 8000FT MSL.

TONIGHT-FRIDAY: IMPRESSIVE STANDUP FRONT INTO NE UTAH BEFORE 12Z AND
PROGGED THRU THE CWA AROUND 18Z FOR A STRONG BURST OF SNOWFALL AND
WIND GUSTS.  SNOW LEVEL AROUND 5000FT MSL TONIGHT...IMMEDIATELY
LOWERS TO VALLEY FLOORS WITH FRONTAL PASSAGE.  -34C COLD CORE OVER
THE NORTH BY FRI AFTERNOON FOR GOOD CONVECTIVE SHOWERS THRU THE DAY.
RATIOS OF 16:1 YIELD 10-16 INCHES FOR THE CO MTNS.  SNOW SHOWERS TO
END IN THE EVENING AS GRADIENT DECREASES AND INSTABILITY LAYER
ERODED FROM THE TOP DOWN.

CLEARING AND COLD SATURDAY.  NO CHANGES TO EXTENDED.

THANKS TO PUB AND SLC FOR COORDINATION.

.GJT...WINTER STORM WARNING TODAY THROUGH FRIDAY FOR UTAH 023.
       WINTER STORM WATCH THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY FOR COLORADO
       ZONES 003>005-009-010-012-013-017-018-019 AND UTAH ZONES
       025-028.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

12 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Central Yampa River Basin

When
March 7, 4:00 AM MST to March 8, 12:00 PM MST
Where
Central Yampa River Basin forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
40.361, -107.805 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Roan and Tavaputs Plateaus

When
March 7, 4:00 AM MST to March 8, 12:00 PM MST
Where
Roan and Tavaputs Plateaus forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
39.532, -108.196 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Elkhead and Park Mountains

When
March 7, 4:00 AM MST to March 8, 12:00 PM MST
Where
Elkhead and Park Mountains forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
40.552, -107.599 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Upper Yampa River Basin

When
March 7, 4:00 AM MST to March 8, 12:00 PM MST
Where
Upper Yampa River Basin forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
40.485, -106.991 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Central Colorado River Basin

When
March 7, 4:00 AM MST to March 8, 12:00 PM MST
Where
Central Colorado River Basin forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
39.481, -107.172 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Grand and Battlement Mesas

When
March 7, 4:00 AM MST to March 8, 12:00 PM MST
Where
Grand and Battlement Mesas forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
39.159, -108.078 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Gore and Elk Mountains/Central Mountain Valleys

When
March 7, 4:00 AM MST to March 8, 12:00 PM MST
Where
Gore and Elk Mountains/Central Mountain Valleys forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
39.481, -107.172 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, West Elk and Sawatch Mountains

When
March 7, 4:00 AM MST to March 8, 12:00 PM MST
Where
West Elk and Sawatch Mountains forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
38.643, -107.721 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Flattop Mountains

When
March 7, 4:00 AM MST to March 8, 12:00 PM MST
Where
Flattop Mountains forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
40.062, -107.603 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Uncompahgre Plateau and Dallas Divide

When
March 7, 4:00 AM MST to March 8, 12:00 PM MST
Where
Uncompahgre Plateau and Dallas Divide forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
38.488, -108.155 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Northwestern San Juan Mountains

When
March 7, 4:00 AM MST to March 8, 12:00 PM MST
Where
Northwestern San Juan Mountains forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
38.210, -107.755 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Southwestern San Juan Mountains

When
March 7, 4:00 AM MST to March 8, 12:00 PM MST
Where
Southwestern San Juan Mountains forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
37.594, -107.912 (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 Colorado in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, March 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: 5285027, 5285028, 5285029, 5285030, 5285031, 5285032, 5285033, 5285034, 5285035, 5285036, 5285037, 5285038.