Utah, 2002

Winter Storm in Utah, March 13 to 14, 2002

March 13 to 14, 2002 · NWS GJT · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

A cold Pacific airmass sagged south across eastern Utah, producing 10 to 15 inches of snow in the mountains, along with winds of 40 to 60 mph. Snotel sites reported locally up to two feet of snow in the Eastern Uintah 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 cold Pacific airmass sagged south across eastern Utah, producing 10 to 15 inches of snow in the mountains, along with winds of 40 to 60 mph. Snotel sites reported locally up to two feet of snow in the Eastern Uintah 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 13, 2:00 PM MST, 0 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 13, 2:00 PM MST, 0 minutes before
WESTERN COLORADO & EASTERN UTAH AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO
200 PM MST WED MAR 13 2002

THE SHORT RANGE MODELS HAVE THE BEST HANDLE ON DETAILS INTO THURSDAY
SO WILL RUN WITH THE RUC/MESO ETA EARLY AND THEN BROAD BRUSH WITH
THE AVN. CURRENT FORECAST IN FAIR SHAPE BUT WILL MAKE MINOR
ADJUSTMENTS TO WORDING AND SNOW AMOUNTS.

WE WILL CONTINUE THE SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW ADVISORY FOR TONIGHT AND
THURSDAY. EXCEPT FOR NE UTAH PRECIP HAS BEEN A FEW HOURS BEHIND
GETTING STARTED. RAIN EARLY WILL AID IN KEEPING SNOW FALL OUT OF
WARNING CRITERIA. MANILA REPORTED 6 INCHES...BUT LOOKS LIKE IT
WILL END THERE THIS EVENING SO STAYING IN THE HIGH END ADVISORY
RANGE. ADDED TS FOR INSTABILITY WITH THE COLD FRONT AND TO BE
CONSISTENT WITH SPC GUIDANCE. UPPER TROUGH HANGS OVER AREA THROUGH
FRIDAY WHILE SFC FRONT PUSHES ON SOUTH OVER NIGHT. THIS MEANS COOLER
UNSETTLED WEATHER INTO FRIDAY. PREFRONTAL WARMING TODAY AND PASSAGE
OF COLD FRONT TONIGHT WILL SEE HIGH TEMPS ABOUT 20 DEGREES COOLER ON
THURSDAY THAN TODAY.

EXTENDED (SAT-WED)...AS IN PREVIOUS DISCUSSION...MRF AND ECMWF
SOLUTIONS HAVE CONVERGED...BOTH CUTTING OFF DEEP LOW OVER THE
PACIFIC NORTHWEST FRIDAY. BOTH MODELS DROP THE LOW ALONG THE COAST
INTO MONDAY WITH ECMWF NOT QUITE AS DEEP AND A BIT MORE PROGRESSIVE
BY TUESDAY MORNING. MOIST SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW THROUGH THE WEEKEND
POINTS TO PRECIPITATION CHANCE AND CLOUDS INTO THE MID-PART OF THE
COMING WEEK. BOTH EC AND MRF HAVE LOW BEGINNING TO KICK OUT FROM
TUESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY POINTING TO THE POSSIBILITY OF SIGNIFICANT
MOUNTAIN SNOWS. CURRENT FORECAST HANDLES THIS WELL...SO WILL NOT
MAKE ANY SIGNIFICANT CHANGES. NL

.GJT...SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW ADVISORY TONIGHT AND THURSDAY
       FOR UTAH ZONES 023-025 AND COLORADO ZONES 003-004-009-
       010-012-013

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, Eastern Uinta Mountains

When
March 13, 2:00 PM MST to March 14, 6:00 AM MST
Where
Eastern Uinta Mountains forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
40.506, -109.513 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Tavaputs Plateau

When
March 13, 2:00 PM MST to March 14, 6:00 AM MST
Where
Tavaputs Plateau forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
39.554, -109.544 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, La Sal & Abajo Mountains

When
March 13, 2:00 PM MST to March 14, 6:00 AM MST
Where
La Sal & Abajo Mountains forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
38.304, -109.687 (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 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Utah, 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: 5285052, 5285053, 5285054.