A very moist and unsettled southerly flow resulted in heavy snowfall across the southwest San Juan Mountains. Snowfall amounts ranged from 1 to 2 feet.
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.
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.
The episode as NWS GJT wrote it up.
A very moist and unsettled southerly flow resulted in heavy snowfall across the southwest San Juan Mountains. Snowfall amounts ranged from 1 to 2 feet.
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 Feb 20, 2:50 PM MST, 9 hours 10 minutes earlier.
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</html>HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO 500 AM MST FRI FEB 20 2004 COZ001>014-017>023-UTZ022>025-027>029-211259- ANIMAS RIVER BASIN-ARCHES/GRAND FLAT-CANYONLANDS/NATURAL BRIDGES- CENTRAL COLORADO RIVER BASIN- CENTRAL GUNNISON AND UNCOMPAHGRE RIVER BASIN- CENTRAL YAMPA RIVER BASIN-DEBEQUE TO SILT CORRIDOR- EASTERN UINTA BASIN-EASTERN UINTA MOUNTAINS- ELKHEAD AND PARK MOUNTAINS-FLAT TOPS- FOUR CORNERS/UPPER DOLORES RIVER- GORE AND ELK MOUNTAINS/CENTRAL MOUNTAINS-GRAND AND BATTLEMENT MESAS- GRAND VALLEY-LA SAL AND ABAJO MOUNTAINS-LOWER YAMPA RIVER BASIN- NORTHWEST SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS-PARADOX VALLEY/LOWER DOLORES RIVER- ROAN AND TAVAPUTS PLATEAUS-SAN JUAN RIVER BASIN-SOUTHEAST UTAH- SOUTHWEST SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS-TAVAPUTS PLATEAU- UNCOMPAHGRE PLATEAU AND DALLAS DIVIDE-UPPER GUNNISON RIVER VALLEY- UPPER YAMPA RIVER BASIN-WEST ELK AND SAWATCH MOUNTAINS- 500 AM MST FRI FEB 20 2004 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EASTERN UTAH AND WESTERN COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT... SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS WILL LINGER NEAR THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE IN WESTERN COLORADO THIS MORNING...IN THE WAKE OF THURSDAYS STORM. ALSO PATCHY FOG IS EXPECTED UNTIL MID MORNING ALONG HIGH VALLEYS OF NORTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL COLORADO. THE CHANCE FOR MOUNTAIN SNOW WILL DEVELOP LATE TONIGHT OVER THE MOUNTAINS OF SOUTHEAST UTAH AND SOUTHWEST COLORADO. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY... SNOW...WITH RAIN OVER THE LOWER ELEVATIONS WILL BECOME LIKELY OVER THE SOUTH ON SATURDAY AND CONTINUE THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT...WITH A CHANCE OF SNOW DEVELOPING OVER OTHER MOUNTAIN AREAS. HEAVY SNOW IS POSSIBLE OVER THE WESTERN SAN JUAN AND ABAJO MOUNTAINS...WITH A FOOT OR MORE POSSIBLE BY EARLY SUNDAY MORNING. THE CHANCE FOR MOUNTAIN SNOW WILL CONTINUE THROUGH TUESDAY. MOUNTAIN SNOW IS AGAIN POSSIBLE ON THURSDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED TODAY OR TONIGHT...ALTHOUGH SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO PHONE IN ANY REPORTS OF SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL. ELH
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Colorado in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, February 2004
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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5387897.