A massive rockslide punched van-size holes in the decking of Interstate 70 near the Hanging Lake exit ramp, about 8 miles east of Glenwood Springs. The highway was closed in both directions all day on Thanksgiving Day, sending holiday travelers on a 220 mile detour to get through the mountains.
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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 massive rockslide punched van-size holes in the decking of Interstate 70 near the Hanging Lake exit ramp, about 8 miles east of Glenwood Springs. The highway was closed in both directions all day on Thanksgiving Day, sending holiday travelers on a 220 mile detour to get through the mountains. The slide zone covered a stretch of Interstate 70 about 100 feet in length and 10 feet deep. According to the Colorado Department of Transportation, two bridges received holes in their decking on eastbound I-70. About six boulders were embedded up to eight feet into the roadway. The rocks fell from about 1,300 feet above the highway, leaving gaping holes up to 25 feet wide and 10 feet long in the westbound lanes. Cracks in the highway were also visible, stretching up to 20 feet from the edge of the mammoth holes. Some boulders had to be blasted apart before front-end loaders could remove them from the highway. One eastbound and one westbound lane were opened the following day. At a construction cost of 1.4 million dollars, repairs were expected to take several months. There were no injuries, mainly due to the fact that the interstate highway in that area just happened to be closed when the rockslide occurred. CDOT crews were still cleaning up after a semi hauling beer overturned the previous evening, less than a mile away from where the rockslide occurred.
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 Nov 25, 3:40 AM MST, 3 hours 50 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO 340 AM MST THU NOV 25 2004 .SHORT TERM (TODAY THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT)...NORTHWEST FLOW CONTINUES EARLY THIS MORNING AS NEXT SHORTWAVE APPROACHES FROM THE NORTHWEST. FLOW BECOMES MORE WESTERLY LATE TODAY AND TONIGHT WITH THE SHORTWAVE INTENSIFYING A LITTLE OVER THE CENTRAL ROCKIES EARLY FRI. TODAY...WILL CONTINUE TO SEE OCCASIONAL LIGHT SNOW SHOWERS ALONG THE NORTH AND CENTRAL CONTINENTAL DIVIDE IN GOOD NORTHWEST FLOW. SOME WEAK ISENTROPIC UPGLIDE INDICATED...MAINLY THIS MORNING. THEN A LITTLE AFTERNOON HEATING WILL BE ENOUGH TO KEEP ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS ACROSS MUCH OF THE NORTH THROUGH THE DAY. WARM ADVECTION UNDERWAY AHEAD OF THE SHORTWAVE FOR HIGHS 2-5 DEGREES F WARMER THAN YESTERDAY. TONIGHT AND FRIDAY...MAIN ACTION STARTS TONIGHT AS SHORTWAVE MOVES OVER THE REGION. INSTABILITY INCREASES WITH 500 AND 700 MB COLD ADVECTION. SURFACE COLD FRONT REACHES THE NORTHWEST CORNER DURING THE EVENING THEN PROGRESSES SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA OVERNIGHT INTO EARLY FRI. DECENT OROGRAPHICS WILL FAVOR WEST FACING SLOPES...WITH BEST MOISTURE/DYNAMICS OVER THE NORTH. DEEPEST MOISTURE DURING THE NIGHTTIME HOURS...WITH DRYING ON FRIDAY. HOWEVER STRONG UPPER LEVEL JET MOVES OVER UT WITH 100 KT CORE REACHING INTO SOUTHWEST CO BY FRI AFTERNOON. THIS ALONG WITH DAYTIME HEATING WILL LIKELY BOOST ACTIVITY FOR THE AFTERNOON PERIOD. THE POTENTIAL CONTINUES FOR ADVISORY AMOUNTS OVER THE NORTH AND CENTRAL CO MOUNTAINS. BUT WILL WAIT TO HOIST ANY HILITES AS BEST TIMING NOT UNTIL AROUND 24 HOURS FROM NOW. FRIDAY NIGHT...ACTIVITY WILL WIND DOWN FRI NIGHT. WESTERLY FLOW WILL CONTINUE TO IMPINGE ON THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE SO HAVE KEPT CHANCE POPS ALONG THE NORTHERN HALF OF OUR EASTERN BORDER. TEMPS WILL DROP SIGNIFICANTLY IN DRIER/COLDER AIR MASS. .LONG TERM (SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY)... MEDIUM RANGE MODELS REMAINED IN GOOD AGREEMENT THROUGH THE WEEKEND WITH SOME DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE DGEX...GFS AND ECMWF APPARENT BY EARLY NEXT WEEK. THEREFORE...CONFIDENCE IS HIGH IN MODEL OUTPUT THROUGH THE WEEKEND WITH DECLINING CONFIDENCE IN MODEL SOLUTIONS INTO THE MID-PART OF THE COMING WEEK. SATURDAY: ON THE HEELS OF FRIDAYS SHORTWAVE A DEEPENING TROF OVER THE EASTERN PACIFIC WILL BEGIN TO SHIFT INLAND. THE PACIFIC MOISTURE STREAM FILLS IN QUICKLY OVER THE AREA AFTER BRIEF DECLINE IN MOISTURE FRIDAY NIGHT. 7H LEVEL TROF FORMS OVER THE WESTERN GREAT BASIN DURING THE DAY WITH FLOW BACKING TO THE SOUTHWEST. AS A RESULT...THE RELATIVELY MOIST PACIFIC STREAM WILL OVERRIDE THE COLD AIR WHICH MOVED INTO THE REGION FRIDAY AND FRIDAY NIGHT YIELDING WIDESPREAD... ALBEIT LIGHT...PCPN OVER MUCH OF THE AREA. ETA INDICATES THIS WILL LIKELY NOT BEGIN IN EARNEST UNTIL THE AFTERNOON THOUGH AM HESITANT TO ADD THIS DETAIL QUITE YET. CLOUDS AND COLD AIR BEHIND THE FRONT WILL HOLD AFTERNOON HIGHS BELOW NORMAL. SATURDAY NIGHT-MONDAY: GFS AND ETA INDICATE SNOWFALL WILL INCREASE ON SATURDAY NIGHT AS UPPER LOW BEGINS TO CLOSE OFF OVER NORTHWEST UTAH IN THE VICINITY OF SALT LAKE CITY. BROAD AREA OF DIFLUENCE COMBINED WITH OVERRUNNING PACIFIC MOISTURE AND JET-FRONT INTERACTIONS POINT TO SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL EVENT BEGINNING. SNOW WILL CONTINUE THROUGH SUNDAY AS 5H LOW DRIFTS SOUTH TOWARD LAS VEGAS AND 7H LOW FORMS OVER THE FOUR CORNERS PROVIDING AMPLE UPWARD FORCING. A BIT PREMATURE TO START WITH WATCHES FOR THIS WEEKEND...THOUGH AM CONFIDENT THAT HILITES WILL BE NECESSARY DURING THIS PERIOD. HOWEVER...WILL CONTINUE WITH A STRONGLY WORDED HWO AS A HEADS UP FOR HOLIDAY TRAVELERS RETURNING FROM THEIR THANKSGIVING CELEBRATIONS. MODELS BEGIN TO DIVERGE ON MONDAY WITH GFS/DGEX HOLDING A VERTICALLY STACKED LOW OVER THE FOUR CORNERS WHILE THE EC TAKES THE LOW SOUTHWARD. GIVEN MODEL DISPARITIES...WILL CONTINUE WITH CHANCE POPS OVER THE SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL MOUNTAINS WILL SLIGHT CHANCES OVER THE NORTHERN PORTION OF THE CWFA. TEMPERATURES WILL CONTINUE TO BE BELOW NORMAL THROUGH MONDAY. TUESDAY-THURSDAY: SOME RESIDUAL SNOW SHOWERS ARE EXPECTED OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN ON THE BACKSIDE OF THE STORM ON TUESDAY. ADDITIONAL SHOWER ACTIVITY IS EXPECTED OVER THE NORTHERN AND PORTIONS OF THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS ON WEDNESDAY AS A WEAK WAVE IN NORTHWEST FLOW MOVES ACROSS THE AREA. TEMPERATURES WILL CONTINUE TO RUN BELOW NORMAL...BUT A SLOW WARMING TREND IS INDICATED. && .GJT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... .CO...NONE. .UT...NONE. && NL/EH
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO 545 AM MST THU NOV 25 2004 COZ001>014-017>023-UTZ022>025-027>029-261300- 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- 545 AM MST THU NOV 25 2004 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN COLORADO AND EASTERN UTAH .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT... ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE OVER THE NORTH TODAY. SNOWFALL WILL INCREASE AND SPREAD SOUTHWARD TONIGHT. SIGNIFICANT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS ARE POSSIBLE OVER MOUNTAIN AREAS OVERNIGHT...MAINLY ACROSS THE NORTH. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY... SNOW WILL CONTINUE OVER MOUNTAINS ON FRIDAY WITH SCATTERED SHOWERS OVER THE VALLEYS. A COLDER AND STRONGER STORM ARRIVES ON SATURDAY AND WILL LAST THROUGH THE WEEKEND WITH SNOW DECREASING ON MONDAY. SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL IS EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM. PEOPLE PLANNING TRAVEL IN THE MOUNTAINS NEED TO BE PREPARED HAZARDOUS DRIVING CONDITIONS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED TODAY OR TONIGHT...BUT YOU ARE ENCOURAGED TO CONTACT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WITH RAIN OR SNOW AMOUNTS. EH
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 debris flow. 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, November 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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5425909.