A fast moving upper level disturbance produced 5 to 12 inches of snow.
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 fast moving upper level disturbance produced 5 to 12 inches of snow.
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 Dec 8, 3:06 AM MST, 8 hours 54 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO
306 AM MST WED DEC 8 2004
.SHORT TERM (TODAY THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT)...EARLY MORNING SHWRS
WILL TAPER OFF AS WEAK OPEN WAVE PASSES TO THE EAST. OTHERWISE A
MOIST WESTERLY FLOW ALOFT WILL CONTINUE WITH SCATTERED MOUNTAIN
SNOW SHOWERS. THE REAL WX WILL BEGIN TONIGHT AS STRONG H3 JET CORE
RUNNING NEAR 130+ KTS SETS UP THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS NW COLORADO.
THIS WILL COMBINE WITH RIPPLES OF MID LVL ENERGY TO SET THE STAGE FOR
SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL ACROSS THE MTS OF NE UTAH AND THE
NORTHERN/CENTRAL MTNS OF COLORADO TONIGHT AND THURSDAY. THE LEFT EXIT
REGION OF THE JET WL LIFT NORTH ACROSS THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS
TONIGHT...WITH THE FLOW VEERING TO THE NORTHWEST THURSDAY. THE MAIN
FORCING FOR PRECIP WILL BE OROGRAPHICS WITH H7 FLOW RUNNING 30KTS OR
BETTER. MODEL GENERATED QPF AND SPECIFIC HUMIDITIES AROUND 3G/KG
WOULD INDICATE SNOWFALL AMOUNTS OF BETWEEN 8 AND 16 INCHES BY
THURSDAY OVER ZONES 4 AND 13. AS A RESULT HAVE UPGRADED THE WATCH TO
A WARNING FOR ZNS 4 AND 13...AND ISSUED A SNOW ADVISORY FOR UTAH ZN
23 AND COLO ZNS 5, 9, AND 10. ADVISORY AREAS WILL SEE SNOWFALL
ACCUMULATIONS OF 4-8 INCHES WITH LOCALLY HEAVIER AMOUNTS.
CONSIDERABLE BLOWING AND DRIFTING OF SNOW IS ALSO IMPLIED BY STRENGTH
OF FLOW ALOFT. HAVE BUMPED TEMPS UP A LITTLE WITH MORE MIXING AND
WARM AIR ADVECTION ALOFT...AS WELL AS NOTING HIGH TEMPS SEEN
YESTERDAY. NW FLOW PERSISTS INTO THURSDAY NIGHT WITH 700 MB MOISTURE
PROVIDING OROGRAPHIC LIFT OVER THE NRN MTNS...BUT LIMITED TO CHANCE
CATEGORY.
.LONG TERM (FRIDAY-TUESDAY)...
FRI AND SAT: RIDGE PROGGED TO BUILD OVER THE FORECAST AREA PUSHING
MODERATE NW FLOW FURTHER NORTH...SO WINDS ALOFT WILL DECREASE. ONLY
ISOLD REMNANT SNOW SHOWERS ARE EXPECTED OVER THE NRN CO AND NE UT
MOUNTAINS. WARMING TREND WILL CONTINUE AS THICKNESSES CONTINUE TO
INCREASE...ALONG WITH 700 MB TEMPS. WARM ADVECTION ALOFT AND
SUBSIDENCE BENEATH THE RIDGE WILL LEAD TO MORE STABLE CONDITIONS.
SUN-TUE: GFSLR SHOWS THE RIDGE STARTING TO BREAKDOWN AS A FAIRLY
STRONG TROUGH MOVES ONSHORE OVER THE WEST COAST. THE MAIN BAND OF
WESTERLIES ALOFT WILL DROP SOUTH OVER THE FORECAST AREA AS A COLD
FRONT MOVES DOWN THE FRONT RANGE SUN AND MON. WILL CONTINUE THE
SLIGHT CHANCE OF SNOW SHOWERS OVER THE NORTHERN MTNS...NEAR THE CONT
DVD...ASSOCIATED WITH THIS FRONT AND NORTHWEST OROGRAPHICS. DRIER
CONDITIONS AND RIDGING ARE EXPECTED TUE.
&&
.GJT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
.CO...WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 6 PM MST TODAY THROUGH 6 PM MST
THURSDAY FOR ZONES 4 AND 13.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 6 PM MST TODAY THROUGH 6 PM MST
THURSDAY FOR ZONES 5...9 AND 10.
.UT...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 6 PM MST TODAY THROUGH 6 PM MST
THURSDAY FOR ZONE 23.
&&
MC/CJCHAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO 352 AM MST WED DEC 8 2004 COZ004-005-009-010-013-UTZ023-091152- EASTERN UINTA MOUNTAINS-ELKHEAD AND PARK MOUNTAINS-FLAT TOPS- GORE AND ELK MOUNTAINS/CENTRAL MOUNTAINS-GRAND AND BATTLEMENT MESAS- UPPER YAMPA RIVER BASIN- 352 AM MST WED DEC 8 2004 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE MOUNTAINS OF NORTHEAST UTAH AND PORTIONS OF THE NORTHERN AND CENTRAL MOUNTAINS OF WESTERN COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT... ...WINTER STORM WARNINGS AND WINTER WEATHER ADVISORIES ISSUED FOR TONIGHT... SNOW IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP OVER THE MOUNTAINS OF THE REGION LATER THIS AFTERNOON WITH ACCUMULATIONS OF 6 TO 12 INCHES BY THURSDAY MORNING...WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS EXPECTED. THE MAIN HAZARD FROM THIS STORM WILL BE ICY AND SNOWPACKED ROADWAYS. MOTORISTS ALONG HIGHWAY 40 OVER RABBIT EARS PASS AND HIGHWAY 191 NORTH OF VERNAL WILL BE ESPECIALLY IMPACTED. TUNE TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR VISIT THE GRAND JUNCTION WEATHER SERVICE WEBSITE AT: www.crh.noaa.gov/gjt FOR THE LATEST ON THIS DEVELOPING WINTER STORM. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY... ...WINTER STORM WARNINGS AND WINTER WEATHER ADVISORIES CONTINUED THROUGH THURSDAY... SNOW WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THURSDAY WITH ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATIONS OF 1 TO 3 INCHES...CAUSING HAZARDOUS DRIVING CONDITIONS OVER THE HIGH MOUNTAIN PASSES OF NORTHERN AND CENTRAL COLORADO...AND NORTHEAST UTAH. A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SNOW SHOW MAY CAUSE LOCALLY HAZARDOUS DRIVING CONDITIONS IN THE NORTHERNMOST MOUNTAINS OF WESTERN COLORADO AND EASTERN UTAH FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED TODAY OR TONIGHT...BUT SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO CALL IN SNOWFALL AMOUNTS. COZ001>003-006>008-011-012-014-017>023-UTZ022-024-025-027>029-091152- 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-FOUR CORNERS/UPPER DOLORES RIVER-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- WEST ELK AND SAWATCH MOUNTAINS- 352 AM MST WED DEC 8 2004 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE VALLEYS OF WESTERN COLORADO AND EASTERN UTAH...AND THE MOUNTAINS OF NORTHEAST UTAH. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT... SNOW IS EXPECTED TODAY WITH ACCUMULATIONS UP TO 2 INCHES POSSIBLE. SOME ROADS WILL BECOME SNOWPACKED AND ICY IN SPOTS CAUSING DRIVING TO BECOME LOCALLY HAZARDOUS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY... SNOW WILL GRADUALLY TAPER OFF BY THURSDAY AFTERNOON...WITH ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATIONS OF GENERALLY LESS THAN AN INCH. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED TODAY OR TONIGHT...BUT SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO CALL IN SNOWFALL AMOUNTS. MC/CJC
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Utah in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyWarnings in Utah, December 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: 5431164.