A very moist and unsettled southerly flow produced 6 to 11 inches of snow across the mountains of southeast Utah, with locally heavier amounts up to 20 inches.
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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 very moist and unsettled southerly flow produced 6 to 11 inches of snow across the mountains of southeast Utah, with locally heavier amounts up to 20 inches.
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.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO 250 PM MST FRI FEB 20 2004 SHORT TERM (TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT)...HIGH LEVEL MOISTURE INCREASING ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA FROM THE SOUTHWEST THIS AFTERNOON. UPPER RIDGE/HIGH PRESSURE IN PLACE KEEPING THINGS DRY AND STABLE. TEMPERATURES RUNNING SEVERAL DEGREES COOLER THAN YESTERDAY DESPITE GENERALLY CLEAR SKIES. BROAD CLOSED UPPER LOW CIRCULATION OFF THE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA COAST WILL REMAIN NEARLY STATIONARY THROUGH THIS PERIOD. HOWEVER...SEVERAL WAVES WILL EJECT OUT FROM THE DESERT SOUTHWEST TO THE FOUR CORNERS BEGINNING LATE TONIGHT...BRINGING THE THREAT OF PRECIP TO SE UTAH/SW COLORADO. TONIGHT...SOUTHERLY FLOW WILL DEVELOP AND INCREASE OVERNIGHT ALLOWING SUB-TROPICAL MOISTURE TO INCREASE OVER THE FOUR CORNERS. FIRST IN A SERIES OF SHORTWAVES NOW ENTERING SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA WILL ROTATE NORTHEAST BUT SHEAR APART AS IT APPROACHES OUR AREA RUNNING INTO PRONOUNCED RIDGE. GFS/ETA GENERATE QPF AFTER 06Z/TONIGHT ACROSS THE SOUTHERN ZONES...LARGELY DUE TO THE INCREASE IN MOISTURE AND OROGRAPHIC/ISENTROPIC LIFTING MECHANISMS. T-SECT OVER SAN JUAN MTNS INDICATE SOUTHERLY FLOW 15-20KTS AND NEARLY SATURATED AIR MASS BY 09Z. EXPECT LIGHT PRECIP TO DEVELOP AFTER MIDNIGHT ACROSS THE HIGH TERRAIN OF SE UTAH/SW COLORADO...BUT WITH WEAK REMNANT VORT ENERGY AND LACK OF UPPER JET SUPPORT...THINK MODEL QPF IS OVERDONE. ISENTROPIC LIFT (300-310K) ALSO WEAKENS AFTER 06Z. SATURDAY-SATURDAY NIGHT...MAIN UPPER LOW CIRCULATION WILL OPEN UP AND MIGRATE INLAND OVER CENTRAL CALIFORNIA...SENDING STRONGER S/W ENERGY TOWARD THE FOUR CORNERS. SOUTH-SOUTHWEST FLOW WILL PERSIST AROUND 20KTS WITH MOISTURE ALREADY IN PLACE. FOR THE SOUTHERN SAN JUAN MTNS...PERSISTENT FLOW IN MOIST/MARGINALLY UNSTABLE AIR MASS WILL BE FAVORABLE FOR PERIODIC SNOW THROUGH THE DAY. DYNAMICS WILL INCREASE SATURDAY NIGHT WITH PASSING STRONGER SHORTWAVE. FLOW WILL CONTINUE SOUTHWEST AND AIR MASS WILL REMAIN SATURATED. DESPITE NO JET SUPPORT...PROLONGED DURATION OF SNOW...WHICH IS EXPECTED TO BECOME HEAVY SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY MORNING...WILL LEAD TO ISSUANCE OF WINTER STORM WATCH FOR THE SOUTHERN SAN JUAN MTNS (COZN 19) FOR SATURDAY THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING. ELSWHERE...THE SOUTH- FACING SLOPES OF THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS WILL SEE ACCUMULATING SNOW... POTENTIALLY REACHING ADVISORY LEVELS (6-12) ABOVE 8000FT BY SUNDAY MORNING. THE SOUTHERN VALLEYS WILL EXPERIENCE MAINLY RAIN WITH RAIN/SNOW MIX BETWEEN 6000-7000FT. RAIN SHOULD CHANGE TO ALL SNOW SATURDAY NIGHT AS COLDER AIR MOVES IN FROM THE WEST. OUTSIDE OF SCATTERED SHOWERS...NORTHERN ZONES WILL REMAIN QUIET...FARTHEST AWAY FROM BEST UPWARD FORCING. NADLER.83 .LONG TERM (SUNDAY-FRIDAY): LONG RANGE MODELS REMAIN IN GOOD AGREEMENT SO FORECAST CONFIDENCE REMAINS GOOD FOR THE COMING WEEK. SUNDAY-SUNDAY NIGHT: MOIST SOUTHWEST FLOW TO CONTINUE OVER THE CWFA. GFS INDICATES A WEAK SHORTWAVE EJECTING FROM TROF AXIS ALONG THE WEST COAST. THIS COMBINED WITH CONDITIONAL INSTABILITY SHOULD BRING SCATTERED SHOWERS TO THE REGION WITH BEST CHANCES FOR SNOW SHOWERS OVER THE SOUTHERN MOUNTAINS. NEGATIVELY TILTED RIDGE BUILDS IN THE AFTERNOON AND OVERNIGHT DECREASING SHOWERS. MONDAY-TUESDAY: FLOW SPLITS ON MONDAY WITH NEGATIVE TILTED TROF ROTATING EAST-NORTHEAST ACROSS AZ DURING THE DAY THEN CUTTING OFF OVER NM MONDAY NIGHT. AS A RESULT...EXPECT ANOTHER SURGE OF PACIFIC MOISTURE FROM THE SOUTH WITH INCREASING CHANCE OF SHOWERS ACROSS THE FOUR-CORNERS REGION AND SAN JUANS. AS CUT-OFF LOW PUSHES ONTO THE SOUTHERN PLAINS DEFORMATION AREA MOVES OVER THE FORECAST AREA BRINGING INCREASED CLOUDS AND AN INCREASED CHANCE OF SHOWERS TO THE REMAINDER OF THE CWFA. WEDNESDAY-FRIDAY: AS IN PREVIOUS DISCUSSION...DEEP TROF BECOMES REESTABLISHED OVER THE EASTERN PACIFIC RESULTING IN MOIST SOUTHWEST FLOW SETTING UP ACROSS THE REGION AGAIN. A NUMBER OF SHORTWAVES INDICATED TO EJECT FROM LONG-WAVE TROF OVER THE WEST COAST BUT FORECASTING THE TIMING AND INTENSITY OF THESE DISTURBANCES SO FAR OUT UNLIKELY TO BE ACCURATE. CONSEQUENTLY...MADE FEW CHANGES TO THE GOING FORECAST WHICH INDICATED A CONTINUATION OF UNSETTLED WEATHER. TEMPERATURES WILL SHOW LITTLE CHANGE OVER THE PERIOD WITH NEAR NORMAL READINGS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE. && .GJT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... .CO...WINTER STORM WATCH SATURDAY THROUGH 1100 AM MST SUNDAY ZONE 19. .UT...NONE. && DJN/JOE/NL
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 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, 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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5387898.