Strong winds up to 60 mph caused major damage to an airplane hanger at the Nucla Airport. A portion of the roof, the door, and one wall of the hanger were severely damaged.
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The episode as NWS GJT wrote it up.
Strong winds up to 60 mph caused major damage to an airplane hanger at the Nucla Airport. A portion of the roof, the door, and one wall of the hanger were severely damaged. An adjacent hanger rendered some damage when one of the walls of the heavily damaged hanger was lifted. Debris from the hanger was blown about 600 yards away. Damage to other structures at the airport included a broken window, shingles torn from roofs, and bent doors.
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 Apr 8, 2:34 AM MST, 2 hours 51 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO 334 AM MDT FRI APR 8 2005 .SHORT TERM (TODAY-SATURDAY NIGHT)... SIGNIFICANT CHANGES TO THE CURRENT FCST AS FAST MOVING...ENERGETIC SFC FRONT AND ASSOCIATED UPPER LEVEL FEATURES WL BE ARRIVING A LITTLE FASTER THAN PREVIOUSLY THOUGHT. KGJX WSR-88D ALREADY SHOWING SOME LIGHT RETURNS OVER THE SAN JUANS AND PORTIONS OF EASTERN UTAH...ALTHOUGH SUSPECT BULK OF THIS ACTIVITY IS IN THE FORM OF MID LEVEL CLOUDS AND SOME VIRGA. AS AIRMASS SLOWLY SATURATES THIS MORNING...EXPECT SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS ACROSS THE WESTERN TWO-THIRDS OF THE FCST AREA...AND HAVE ADJUSTED POPS QUITE A BIT IN THE EARLY PERIODS OF THIS FCST. ACTIVITY STARTS TO DIMINISH ACROSS EASTERN UTAH BY EARLY THIS AFTERNOON WITH THE SFC FRONT PUSHING INTO WESTERN COLORADO. THIS WL SHIFT FOCUS OF AFTERNOON CONVECTION INTO WESTERN COLORADO...WITH LOCALLY HEAVY SNOWFALL POSSIBLE OVER THE HIGHER MOUNTAINS...ESPECIALLY NEAR THUNDERSTORMS. MODEL QPF INDICATING ADVISORY LEVEL SNOWFALL FOR THE EASTERN UTAH MOUNTAINS AND OVER THE SAN JUANS. HOWEVER...WITH THE LOW LEVELS STILL RELATIVELY DRY...PER AREA SOUNDINGS AND SFC OBSERVATIONS...AND SNOW LEVELS GENERALLY ABOVE 9K TO START THE EVENT...WL NOT ISSUE ANY HIGHLIGHTS THIS MORNING FOR WINTER PRECIPITATION AS THE EVENT WL BE BORDERLINE. THE OTHER ITEM OF INTEREST THIS MORNING WL BE THE WINDS. AS GRADIENTS CONTINUE TO TIGHTEN AHEAD OF THE SFC FRONT EXPECT MOUNTAIN WIND GUSTS TO NEAR 60 MPH...WITH LIGHTER WINDS IN THE VALLEYS. THIS SYSTEM WILL BE EXITING THE REGION THIS EVENING...WITH BRIEF CLEARING IN STORE LATE TONIGHT...BEFORE THE NEXT WAVE APPROACHES THE GREAT BASIN. SATURDAY THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT WILL BE A TRANSITION PERIOD WITH INCREASING CLOUDS AND MOISTURE AS AN UPPER LEVEL LOW STRENGTHENS OVER THE GREAT BASIN. MODELS REMAIN FAIRLY CONSISTENT WITH THE SPEED AND TRACK OF THIS SYSTEM...PROMISING ANOTHER ROUND OF SIGNIFICANT PRECIPITATION ACROSS EASTERN UTAH AND WESTERN COLORADO. THE UPPER LOW IS EXPECTED TO TRACK ACROSS EXTREME SOUTHERN COLORADO OR NORTHERN NEW MEXICO SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT. DEEP MOISTURE WRAPPING AROUND THE UPPER LOW AND COLD AIR ALOFT ASSOCIATED WITH THE LOW...WL BRING WIDESPREAD RAIN AND SNOW TO THE REGION. THE HEAVIEST PRECIPITATION WL LIKELY BE SOMEWHERE NEAR THE I-70 CORRIDOR SOUTHWARD BASED ON THE CURRENT TRACK OF THE LOW. WL LET THE DAY SHIFT TAKE ONE MORE LOOK WITH THE THOUGHT THAT SOME WINTER HIGHLIGHTS WILL BE NECESSARY WITH THIS SPRING STORM. EXPECT MUCH COOLER TEMPERATURES THROUGH THE WEEKEND WITH SOME FREEZE TEMPS AGAIN POSSIBLE IN THE LOWER VALLEYS. .LONG TERM (SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY)... SUN: UPPER TROUGH MOVES THROUGH ON SUNDAY FORMING A NEARLY VERTICALLY STACKED CLOSED SYSTEM OVER SE CO/NE NM BY 18Z. FLOW ALOFT BECOMES NE ACROSS THE NORTHERN HALF OF THE FORECAST AREA WITH SOME WEAK WARM ADVECTION ALOFT SEEN AT 500 MB. COLDEST MID-LEVEL AIR STAYS ACROSS NM. EXPECT SUBSTANTIAL WRAPAROUND MOISTURE WILL HELP SUSTAIN PCPN SUNDAY, WITH BREEZY TO LOCALLY WINDY CONDITIONS. SUN NIGHT-MON NIGHT: RIDGING BUILDS OVER THE GREAT BASIN SUN NIGHT WITH THE RIDGE. NW FLOW PREVAILS MON. WILL SEE A DRYING TREND THIS PERIOD, ALTHOUGH A CHANCE OF SHOWERS WILL REMAIN MAINLY NEAR THE DIVIDE MON INTO MON NIGHT. TUE-THU: WARM UP BEGINS TUE WITH WED LIKELY THE WARMEST DAY OF THE WORK WEEK AS THE UPPER RIDGE MOVES OVERHEAD. INCREASING CLOUDS AND A FLATTENING OF THE RIDGE LIKELY TO BRING TEMPS DOWN A BIT ON THU. RIDGE FLATTENS IN RESPONSE TO A BROAD TROF FORECAST TO SET UP OVER THE PAC NW. THIS OPENS THE POSSIBILITY OF EMBEDDED DISTURBANCES MOVING ACROSS ERN UT/WRN CO IN W-SW FLOW AFTER MIDWEEK, AND MAYBE A SHALLOW FRONT WORKING INTO THE NORTHERN PORTION OF THE FORECAST AREA. A SLIGHT CHANCE OF PCPN MAINLY FOR THE NRN MTNS ON THU. && .GJT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... .CO...NONE. .UT...NONE. && JDC/JAD
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO 545 AM MDT FRI APR 8 2005 COZ001>014-017>023-UTZ022>025-027>029-091145- 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 MDT FRI APR 8 2005 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EASTERN UTAH AND WESTERN COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL OCCUR ACROSS EASTERN UTAH AND WESTERN COLORADO TODAY AND THIS EVENING. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL PRODUCE LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN...SNOW...HAIL...AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS. IN ADDITION...WIDESPREAD RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS CAN BE EXPECTED...WITH SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF UP TO 4 INCHES POSSIBLE ABOVE 9000 FEET. SOUTHWEST WINDS FROM 20 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS TO NEAR 50 MPH WILL ALSO OCCUR ACROSS THE REGION TODAY...WITH THE WINDS SWITCHING AROUND TO THE WEST THIS AFTERNOON. A SURFACE COLD FRONT WILL MOVE FROM WEST TO EAST THROUGH THE REGION TODAY...WITH PRECIPITATION DIMINISHING BY MIDNIGHT TONIGHT. SNOW LEVELS WILL DROP FROM 9000 FEET THIS MORNING TO NEAR 5000 FEET BY LATE TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY MORE RAIN AND SNOW IS EXPECTED ACROSS THE REGION FROM EARLY SATURDAY THROUGH MONDAY. THIS STORM WILL BRING THE POTENTIAL FOR LOCALLY HEAVY MOUNTAIN SNOW...ALONG WITH COOLER TEMPERATURES TO MOST OF EASTERN UTAH AND WESTERN COLORADO. AT THIS TIME...IT APPEARS THE HEAVIEST SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE CONFINED TO NORTH AND NORTHEAST FACING SLOPES ABOVE 9000 FEET. THERE IS ALSO A CHANCE FOR FREEZING TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE LOWER VALLEYS OF EASTERN UTAH AND WESTERN COLORADO SUNDAY MORNING AND AGAIN ON MONDAY MORNING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED TODAY OR TONIGHT...ALTHOUGH SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SNOW ACCUMULATION...WIND SPEED MEASUREMENTS...AND HAIL. ZUMPFE
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Colorado in 2005Every state in 2005This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, April 2005
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: 5448451.