Winter Storm in Utah, January 7 to 12, 2005

Name: Winter Storm in Utah, January 7 to 12, 2005
Start: 2005-01-07T15:00
End: 2005-01-12T12:00
Location: Utah

January 7 to 12, 2005 · NWS GJT · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

This winter storm began under a moist southwest flow. An upper trough followed during the last two days of this winter storm, with no break in the snowfall or windy conditions.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 3 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 3

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS GJT wrote it up.

This winter storm began under a moist southwest flow. An upper trough followed during the last two days of this winter storm, with no break in the snowfall or windy conditions. Snowfall accumulations generally ranged from 3 to 6 feet. Wind gusts from 50 to 60 MPH were common. A peak gust of 62 MPH was clocked at the Wildhorse Basin RAWS on the Tavaputs Plateau. Numerous trees were reported blown down in the La Sal and Abajo Mountains. Many avalanches were reported as a result of this winter storm.

What forecasters said that day

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 Jan 7, 2:09 PM MST, 51 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 7, 2:09 PM MST, 51 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO
209 PM MST FRI JAN 7 2005

.SHORT TERM (TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY)...STORM SYSTEM SEEMS A LITTLE
DISORGANIZED WHEN COMPARED TO PREVIOUS MDL RUNS. THIS SEEMS
REASONABLE AS MAIN VORT CENTERS SHEARS AS IT MOVES INTO THE GREAT
BASIN WHILE ITS UPSTREAM SIBLING DEEPENS. APPEARS TO BE A COUPLE
WAVES OF PCPN TONIGHT AND SATURDAY THAT WILL PRODUCE SHORT BURSTS OF
HIGHER ACCUMULATIONS...BETWEEN PERIODS OF LIGHTER PCPN. MDLS APPEAR
IN GOOD AGREEMENT WITH EVOLVING WX PATTERN. IN AN EFFORT TO
FINE TUNE THE EXISTING HILIGHTS LOOKED VERY CLOSELY AT FREEZING
LEVELS TONIGHT AND SATURDAY DOWN SOUTH. MODERATE WARM AIR ADVECTION
WILL BE UNDERWAY BUT BELIEVE SNOW LEVEL WILL BE A LITTLE BELOW 6000
FEET...WITH SIGNIFICANT ACCUMULATION ABOVE THAT LEVEL. THIS BASED
UPON A 12Z SATURDAY H7 TEMP OF -6C WHILE THICKNESS VALUE HOVERS NEAR
543DM. SNOW SHOULD BE WET AND HEAVY AND EXPECT ACCUMULATIONS TO
GENERALLY BE IN THE ADVISORY CRITERIA. HOWEVER ZONE 23 IS A LITTLE
HIGHER AND MORE FAVORED FOR HVY SNOW...SO WILL UPGRADE TO A WARNING.
OVER THE NORTHERN COLORADO MTN ZONES HAVE DECIDED TO ISSUE A WINTER
WX ADVISORY...AGAIN BASED ON THE SOMEWHAT CHAOTIC AND FRAGMENTED
NATURE OF MSTR AND FORCING. THE SOUTHERN MOUNTAINS WILL TAKE THE
BRUNT OF THIS STORM WITH A COMBINATION OF GOOD MSTR AND Q-G FORCING
ALONG WITH OROGRAPHICS. AS WE HAVE LEARNED FROM PREVIOUS SIMILAR
STORMS ZNS 3...9 AND 12 ALSO DO PRETTY WELL IN A SOUTHWEST FLOW THUS
WILL CONTINUE THE WINTER STROM WARNING. OVERALL MADE ONLY MINOR
CHANGES IN GOING FCST. BY SUNDAY JET SUPPORT PULLS OUT OF THE REGION
BUT A DECENT VORT CENTER PASSES THRU THE 4 CORNERS REGION CONTINUING
THE THREAT OF MTN SNOW AND VALLEY RAIN.

.LONG TERM (SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY)...
ABOUT THE ONLY CHANGE MADE WAS TO BUMP POPS UP FOR TUE AND TUE NIGHT
ESPECIALLY FOR THE CNTL AND SRN MTNS IN MOIST WSW FLOW AND APPROACH
OF UPPER TROUGH.

WEST COAST TROF FINALLY EXPECTED TO MOVE INLAND TUE. MOIST WSW FLOW
WITH EMBEDDED DISTURBANCES WILL PERSIST SUN NIGHT THROUGH TUE KEEPING
FAVORABLE OROGRAPHICS FOR THE CNTL AND SRN MTNS AND OCCASIONAL
DYNAMICAL LIFT IN PLACE. TROUGH PASSAGE TUE NIGHT OR EARLY WED.
LATEST GFS COMING MORE IN LINE WITH THE EC ON TIMING AND ALSO WITH
INDICATING SOME SPLITTING OVER THE GREAT BASIN...SO CONFIDENCE
BETTER. GFS ACTUALLY FORMS SOME SEMBLANCE OF CLOSED 500 MB LOW NR SW
UT TUE THEN SWEEPS IT ACROSS NM EARLY WED WITH TROUGH PASSAGE. EC
KEEPING LOW MORE NWD ACROSS UT/CO. ALL IN ALL...LOOKS BREEZY TO WINDY
FOR THE MTNS WITH PERIODS OF SNOW UNTIL MIDWEEK. FLOW THEN SHIFTS TO
NW THU-FRI WITH RIDGING OFF THE WEST COAST. CHANCE OF SNOW
DIMINISHIING THU-FRI AND CONFINED MAINLY TO THE NRN MTNS. COLDER
CONDITIONS MOVE BACK INTO THE AREA WED-FRI...THOUGH MODERATING SOME
BY THE WEEKEND.

&&

.GJT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
.CO...WINTER STORM WARNING TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT FOR
      ZONES 3/9/12/17/18/19.
      WINTER STORM WARNING TONIGHT THROUGH NOON SATURDAY FOR ZONE 23.
      WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT FOR
      ZONES 4/10/13.
      WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY TONIGHT THROUGH NOON SATURDAY FOR ZONES
      21/22.
.UT...WINTER STORM WARNING TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT FOR
      ZONES 23/25/28.

&&

MC/JAD

Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 7, 5:27 AM MST, 9 hours 33 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO
527 AM MST FRI JAN 7 2005

COZ001>014-017>023-UTZ022>025-027>029-081230-
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-
527 AM MST FRI JAN 7 2005

...A WINTER STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY
NIGHT FOR THE MOUNTAINS OF EASTERN UTAH...WEST-CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST
COLORADO...

...A WINTER STORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT
FOR THE MOUNTAINS OF NORTH-CENTRAL COLORADO...

...A WINTER STORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT TONIGHT AND SATURDAY FOR THE
VALLEYS OF SOUTHWEST COLORADO...

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EASTERN UTAH AND WESTERN
COLORADO.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT...

AREAS OF FOG...LOCALLY DENSE...WILL AFFECT THE EASTERN UINTA BASIN
AND THE VALLEYS OF WESTERN COLORADO DURING THE MORNING. SNOW WILL
QUICKLY SPREAD WEST TO EAST ACROSS THE AREA THIS EVENING AS A FAST-
MOVING PACIFIC STORM SLIDES BY. STRONG SOUTHERLY WINDS WILL DEVELOP
TONIGHT AND ACCOMPANY THE ONSET OF SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL ACROSS THE
MOUNTAINS OF SOUTHEAST UTAH AND SOUTHWEST COLORADO.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY...

PERIODS OF SNOW WILL PERSIST ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS AND HIGH VALLEYS
THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL...STRONG WINDS
AND COLD TEMPERATURES WILL EXIST...CREATING DANGEROUS WINTER WEATHER
AND TRAVEL CONDITIONS. UP TO 4 FEET OF SNOW IS POSSIBLE IN ISOLATED
MOUNTAIN LOCATIONS WITH THIS PROLONGED DURATION OF SNOWFALL. THIS
AMOUNT OF SNOW WILL ALSO INCREASE THE THREAT OF AVALANCHES IN THE
HIGH COUNTRY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED TODAY OR TONIGHT HOWEVER YOU
ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT NEW RAIN OR SNOW AMOUNTS TO THE NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE IN GRAND JUNCTION.

DJN

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Eastern Uinta Mountains

When: January 7, 3:00 PM MST to January 12, 12:00 PM MST
Where: Eastern Uinta Mountains forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 40.506, -109.513 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, La Sal & Abajo Mountains

When: January 7, 3:00 PM MST to January 12, 12:00 PM MST
Where: La Sal & Abajo Mountains forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 38.304, -109.687 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Tavaputs Plateau

When: January 7, 3:00 PM MST to January 12, 12:00 PM MST
Where: Tavaputs Plateau forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 39.554, -109.544 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Winter Storm: A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Utah in 2005 Every state in 2005 This day in weather history Warnings in Utah, January 2005

Sources

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: 5436574, 5436575, 5436576.