A moist northwest flow over western Colorado brought significant orographically forced snowfall to the Flat Top Mountains, as well as the Elkhead and Park 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 moist northwest flow over western Colorado brought significant orographically forced snowfall to the Flat Top Mountains, as well as the Elkhead and Park Mountains.
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 2, 3:45 AM MST, 3 hours 15 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO 345 AM MST FRI FEB 2 2007 .SHORT TERM (TODAY THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT)... SOME AREAS OF SNOW PERSISTING ACROSS NW CO AND NEAR THE DIVIDE EARLY THIS MORNING PER 09Z AND 10Z SFC OBS...ASSOCIATED WITH THE MAIN UPPER TROUGH. RUC SHOWS AXIS MOVING EAST OF OUR AREA BY ABOUT 12Z...SO EXPECT SNOW TO BE TAPERING OFF EARLY THIS MORNING AS LARGE- SCALE SUBSIDENCE AND STABILITY TAKE OVER PER Q-DIVERGENCE FIELD... ALTHOUGH LOW CLOUDS MAY HANG ON IN THE EEO/CAG/HDN AREA A BIT THIS MORNING IN THE NW FLOW. MODELS CONTINUE TO HOLD A RIDGE ALONG THE WEST COAST TODAY THROUGH SAT WITH ERN UT/WRN CO IN NNW FLOW THAT WILL KEEP THE CHANCE OF PRECIP FOCUSED ON THE NRN MTNS. SHORTWAVES BRUSH THE N TONIGHT AND SAT NIGHT...WITH TONIGHT/S LOOKING LIKE THE BETTER OF THE TWO. NOT MUCH MOISTURE IN PLACE OR CARRIED WITH THEM...SO NOT MUCH SNOW ACCUMS EXPECTED BUT BREEZY TO WINDY CONDITIONS AT TIMES ACROSS THE NRN MTNS THAT MIGHT PRODUCE LOCALIZED BLOWING SNOW. SE UT/SW CO SHOULD SEE LITTLE OR NO PRECIP THIS PERIOD. GENERAL COOLING WITH THE UPPER TROUGH OCCURRING...BUT APPEARS THAT THE COLDEST AIR MAY HAVE SLID MORE TO OUR EAST LATE YESTERDAY... GETTING MAINLY JUST INTO NW CO. RAISED MAX TEMPS A TAD TODAY AS A RESULT BUT STILL BELOW MOS GUIDANCE. WARMING ALOFT TAKES HOLD TONIGHT AND SAT AS HEIGHTS TREND UPWARDS. MTNS TO SEE THE BEST WARM-UP INITIALLY AS COLD AIR TRAPPED IN VALLEYS WILL TAKE LONGER TO MODIFY GIVEN LIMITED VERTICAL MIXING IN FAIRLY STABLE CONDITIONS. COULD SEE A RETURN TO STAGNATING AIR IN THE VALLEYS THIS WEEKEND. .LONG TERM (SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY)... THE GFS CONTINUES TO SHOW PACIFIC MOISTURE SPILLING OVER THE RIDGE AXIS THAT WILL BE POSITIONED ALONG 120W. DECENT GRADIENT IN NORTHWEST FLOW THAT WILL INDUCE OROGRAPHIC LIFT OVER THE PARK RANGE...AND MAYBE ISENTROPIC UPGLIDE THANKS TO THE COLD DOME THAT WILL RESIDES OVER THE YAMPA RIVER. BUT THE LACK OF A SURFACE BOUNDARY AND SHORT WAVE ENERGY LIMITS ANY SNOW POTENTIAL IN THIS FLOW PATTERN. THE BIGGEST NEGATIVE IS THAT THE LONG WAVE COLD TROUGH WILL BE OVER THE ERN CONUS...PLACING COLORADO IN ANTICYCLONIC FLOW. THE THREAT OF MOUNTAIN SNOW OVER NWRN COLORADO DIMINISHES ON MONDAY AS THE PACIFIC RIDGE MOVES OVER THE INTERIOR WEST...PUSHING MOISTURE NORTH AND EAST. BY TUESDAY...THE THREAT OF ANY OROGRAPHIC SNOWFALL WILL BE GONE. FARTHER SOUTH...LESS CLOUD COVER AND MORE SUN WILL ALLOW FOR REBOUNDING TEMPERATURES AS WARMER TEMPERATURES ALOFT GRADUALLY TRANSLATE TO THE SURFACE. FOR THE UINTA AND YAMPA RIVER BASINS...THE WARMUP IN THE MOS GUIDANCE IS TOO FAST AND ONLY EXPECT A SLOW MODERATION. RIDGE AXIS BEGINS TO FLATTEN ON WEDNESDAY...AND THE LATEST GFS MODEL SHOWS INCREASING ENERGY UNDERCUTTING THE RIDGE AXIS. THE ECMWF ALSO SHOWS THIS TREND BUT IS CONSIDERABLY WEAKER. CONCEIVABLE THAT THERE WILL BE CHANGES TOWARD THE VERY END OF THE EXTENDED PERIOD...BUT MOST LIKELY THE FIRST SHORT WAVE WILL WEAKEN CONSIDERABLY AS IT ATTEMPTS TO MOVE ACROSS THE RIDGE AXIS. NO ADJUSTMENT TO THE LOW MOUNTAIN POPS ON THURSDAY. && .GJT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... .CO...NONE. .UT...NONE. JAD/PF
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO 527 AM MST FRI FEB 2 2007 COZ003-006-007-011-014-017>023-UTZ022-025-027>029-031245- ANIMAS RIVER BASIN-ARCHES/GRAND FLAT-CANYONLANDS/NATURAL BRIDGES- CENTRAL GUNNISON AND UNCOMPAHGRE RIVER BASIN- DEBEQUE TO SILT CORRIDOR-FOUR CORNERS/UPPER DOLORES RIVER- GRAND VALLEY-LA SAL AND ABAJO MOUNTAINS-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- 527 AM MST FRI FEB 2 2007 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST COLORADO...AND EASTERN UTAH SOUTH OF THE BOOK CLIFFS .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT COLD TEMPERATURES WILL BE PRESENT THIS MORNING AND AGAIN TONIGHT... WITH READINGS IN THE SINGLE DIGITS...TO BELOW ZERO IN THE MOUNTAINS AND HIGH VALLEYS. FOLKS VENTURING OR WORKING OUTDOORS THIS MORNING OR TONIGHT WILL NEED APPROPRIATE CLOTHING TO PREVENT COLD STRESS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY COLD TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED AGAIN SATURDAY NIGHT...BUT WILL BE MODERATING EARLY NEXT WEEK. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED TODAY OR TONIGHT. COZ001-002-004-005-008>010-012-013-UTZ023-024-031245- CENTRAL COLORADO RIVER BASIN-CENTRAL YAMPA RIVER BASIN- EASTERN UINTA BASIN-EASTERN UINTA MOUNTAINS- ELKHEAD AND PARK MOUNTAINS-FLAT TOPS- GORE AND ELK MOUNTAINS/CENTRAL MOUNTAINS-GRAND AND BATTLEMENT MESAS- LOWER YAMPA RIVER BASIN-UPPER YAMPA RIVER BASIN- WEST ELK AND SAWATCH MOUNTAINS- 527 AM MST FRI FEB 2 2007 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHWEST COLORADO AND THE CENTRAL COLORADO MOUNTAINS...AND NORTHEAST UTAH .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT COLD TEMPERATURES WILL BE PRESENT THIS MORNING AND AGAIN TONIGHT... WITH READINGS IN THE SINGLE DIGITS TO WELL BELOW ZERO. NORTHWEST WINDS 10 TO 20 MPH WITH STRONGER GUSTS AT TIMES WILL RESULT IN VERY COLD WIND CHILLS OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN. WINDY CONDITIONS WILL ALSO PRODUCE BLOWING SNOW AND REDUCED VISIBILITY AT TIMES ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS...POTENTIALLY HAMPERING TRAVEL ACROSS HIGH MOUNTAIN PASSES. ONE TO THREE INCHES OF SNOW IS EXPECTED FOR THE ELKHEAD... PARK...AND GORE RANGES TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY COLD TEMPERATURES AND WINDY CONDITIONS AT TIMES WILL CONTINUE FOR THE MOUNTAINS SATURDAY AND SUNDAY...WITH COLD WIND CHILLS REMAINING A CONCERN. TEMPERATURES WILL MODERATE EARLY NEXT WEEK. THERE IS A CHANCE OF SNOW MAINLY FOR THE ELKHEAD...PARK...AND GORE RANGES SATURDAY THROUGH MONDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED TODAY OR TONIGHT. JAD
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
Widespread snowfall of 5 to 12 inches blanketed the Elkhead and Park Mountains.
Widespread snowfall of 5 to 9 inches blanketed the Flat Top Mountains.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Colorado in 2007Every state in 2007This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, February 2007
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: 20240, 20241.