A cold and moist low pressure system swept east across the area and produced significant snowfall and gusty winds.
Every event with a place to put it; 11 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 cold and moist low pressure system swept east across the area and produced significant snowfall and gusty winds.
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 23, 3:55 AM MST, 4 hours 5 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO
355 AM MST FRI FEB 23 2007
...FAST MOVING WINTER STORM TO AFFECT THE AREA TODAY INTO SATURDAY...
.SHORT-TERM (TODAY THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT)...
FULL LATITUDE TROUGH MOVING INTO THE GREAT BASIN WILL CONTINUE
MOVING EAST...AND IS EXPECTED TO CROSS WRN CO BY MIDNIGHT. SFC COLD
FRONT PUSHING INTO WRN UT IS FORECAST TO REACH THE WASATCH MTNS
BY 12Z...NE UT ABOUT NOON...AND FROM NW CO TO THE 4-CORNERS BY 00Z.
EXPECT FRONT TO LOSE SOME INTEGRITY AS IT MOVES INTO WRN CO...AS
UPSTREAM ENERGY FORECAST TO EVENTUALLY DEVELOP A CLOSED 500 MB LOW
SOMEWHERE IN THE VICINITY OF SE CO/NE NM LATER TONIGHT...AND THE NRN
SECTION OF THE TROUGH SHEARS OUT TO THE NE. PRECIPITATION WILL SPREAD
INTO ERN UT THIS MORNING...AND ACROSS WRN CO THIS AFTERNOON.
INITIALLY...AREAS FAVORED BY SW FLOW WILL SEE THE BETTER SNOWFALL
TODAY...WITH THE FOCUS SHIFTING TO THE NORTH AND THOSE AREAS FAVORED
BY NW FLOW TONIGHT. DEEP INSTABILITY INDICATED THIS AFTERNOON AND
EVENING AS COLD AIR ARRIVES...AND WILL KEEP MENTION OF ISOLATED
THUNDERSTORMS FOR TODAY. THE CONVECTIVE INPUT WILL MAKE SNOW LEVELS
AND SNOWFALL AMOUNTS QUITE VARIABLE IN PLACES.
MAIN FORECAST CHANGE WAS TO START THE WINTER HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE
CENTRAL AND NRN MTNS AT 11 AM TODAY INSTEAD OF 5 PM. BELIEVE ZONES
12 AND 13 WILL BENEFIT FROM THE SW FLOW AND DEEPENING MOISTURE LATER
THIS AFTERNOON. ALSO EXPECT SNOW TO BEGIN WITH WIND IN ZONES
4/10/18...THOUGH BEST SNOW ACCUMS WILL WAIT UNTIL TONIGHT WHEN THE
FLOW VEERS AROUND TO THE W AND NW. OTHERWISE...MADE ONLY NOMINAL
CHANGES TO THE GRIDS.
SNOWFALL SHOULD BE WINDING DOWN ACROSS EASTERN UTAH LATER TONIGHT
WITH JUST SOME LINGERING SHOWERS SATURDAY MORNING. WIND SHOULD
REMAIN PRESENT...HOWEVER...AND WILL KEEP THE ERN UT HIGHLIGHTS
GOING ALL NIGHT. ACROSS WESTERN COLORADO...WILL ACCUMULATING SNOW MAY
CONTINUE INTO SATURDAY AFTERNOON WITH SLOPES FAVORING NORTHWEST FLOW
GETTING THE BEST SNOW...THOUGH 700-500 MB LAPSE RATES STABILIZE
QUITE QUICKLY. LATER SHIFTS CAN ASSESS WHETHER OR NOT THE ADVISORY
ENDING TIMES NEED TO BE SHORTENED. BIT OF A LULL EXPECTED SAT
NIGHT AHEAD OF THE NEXT PAC STORM THAT MOVES INTO THE PAC NW.
.LONG TERM (SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY)...
FAST MOVING SHORT WAVES EMBEDDED IN WESTERLY FLOW WILL IMPACT ERN
UTAH AND WRN COLORADO ON SUNDAY AND MONDAY. COLD ADVECTION ALOFT
WILL STEEPEN LAPSE RATE WITH THE H7-H5 LAYER NEARLY 7.5C/KM. BROAD
CYCLONIC FLOW AND THE EXIT REGION OF A STRONG WESTERLY JET WILL
PROVIDE DYNAMICAL SUPPORT FOR OROGRAPHIC SNOWFALL. SURFACE PATTERN
DID NOT REVEAL TOO MUCH EXCEPT PERHAPS A QUASI STATIONARY FRONT
ACROSS THE SRN ZONES...SUGGESTING THAT THE MOUNTAIN AREAS WILL BE
FAVORED AND MOST VALLEYS WILL HAVE NO OR LIGHT PCPN. WITH THE BEST
LAPSE RATES OVER THE NRN AND CENTRAL MOUNTAINS...THIS AREA STANDS
THE BEST CHANCE OF ANY SNOW. BOOSTED POPS A NOTCH FOR THIS TIME
PERIOD.
THE ECMWF MODEL CONTINUES TO SHOW MORE AMPLIFICATION WITH THE NEXT
INCOMING PACIFIC TROUGH AS COMPARED WITH THE GFS. HOWEVER...THE
ECMWF IS NOT AS AMPLIFIED AS THE VERSION I SAW LAST NIGHT. A QUICK
LOOK AT THE NEW 06Z GFS SHOWS A SLOWER MOVING OPEN WAVE...ROUGHLY 12
HOURS SLOWER...TRAVERSING ACROSS THE CENTRAL ROCKIES ON WEDNESDAY AS
COMPARED TO THE 00Z RUN. THIS STATES THAT THE MODELS ARE STRUGGLING
WITH TIMING AND AMPLIFICATION. AT ANY RATE...THE MODELS INDICATE
THAT SOMETHING WILL HAPPEN AROUND MIDWEEK WITH TEMPS BELOW SEASONAL
AVERAGE. OROGRAPHIC SNOW CONTINUES INTO DAY 7 AS CYCLONIC NORTHWEST
FLOW PERSISTS. CURRENT GRIDS HAD OVERALL TRENDS HANDLED WELL...BUT
DID MAKE MINOR ADJUSTMENTS FOR CONSISTENCY TO REFLECT 18Z HPC
GUIDANCE AND SURROUNDING OFFICES.
&&
.GJT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
.CO...SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW ADVISORY FROM 11 AM TODAY TO 11 AM
SATURDAY FOR ZONES 3/9/17/19.
SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW ADVISORY FROM 11 AM TODAY TO 5 PM
SATURDAY FOR ZONES 4/10/12/13/18.
.UT...SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW ADVISORIES FROM 5 AM TODAY TO 5 AM
SATURDAY FOR ZONES 23/25/28.
JAD/PFHAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO 600 AM MST FRI FEB 23 2007 COZ001>014-017>023-241300- ANIMAS RIVER BASIN-CENTRAL COLORADO RIVER BASIN- CENTRAL GUNNISON AND UNCOMPAHGRE RIVER BASIN- CENTRAL YAMPA RIVER BASIN-DEBEQUE TO SILT CORRIDOR- ELKHEAD AND PARK MOUNTAINS-FLAT TOPS- FOUR CORNERS/UPPER DOLORES RIVER- GORE AND ELK MOUNTAINS/CENTRAL MOUNTAINS-GRAND AND BATTLEMENT MESAS- GRAND VALLEY-LOWER YAMPA RIVER BASIN-NORTHWEST SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS- PARADOX VALLEY/LOWER DOLORES RIVER-ROAN AND TAVAPUTS PLATEAUS- SAN JUAN RIVER BASIN-SOUTHWEST SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS- UNCOMPAHGRE PLATEAU AND DALLAS DIVIDE-UPPER GUNNISON RIVER VALLEY- UPPER YAMPA RIVER BASIN-WEST ELK AND SAWATCH MOUNTAINS- 600 AM MST FRI FEB 23 2007 ...SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW ADVISORIES FOR THE MOUNTAINS OF WESTERN COLORADO THIS AFTERNOON INTO SATURDAY... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT MOUNTAIN SNOW WILL SPREAD ACROSS THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON AND CONTINUE TONIGHT AS A COLD FRONT PUSHES ACROSS THE AREA. SOUTHWEST WINDS WITH GUSTS AS HIGH AS 50 MPH IN THE MOUNTAINS THIS AFTERNOON WILL BECOME WEST TO NORTHWEST TONIGHT. SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW WILL CREATE HAZARDOUS DRIVING CONDITIONS ACROSS ALL MOUNTAIN PASSES THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. PLEASE REFER TO THE PRODUCT DENWSWGJT OR THE GRAND JUNCTION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WEB PAGE FOR DETAILS ON THIS FAST MOVING STORM. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY SATURDAY...SNOW AND AREAS OF BLOWING SNOW WILL CONTINUE FOR THE NORTHERN AND CENTRAL MOUNTAINS. SNOW AND WIND WILL BE DECREASING DURING THE AFTERNOON. THE CHANCE FOR PERIODIC MOUNTAIN SNOW WILL PERSIST SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. SNOW WILL BE POSSIBLE OVER THE HIGH VALLEYS...SUCH AS THE YAMPA AND WHITE RIVER BASINS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED TODAY OR TONIGHT...BUT SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SNOWFALL AND WIND GUSTS TO THE GRAND JUNCTION WEATHER OFFICE. UTZ022>025-027>029-241300- ARCHES/GRAND FLAT-CANYONLANDS/NATURAL BRIDGES-EASTERN UINTA BASIN- EASTERN UINTA MOUNTAINS-LA SAL AND ABAJO MOUNTAINS-SOUTHEAST UTAH- TAVAPUTS PLATEAU- 600 AM MST FRI FEB 23 2007 ...SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW ADVISORIES FOR THE MOUNTAINS OF EASTERN UTAH TODAY AND TONIGHT... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EASTERN UTAH. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT MOUNTAIN SNOW WILL SPREAD ACROSS THE AREA THIS MORNING...AND COULD BE HEAVY AT TIMES THIS AFTERNOON AS A COLD FRONT PUSHES ACROSS THE AREA. SOUTHWEST WINDS...WITH GUSTS AS HIGH AS 50 MPH IN THE MOUNTAINS THIS MORNING...WILL BECOME WEST THIS AFTERNOON AND NORTHWEST TONIGHT. SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW WILL CREATE HAZARDOUS DRIVING CONDITIONS ACROSS ALL MOUNTAIN PASSES TODAY AND EVENING. PLEASE REFER TO THE PRODUCT DENWSWGJT OR THE GRAND JUNCTION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WEB PAGE FOR DETAILS ON THIS FAST MOVING STORM. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY SATURDAY...SNOW AND AREAS OF BLOWING SNOW WILL CONTINUE FOR THE NORTHERN AND CENTRAL MOUNTAINS. SNOW AND WIND WILL BE DECREASING DURING THE AFTERNOON. THE CHANCE FOR PERIODIC MOUNTAIN SNOW WILL CONTINUE SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY...MAINLY FAVORING THE EASTERN UINTA MOUNTAINS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED TODAY OR TONIGHT...BUT SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SNOWFALL AND WIND GUSTS TO THE GRAND JUNCTION WEATHER OFFICE. TGJT
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
9 winter weather, 2 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Five to eleven inches of snow fell across the area. Frequent wind gusts from 25 to 35 mph caused blowing and drifting snow.
Five to ten inches of snow fell across the area. Frequent wind gusts from 25 to 40 mph caused blowing and drifting snow.
Five to six inches of snow fell across the area. Gusty winds from 30 to 40 mph caused blowing and drifting snow. A wind gust of 60 mph was recorded at Douglas Pass.
Widespread snowfall of 12 to 18 inches occurred with local amounts near 2 feet at the summit of Steamboat Springs Ski Area. Wind gusts of 25 to 45 mph caused blowing and drifting snow.
Widespread snowfall of 10 to 16 inches occurred. Wind gusts of 25 to 40 mph caused blowing and drifting snow.
Four to nine inches of snow fell across the area. frequent wind gusts from 25 to 45 mph caused blowing and drifting snow.
Widespread snowfall of 4 to 9 inches occurred. Winds frequently gusted from 30 to 50 mph and caused blowing and drifting snow. A wind gust of 67 mph was recorded at the Putney research site.
Widespread snowfall of 5 to 11 inches occurred with local amounts up to 16 inches. Winds frequently gusted from 30 to 50 mph and caused blowing and drifting snow. A wind gust of 73 mph was recorded at Mount Abrams.
Five to thirteen inches of snow fell across the area. Frequent wind gusts from 25 to 50 mph caused blowing and drifting snow. A wind gust of 68 mph was recorded at Salida Mountain.
Three to four inches of snow fell across the area. Wind gusts of 25 to 40 mph caused blowing and drifting snow.
Five to six inches of snow fell across the area. Wind gusts of 20 to 30 mph caused blowing and drifting snow.
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: 15353, 15350, 15349, 15345, 15346, 15352, 15355, 15354, 15351, 15347, 15348.