Low pressure that moved across the northern Rockies and another system that moved across the central Rockies combined to bring significant snowfall to the central and northern mountains of western Colorado.
Every event with a place to put it; 5 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.
Low pressure that moved across the northern Rockies and another system that moved across the central Rockies combined to bring significant snowfall to the central and northern mountains of western Colorado.
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 2, 3:21 AM MST, 7 hours 39 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO 421 AM MDT WED APR 2 2008 .SHORT TERM...TODAY THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT... A PROGRESSIVE FLOW OVER THE AREA WILL USHER IN MORE UNSETTLED WEATHER. A CLOSED LOW OFF THE CALIFORNIA COAST AND A SHORTWAVE TROUGH OVER THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST WILL MERGE AS THEY MOVE OVER THE GREAT BASIN AND DESERT SOUTHWEST LATE TODAY AND TONIGHT. THIS WILL BRING INCREASING MOISTURE TO THE AREA WITH A COLD FRONT MOVING INTO THE AREA FROM THE NORTHWEST TONIGHT. SOME LIGHT PRECIPITATION EXPECTED ACROSS THE NORTHERN AND CENTRAL MOUNTAINS AHEAD OF THESE SYSTEMS TODAY...MAINLY NEAR THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE. BROAD AREA OF ASCENT PROGGED OVER THE AREA TONIGHT UNDER THE LEFT EXIT AND RIGHT ENTRANCE REGIONS OF A SOUTHERN AND NORTHERN JET. THE COLD FRONT WILL CONTINUE SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE AREA TONIGHT AND EXIT THE SOUTH THURSDAY AFTERNOON. JET SUPPORT WILL FADE EAST THURSDAY BUT OROGRAPHIC FORCING IN COLD ADVECTION NORTHWEST FLOW AND AFTERNOON INSTABILITY AS THE MID LEVEL COLD AIR AXIS MOVES OVERHEAD WILL KEEP MOUNTAIN SNOW GOING FOR THE MUCH OF THE MOUNTAINS OF WESTERN COLORADO WITH RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS ELSEWHERE. NO HIGHLITES THIS FORECAST PACKAGE WITH FORECAST SNOW AMOUNTS GENERALLY IN THE 3 TO 5 INCH RANGE TONIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY FOR THE CENTRAL AND NORTHERN MOUNTAINS OF WESTERN COLORADO. HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD OVER THE AREA THURSDAY NIGHT WITH DRYING AND DECREASING CLOUDS FROM WEST TO EAST AS SUBSIDENCE TAKES OVER. EXPECT THE TYPICAL LINGERING AREAS OF LIGHT SNOW ALONG THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE THURSDAY NIGHT. EXPECT WARM ADVECTION IN WEST SOUTHWEST FLOW TO BOOST DAYTIME HIGH TEMPERATURES SEVERAL DEGREES TODAY COMPARED TO YESTERDAY. COOLER THURSDAY IN POST FRONTAL AIR MASS. .LONG TERM...FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT... UPPER RIDGE BEGINS TO ENTER THE REGION EARLY FRIDAY. THE RIDGE MOVES QUICKLY TO THE EAST AND FLATTENS. NORTHWESTERLY FLOW ALOFT TRANSITIONS TO WESTERLY FLOW BY FRIDAY NIGHT. LEFT LINGERING SHOWERS OVER THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS OF WESTERN CO AS EARLY FRIDAY. AN UPPER LEVEL LOW SKIRTS THE NORTHERN PORTION OF THE CWA LATER ON SATURDAY. THE GFS BRINGS THE LOW FARTHER SOUTH AND INCREASES CHANCES OF POPS FOR SATURDAY NIGHT. THE PROGRESSIVE TROF WILL EXIT EARLY SUNDAY MORNING AND POPS WILL AGAIN DECREASE. FLOW ALOFT REMAINS MORE WESTERLY WITH A SLIGHT RIDGE INDICATED INTO THE NEW WEEK ALTHOUGH A NUMBER OF DISTURBANCES MOVE THROUGH THE FLOW AND KEEP THE WEATHER UNSETTLED. GFS HAS A SHORTWAVE MOVING IN FROM SOUTHERN CA ENTERING THE AREA LATER MONDAY AND BRINGING PACIFIC MOISTURE WITH IT. MODELS SHOW A SPLIT TROUGH PRODUCING SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW ALOFT BY TUESDAY THAT HELPS ADD MOISTURE BEFORE THE MAIN AXIS SLIDES EAST AND OVER EASTERN UT AND WESTERN CO BY LATE TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND OVERNIGHT. && .AVIATION... MOISTENING WESTERLY FLOW AHEAD OF TWO APPROACHING WEATHER SYSTEMS WILL YIELD LOCAL MVFR TO IFR CEILINGS AND VISIBILITY IN MOUNTAIN SNOW FROM AROUND VAIL PASS TO THE STEAMBOAT SPRINGS AREA THROUGH 18Z TODAY...EXPANDING TO THE MOUNTAINS NORTH OF KVEL AFTER 18Z. VFR TO PREVAIL ELSEWHERE TODAY WITH SOME ISOLATED AFTERNOON LIGHT RAIN OR SNOW SHOWERS. WIDESPREAD SNOW AND MVFR TO IFR CONDITIONS DEVELOPING NORTH OF A LINE FROM KGUC TO KEEO AFTER 00Z THIS EVENING AS A COLD FRONT MOVES INTO THE AREA. SCATTERED MVFR TO IFR ELSEWHERE IN RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS TONIGHT. && .GJT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... .CO...NONE. .UT...NONE. SHORT TERM...TAL LONG TERM....AS AVIATION.....TAL
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO 459 AM MST WED APR 2 2008 COZ001>014-017>023-UTZ022>025-027>029-031145- 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- 459 AM MST WED APR 2 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EASTERN UTAH AND WESTERN COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SCATTERED MOUNTAIN SNOW SHOWERS WILL TODAY OCCUR FROM AROUND VAIL PASS TO THE STEAMBOAT SPRINGS AREA. LITTLE ACCUMULATION IS EXPECTED. WIDESPREAD SNOW WILL DEVELOP OVER THE CENTRAL AND NORTHERN MOUNTAINS OF WESTERN COLORADO TONIGHT AS A COLD FRONT MOVES INTO THE AREA. SCATTERED RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS WILL OCCUR ELSEWHERE. SNOW ACCUMULATIONS WILL GENERALLY RANGE FROM 2 TO 5 INCHES OVER THE HIGHER MOUNTAINS ACROSS THE CENTRAL AND NORTH TONIGHT...WITH 2 INCHES OR LESS FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE MOUNTAINS AND NORTHERN VALLEYS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY MOUNTAIN SNOW...AND SCATTERED RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS AT LOWER ELEVATIONS WILL CONTINUE ON THURSDAY. ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATIONS OF 1 TO 3 INCHES CAN BE EXPECTED FOR MUCH OF THE MOUNTAINS OF WESTERN COLORADO. THERE IS A CHANCE OF MOUNTAIN SNOW OVER THE WEEKEND...ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE NORTH. MONDAY AND TUESDAY...ANOTHER WEATHER SYSTEM WILL MOVE INTO THE AREA WITH MOUNTAIN SNOW POSSIBLE ACROSS THE ENTIRE AREA. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED TODAY AND TONIGHT. HOWEVER... SPOTTERS AREA ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SNOWFALL AMOUNTS AND STRONG WINDS TO THE GRAND JUNCTION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. TAL
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
5 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
Snowfall of 4 to 9 inches occurred while wind gusts of 20 to 40 mph produced blowing and drifting snow.
Snowfall of 5 to 10 inches occurred.
Snowfall of 5 to 8 inches occurred.
Snowfall of 5 to 12 inches occurred.
Widespread snowfall of 4 to 7 inches occurred with a local amount of 20 inches at Schofield Pass.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Colorado in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, April 2008
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: 95555, 95552, 95554, 95551, 95553.