A Pacific storm system brought heavy snow and gusty winds to the central and northern mountains of western Colorado.
Every event with a place to put it; 7 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 Pacific storm system brought heavy snow and gusty winds 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 6, 2:00 AM MST, 3 hours earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO 300 AM MDT SUN APR 6 2008 .SHORT TERM...TODAY THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT... SHORTWAVE TROUGH PUSHED INTO EASTERN CO OVERNIGHT WITH SURFACE FRONT WASHING OUT OVER SW CO EARLY THIS MORNING. OROGRAPHIC SNOW SHOWERS IN THE MTS WILL CONTINUE TO DISSIPATE THIS MORNING AS A DRIER AIRMASS MOVES INTO THE AREA. SHORT RANGE MODELS AGREE THE DRYING TREND WILL BE BRIEF. MOUNTAINS SHOWERS WILL REDEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON AND ANOTHER SHORTWAVE WILL BEGIN AFFECTING THE AREA TONIGHT. THIS TROUGH WILL DEVELOP A BIT MORE AMPLITUDE AND MODELS CONTINUE TO SHOW ITS MAIN INFLUENCE OVER NW CO AND NE UT. THE JET WILL CONTINUE ALONG OR JUST SOUTH OF THE FOUR CORNERS. PRIME TIME FOR PRECIPITATION SHOULD BE MONDAY FROM LATE MORNING THROUGH THE EVENING. FORECAST SOUNDINGS AND TIME-HEIGHTS SHOW A DECENTLY UNSTABLE ENVIRONMENT WITH SOME SPEED SHEAR ALOFT...SO ADDED ISOLD AFTERNOON THUNDERSTORMS TO THE FORECAST. 500 MB TROUGH LINE PASSES EAST OF THE CWA ABOUT MIDNIGHT SO PRECIPITATION AND CLOUDS SHOULD DECREASE LATE MONDAY NIGHT FROM WEST TO EAST. MORE SUN TODAY SHOULD BOOST TEMPS A LITTLE BIT OVER SAT...BUT INCREASING CLOUDS WILL KEEP MAXES BELOW NORMAL THROUGH MONDAY...WITH WARMER OVERNIGHT LOWS TONIGHT...FOLLOWED BY COOLER CONDITIONS MONDAY NIGHT. .LONG TERM...TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY... PERIOD BEGINS WITH A PASSING RIDGE ON TUE GIVING WAY TO THE NEXT SIGNIFICANT TROUGH FOR WED-THU. THE 00Z RUN OF THE GFS HAS TRENDED JUST A LITTLE SLOWER WITH THE WED- THU DIGGING TROUGH...PUTTING THE TROUGH AXIS ACROSS CENTRAL UT AT 00Z THU. THIS TIMING IS MORE IN LINE WITH THE ECMWF...HOWEVER THE GFS STILL KEEPS THE TRACK MORE NORTHERLY FOR A MORE DIRECT HIT ON OUR FORECAST AREA. THE NAM SHOWS SIMILAR TIMING...WITH THE TRACK BETWEEN THE SOUTHERLY ECMWF AND THE GFS. THE EC SPLITTING SOLUTION TAKES THE ENERGY TOO FAR SOUTH AND IF IT VERIFIES ACTIVITY WILL BE LESS THAN FORECAST. WILL FOLLOW THE LEAD OF THE PREVIOUS FORECASTER AND GENERALLY GO WITH THE GFS...WITH SOME UNCERTAINTY. I HAVE LOWERED POPS JUST A TAD TUE NIGHT...AND HELD ON TO THEM OVER THE WEST INTO WED NIGHT...DUE TO THE SLOWER SOLUTION IN THE GFS. OTHERWISE WILL MAKE FEW CHANGES TO THE FORECAST. POTENTIAL STILL THERE FOR HIGHLIGHTS WED-THU. THURSDAY NIGHT-SATURDAY: THIS DEEP TROUGH SLOWLY PROGRESSES ONTO THE PLAINS WITH A RIDGE BUILDING IN ALONG THE WEST COAST. THIS WILL BRING A WARMING AND DRYING TREND. && .AVIATION... LOCAL MVFR CIGS AND VSBY WILL CONTINUE NEAR THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE THIS MORNING. VFR CONDITIONS WILL DOMINATE OVER LOWER ELEVATIONS. SHOWERS WILL AND LOCAL MVFR CONDITIONS WILL REDEVELOP OVER THE MOUNTAINS THIS AFTERNOON. ANOTHER WEAK STORM SYSTEM WILL AFFECT THE AREA LATER TONIGHT WITH CEILINGS LOWERING AND MOUNTAIN SNOW SHOWERS INCREASING AFTER MIDNIGHT. EXPECT MVFR AND LOCAL IFR CEILING AND VSBY IN THE MOUNTAINS OF NORTHERN AND CENTRAL CO AND NORTHEAST UT LATE TONIGHT. STRENGTHENING WEST TO SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL PRODUCE AREA OF MODERATE TURBULENCE. && .GJT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... .CO...NONE. .UT...NONE. SHORT TERM...CJC LONG TERM....EH AVIATION.....CJC
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO 302 AM MDT SUN APR 6 2008 COZ001>014-017>023-UTZ022>025-027>029-070900- 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- 302 AM MDT SUN APR 6 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EASTERN UTAH AND WESTERN COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT ISOLATED RAIN AND SHOW SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE IN THE MOUNTAINS NEAR THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE THIS MORNING...WITH SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING IN THE MOUNTAINS NORTH OF INTERSTATE 70 THIS AFTERNOON. SNOW SHOWERS WILL INCREASING IN THE MOUNTAINS TONIGHT WITH LOCALLY HAZARDOUS DRIVING CONDITIONS EXPECTED OVER HIGH MOUNTAIN PASSES. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY SNOW WILL BECOME LIKELY OVER THE NORTHERN AND CENTRAL MOUNTAINS ON MONDAY WITH A CHANCE OF SNOW OVER THE HIGH VALLEYS AND THE SOUTHERN MOUNTAINS. SNOW WILL DIMINISH MONDAY NIGHT. SNOW IS AGAIN EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ON WEDNESDAY AND CONTINUE INTO THURSDAY...MAINLY OVER THE MOUNTAINS...AS ANOTHER WEATHER SYSTEM MOVES OVER THE CENTRAL ROCKIES. PRECIPITATION OVER THE LOWER VALLEYS WILL GENERALLY BE RAIN. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED TODAY AND TONIGHT. HOWEVER... SPOTTERS AREA ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SNOWFALL AMOUNTS TO THE GRAND JUNCTION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. CJC/EH
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
4 winter storm, 2 winter weather, 1 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Snowfall of 8 to 24 inches blanketed the area while wind gusts of 20 to 30 mph produced blowing and drifting snow. A locally heavier snowfall amount of 29.5 inches was measured at Gothic.
Snowfall of 5 to 7 inches occurred while wind gusts of 25 to 40 mph produced blowing and drifting snow.
Eleven to seventeen inches of snow blanketed the area while wind gusts of 20 to 40 mph produced blowing and drifting snow.
Ten to eighteen inches of snow blanketed the area while wind gusts of 25 to 40 mph produced blowing and drifting snow.
One to two feet of snow blanketed the area while wind gusts of 20 to 30 mph produced blowing and drifting snow.
Eight to thirteen inches of snow fell across the area.
Six to eight inches of snow fell across the southern part of the area including the town of Meeker. Three to five inches of snow fell elsewhere. Wind gusts of 20 to 30 mph produced blowing and drifting snow.
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: 95562, 95557, 95560, 95561, 95559, 95556, 95558.