A storm system moved southeast from Canada and across the eastern Great Basin and central Rockies. This brought moderate to heavy snowfall and gusty winds 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.
A storm system moved southeast from Canada and across the eastern Great Basin and central Rockies. This brought moderate to heavy snowfall 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 Jan 19, 4:45 AM MST, 1 hour 15 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO 445 AM MST SAT JAN 19 2008 .SHORT TERM...TODAY THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT... MODELS IN GOOD AGREEMENT FOR A COLD FRONT TO SLIDE INTO EXTREME NE UTAH AND NW COLORADO LATE SUNDAY NIGHT...COMMENCING A PROLONGED PERIOD OF SNOWFALL ACROSS THE NORTHERN ZONES. TODAY-TONIGHT: BUT WHAT IS NOT MODELED WELL IS PERSISTENT SNOWFALL THIS MORNING IN NW FLOW ALOFT. UPPER LEVEL SUPPORT HAS SHIFTED EAST ONTO THE PLAINS. FLOW ALOFT IS BACKING FROM NW TO W TODAY WITH WEAK WARM ADVECTION. STILL THE MTN TOP LAYER (700-600MB) IS PROGGED TO REMAIN MOIST AND WITHIN THE DENDRITE GROWTH TEMPERATURE RANGE. SO EXPECT WEAK LITTLE RIPPLES TO EEK OUT SOME LIGHT SNOWFALL MAINLY IN THE NW COLORADO MTNS FAVORING THE PARK RANGE ABOVE STEAMBOAT. EVEN RIFLE HAS BEEN GETTING SNOWFALL OUT OF A LOW STRATUS DECK OVERNIGHT. AS WARM ADVECTION ALOFT CONTINUES TONIGHT... 305K ISENTROPIC UPGLIDE IS PROGGED ACROSS THE NORTH IN THE DEEPER MOISTURE. SO IN SPITE OF OROGRAPHICALLY UNFAVORED SW FLOW...LIGHT SNOWFALL IS FORECAST TO CONTINUE ACROSS THE NORTH. EXPECT VALLEY INVERSIONS TO GENERALLY HOLD FOR CONTINUED COLD TEMPS WITH SOME LOW TEMP MODIFICATION TONIGHT. SUNDAY-SUNDAY NIGHT: THE NEXT SPLITTING PACIFIC TROUGH DROPS INTO THE NORTHERN GREAT BASIN...WITH THE 06Z RUN PUTTING A BIT MORE ENERGY INTO THE SOUTHERN PORTION. A 70KT W-E ORIENTED JET NOSES INTO THE CENTRAL ZONES ON SUNDAY PRODUCING UPPER DIFLUENCE OVER THE NORTHERN ZONES AND INCREASING SW MTN TOP WINDS AND GUSTY WINDS ALONG THE LEE/NORTH-FACING SLOPES. BAROCLINIC BAND DROPS AS FAR SOUTH AS NW UTAH SUNDAY NIGHT WITH AN ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT ALONG THE WYOMING/COLORADO BORDER LATE SUNDAY NIGHT. THIS WILL PROVIDE A FOCUS FOR HEAVIER SNOWFALL. UNCERTAINTY STILL EXISTS ON THE LOCATION OF THE HEAVIER SNOW BANDS...BUT HIGHLIGHTS ARE POSSIBLE FOR THE ELKHEADS/PARK RANGE AND PERHAPS THE EASTERN UINTAS. NORTHERN VALLEYS WILL ALSO NEED TO BE WATCHED FOR SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL. EXPECT VALLEY INVERSIONS TO BREAK IN THE VICINITY OF THIS FRONT. .LONG TERM...MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY... FAIR MODEL AGREEMENT INTO THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK. AN UPPER LEVEL LOW IS PROGGED TO MOVE SOUTH OVER THE WESTERN GREAT BASIN AND CALIFORNIA MONDAY AND TUESDAY AFTER SEPARATING FROM THE MAIN FLOW. EXPECT A SURFACE FRONT TO STRETCH EAST TO WEST ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA AFFECTING PRIMARILY THE NORTH MONDAY AND THEN DRIFTING SOUTH TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY WHILE BECOMING MORE DIFFUSE. MODELS HAVE BEEN PERSISTENT WITH THIS PATTERN SO HAVE EDGED POPS UP ACROSS THE NORTH MONDAY AND INCREASED SNOW AMOUNTS. DIFFICULT TO SAY HOW FAR SOUTH THE FRONT WILL MAKE IT AND WHERE HEAVIEST PRECIPITATION WILL BECOME ESTABLISHED SO MADE ONLY MINOR ADJUSTMENTS TO THE FORECAST MONDAY AND TUESDAY. MODELS SUGGEST THE UPPER LOW WILL MOVE EAST ACROSS THE GREAT BASIN WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY AND ACROSS THE CENTRAL ROCKIES BY FRIDAY. MODEL SOULTIONS DIVERGE LATE IN THE WEEK. NO CHANGES TO LOW POPS IN THE PREVIOUS FORECAST AS TIMING AND INTENSITY REMAINS PROBLEMATIC. ADJUSTED TEMPERATURES DOWN FOR MONDAY...ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE NORTH WHERE PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED TO BE MOST WIDESPREAD AND COLDER AIR WILL SPILL INTO THE AREA BEHIND THE FRONT. EXPECT A SLIGHT UPWARD TREND IN DAYTIME HIGHS BEYOND MONDAY BUT TEMPERATURES STILL BELOW NORMAL FOR MUCH OF THE AREA. && .AVIATION...PERSISTENT SNOW SHOWERS ACROSS NW COLORADO AND PATCHY VALLEY FOG WILL CONTINUE TO PRODUCE AREAS OF MVFR TO IFR CEILINGS AND VISIBILITIES...ESPECIALLY AT VEL HDN AND IN THE I-70 CORRIDOR RIL ASE AND EGE. SOUTH OF THE I-70 CORRIDOR VFR CONDITIONS SHOULD PREVAIL...THOUGH FOG MAY RESTRICT VISIBILITIES IN THE VICINITY OF GUC. && .GJT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... .CO...NONE. .UT...NONE. SHORT TERM...JOE LONG TERM....TAL AVIATION....JOE
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO 545 AM MST SAT JAN 19 2008 COZ001>014-017>023-UTZ022>025-027>029-201245- 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- 545 AM MST SAT JAN 19 2008 ..SIGNIFICANT WINTER STORM POSSIBLE EARLY NEXT WEEK... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EASTERN UTAH AND WESTERN COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT AREAS OF LIGHT SNOW WILL CONTINUE ACROSS NORTHWEST COLORADO TODAY AND TONIGHT. ONE TO THREE INCHES OF NEW SNOW IS ANTICIPATED IN THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS...INCLUDING RABBIT EARS AND VAIL PASSES. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY...THE POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR A SIGNIFICANT WINTER STORM THAT MAY IMPACT ALL OF EASTERN UTAH AND WESTERN COLORADO...ESPECIALLY ON MONDAY AND TUESDAY. A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL BRING SNOW TO THE UINTA MOUNTAINS AND EXTREME NORTHWEST COLORADO CORNER ON SUNDAY...REACHING HIGHWAY 40 BY MONDAY MORNING. ON MONDAY...THE SNOW WILL SPREAD SOUTH AND REACH THE INTERSTATE 70 CORRIDOR. MOUNTAIN SNOW INCREASES FOR ALL MOUNTAIN AREAS WITH THE STORM CONTINUING INTO TUESDAY. WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY...PERIODS OF SNOW WILL BE POSSIBLE OVER THE MOUNTAINS WITH A LESSER CHANCE OF SNOW IN THE VALLEYS. FOR THE LATEST UPDATES ON THIS POSSIBLE WINTER STORM...GO TO THE GRAND JUNCTION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WEB SITE AT WEATHER.GOV/GJT OR YOUR FAVORITE MEDIA SOURCE. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED TODAY OR TONIGHT. TGJT
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
4 winter weather, 1 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Snowfall of 10 to 16 inches occurred while frequent wind gusts of 20 to 40 mph buffeted the area.
Widespread snowfall of 5 to 8 inches occurred with a local amount of 13 inches at Bison Lake SNOTEL. Frequent wind gusts of 20 to 35 mph buffeted the area.
Snowfall of 3 to 4 inches occurred over the majority of the area.
Widespread snowfall of 5 to 10 inches occurred while frequent wind gusts of 20 to 40 mph buffeted the area.
Widespread snowfall of 5 to 10 inches occurred while frequent wind gusts of 20 to 35 mph buffeted the area.
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, January 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: 71039, 71042, 71047, 71044, 71046.