A series of upper level disturbances in moist westerly flow moved across western Colorado resulting in heavy snow and strong winds for much of the area.
Every event with a place to put it; 10 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 series of upper level disturbances in moist westerly flow moved across western Colorado resulting in heavy snow and strong winds for much of the area.
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 31, 3:22 AM MST, 6 hours 38 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO
322 AM MST THU JAN 31 2008
...ANOTHER ROUND OF SNOW FOR THE MOUNTAINS OF EASTERN UTAH AND
WESTERN COLORADO STARTING LATER THIS EVENING...
.SHORT TERM...TODAY THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT...
SHORT WAVE RIDGE TRACKS OVER EASTERN UT AND WESTERN CO TODAY AND
KEEPS POPS AT A MIN. COLD NIGHT OVERNIGHT AND TEMPS WILL HAVE A HARD
TIME RECOVERING ESPECIALLY IN THE VALLEY LOCATIONS AS THE RIDGE
BRINGS SLIGHTLY MORE STABLE AIRMASS OVERHEAD. THIS BREAK IS SHORT
LIVED AS THE FIRST PART OF THE NEXT SYSTEM NOSES INTO NORTHEAST UT
AND NORTHWESTERN CO JET SKIRTS THE NORTHERN TIER OF THE CWA LATER
TODAY AND THEN THE UPPER LEVEL JET SHIFTS TO THE SOUTH OVERNIGHT.
MID TO UPPER FLOW STAYS WESTERLY WITH SHORT DURATIONS OF A SOUTHERN
COMPONENT AS THE MULTIPLE WAVES TRACK OVERHEAD. SNOW WILL START
THIS EVENING AND INCREASE IN COVERAGE AND INTENSITY MAINLY OVER THE
NORTHERN PORTION OF THE FORECAST AREA. THE MULTIPLE SMALL WAVES
WILL BRING PAC MOISTURE AND ENOUGH INSTABILITY TO KEEP SNOWFALL
AMOUNTS IN THE ADVISORY CATEGORY THROUGH THE EVENING ON FRIDAY WITH
THE WEST FACING SLOPES BEING FAVORED. WILL ISSUE AN ADVISORY FOR THE
NORTHERN MOUNTAINS OF EASTERN UT AND WESTERN CO ALONG WITH THE
CENTRAL AND UPPER YAMPA RIVER VALLEY. THE ELKHEAD AND PARK MOUNTAINS
WILL BE FAVORED FOR THIS FLOW ALONG WITH PORTIONS OF THE UPPER YAMPA
VALLEY SO LOCALLY HEAVIER AMOUNTS CAN BE EXPECTED. THE FOCUS SHIFTS
TO THE SOUTH LATE FRIDAY AND BEYOND AS THE JET SAGS...SO WILL LEAVE
THIS AREA FOR THE NEXT SHIFT TO FINE TUNE TIMING AND AMOUNTS AND WHAT
HIGHLIGHTS MAY BE NEEDED.
.LONG TERM...SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY...
BROAD TROUGH WILL REMAIN IN CONTROL OF OUR WEATHER THROUGH EARLY
NEXT WEEK AS A SERIES OF PACIFIC SHRTWVS ROLL THROUGH THE FORECAST
AREA. ABUNDANT PACIFIC MOISTURE COMBINED WITH FAVORABLE OROGRAPHIC
FLOW AND OCCASIONAL UPPER LEVEL SUPPORT FROM PASSING WAVES WILL
KEEP SNOW FALLING OVER THE HIGH COUNTRY THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK. A
FEW BREAKS WILL OCCUR BETWEEN SYSTEMS...ALTHOUGH THEY WILL BE SHORT-
LIVED. WILL CONTINUE TO CARRY FAIRLY HIGH POPS EACH DAY THROUGH
MONDAY...WITH TEMPS RUNNING BELOW SEASONAL NORMS THROUGH THE
PERIOD. DUE TO THE PROLONGED PERIOD OF SNOWFALL...SEVERAL MOUNTAIN
LOCALES WILL SEE IMPRESSIVE SNOW AMOUNTS OVER A 3 TO 4 DAY PERIOD.
ADDITIONAL WINTER HIGHLIGHTS WILL BE LIKELY AS WE MOVE THROUGH THE
WEEKEND.
TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY...TUESDAY APPEARS TO BE THE ONLY DOWN DAY. A
SHORTWAVE RIDGE MOVES OVER THE AREA BRINGING DRIER CONDITIONS...THEN
ANOTHER TROUGH MOVES IN FROM THE NW WEDNESDAY.
&&
.AVIATION...
VFR CONDITIONS WILL BE IN PLACE TODAY. CONDITIONS START TO TAKE
ANOTHER DOWNTURN TONIGHT AND FRIDAY AS LOW CIGS AND VSBYS RETURN
WITH SNOWFALL REDEVELOPING OVER MUCH OF THE AREA AFTER MIDNIGHT
TONIGHT. EXPECT A RETURN TO WIDESPREAD MVFR TO IFR CONDITIONS
WHICH WILL LINGER THROUGH THE DAY FRIDAY. UNSETTLED WEATHER WILL
REMAIN IN PLACE ACROSS EASTERN UTAH AND WESTERN COLORADO THROUGH
THIS WEEKEND.
&&
.GJT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
.CO...SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW ADVISORY FOR THE NORTHERN AND CENTRAL
MOUNTAINS AND PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST COLORADO FROM MIDNIGHT
TONIGHT THROUGH MIDNIGHT FRIDAY NIGHT...INCLUDING ZONES
2/3/4/5/9/10/12/13.
.UT...SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW ADVISORY FOR THE EASTERN UINTA
MOUNTAINS FROM MIDNIGHT TODAY TO MIDNIGHT FRIDAY NIGHT...
INCLUDING ZONE 23.
SHORT TERM...AS
LONG TERM....JDC
AVIATION.....JDCHAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO 444 AM MST THU JAN 31 2008 COZ001>014-017>023-UTZ022>025-027>029-011230- 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- 444 AM MST THU JAN 31 2008 ...SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW ADVISORY FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT UNTIL MIDNIGHT FRIDAY NIGHT FOR THE NORTHERN AND CENTRAL MOUNTAINS IN WESTERN COLORADO...PORTIONS OF THE NORTHWEST PLATEAU INCLUDING CRAIG...MEEKER AND STEAMBOAT SPRINGS...AND FOR THE EASTERN UINTA MOUNTAINS IN NORTHEAST UTAH... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EASTERN UTAH AND WESTERN COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT EXPECT PERIODS OF SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW STARTING LATER TONIGHT ESPECIALLY OVER THE NORTH AND CENTRAL MOUNTAINS OF WESTERN COLORADO AND NORTHEASTERN UTAH. WEST WINDS WILL CAUSE THE HEAVIEST SNOW TO FALL ON WEST FACING SLOPES. LOCALLY HEAVY SNOW IS EXPECTED OVER THE PARK RANGE NEAR STEAMBOAT SPRINGS. ROADS THROUGH THESE MOUNTAINS WILL BE ICY AND SNOWPACKED...WITH VISIBILITY FREQUENTLY LESS THAN 1 MILE IN BLOWING SNOW. FOR DETAILS AND THE LATEST UPDATES ON THIS LATEST WINTER STORM...GO TO THE GRAND JUNCTION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WEB SITE AT WEATHER.GOV/GJT .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY PERIODS OF SNOW WILL CONTINUE OVER THE MOUNTAINS OF WESTERN COLORADO AND NORTHEAST UTAH THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT. LOCALLY HEAVY SNOW IS EXPECTED OVER THE PARK RANGE NEAR STEAMBOAT SPRINGS. IN ADDITION...GUSTY WEST WINDS FROM 15 TO 30 MPH WILL CREATE AREAS OF BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW. THE SNOW WILL DECREASE EARLY SATURDAY. ANOTHER STORM WILL BRING MORE SNOW TO THE REGION SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY...WITH HEAVY SNOWFALL AGAIN POSSIBLE FOR THE WESTERN COLORADO MOUNTAINS. DRIER CONDITIONS ARRIVE ON TUESDAY...WITH YET ANOTHER STORM MOVING INTO THE REGION NEXT WEDNESDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED TODAY OR TONIGHT...BUT YOU ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL AMOUNTS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GRAND JUNCTION. TGJT
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
6 winter weather, 3 winter storm, 1 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Snowfall of 5 to 12 inches occurred by storms end. For a continuation on this event see the February 2008 Storm Data publication.
Widespread snowfall of 5 to 7 inches occurred by storms end while wind gusts of 20 to 40 mph buffeted the area. For a continuation on this event see the February 2008 Storm Data publication.
Widespread snowfall of 5 to 10 inches occurred by storms end while wind gusts of 20 to 40 mph buffeted the area. For a continuation on this event see the February 2008 Storm Data publication.
Snowfall of 12 to 18 inches occurred by storms end while wind gusts of 20 to 30 mph buffeted the area. For a continuation on this event see the February 2008 Storm Data publication.
Snowfall of 16 to 27 inches occurred by storms end while wind gusts of 20 to 30 mph buffeted the area. For a continuation on this event see the February 2008 Storm Data publication.
Widespread snowfall of 5 to 10 inches occurred by storms end while frequent wind gusts of 30 to 50 mph buffeted the area. An isolated gust of 60 mph occurred at Eagle Mountain. For a continuation on this event see the February 2008 Storm Data publication.
Snowfall of 10 to 20 inches occurred by storms end while wind gusts of 20 to 30 mph buffeted the area. For a continuation on this event see the February 2008 Storm Data publication.
Widespread snowfall of 3 to 5 inches occurred by storms end while wind gusts of 20 to 35 mph buffeted the area. For a continuation on this event see the February 2008 Storm Data publication.
Snowfall of 12 to 20 inches occurred across the majority of the area by storms end. For a continuation on this event see the February 2008 Storm Data publication.
Widespread snowfall of 4 to 6 inches occurred by storms end with local amounts up to 7 inches. For a continuation on this event see the February 2008 Storm Data publication.
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: 75098, 75075, 75076, 75091, 75096, 75079, 75093, 75073, 75104, 75081.