An upper level disturbance embedded in northwest flow brought significant snowfall to portions of the northwest Colorado mountains.
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The episode as NWS GJT wrote it up.
An upper level disturbance embedded in northwest flow brought significant snowfall to portions of the northwest Colorado mountains.
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 Mar 26, 1:58 PM MST, 6 hours 2 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO 258 PM MDT WED MAR 26 2008 .SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY... A PROGRESSIVE LOW AMPLITUDE FLOW WILL REMAIN OVER THE FORECAST AREA THROUGH FRIDAY. A NEARLY STATIONARY SURFACE FRONT STRETCHES ACROSS WYOMING AND SOUTHERN IDAHO THIS AFTERNOON UNDERNEATH A STRONG UPPER LEVEL JET. MOST LOCATIONS MIXING WELL THIS AFTERNOON RESULTING IN WELL ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES AND BREEZY TO WINDY CONDITIONS. A SHORTWAVE AND ASSOCIATED JET CORE CURRENTLY MOVING ACROSS OREGON AND NOSING INTO IDAHO AND UTAH WILL PUSH THE SURFACE BOUNDARY SOUTH AS A COLD FRONT TONIGHT. COLDER AIR AND INCREASING MOISTURE WILL ACCOMPANYING THE FRONT AS IT SAGS SOUTH TO ABOUT THE ROAN AND TAVAPUTS PLATEAU BY MIDNIGHT. THE FRONT WILL THEN CONTINUE SOUTH AND THROUGH THE FOUR CORNERS AREA THURSDAY MORNING BECOMING ILL DEFINED IN THE PROCESS. MOISTURE STILL UNIMPRESSIVE LOOKING AND HAVE KEPT THE HIGHEST POPS ACROSS THE CENTRAL AND NORTHERN MOUNTAINS OF WESTERN COLORADO TONIGHT AND THURSDAY. EXPECT SNOW AMOUNTS GENERALLY IN THE 2 TO 6 INCH RANGE THROUGH THURSDAY AFTERNOON FOR THE MOUNTAINS AROUND ASPEN AND VAIL PASS NORTH ACROSS THE FLAT TOPS...PARK RANGE AND ELKHEADS. ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS ELSEWHERE FROM THE SAN JUAN AND LA SAL MOUNTAINS NORTHWARD TONIGHT AND THURSDAY WITH A MIX OF RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS AT LOW ELEVATIONS AND LITTLE TO NO ACCUMULATION. DRIER CONDITIONS THURSDAY NIGHT AS THE SHORTWAVE DEPARTS BUT STILL SOME LINGERING SHOWERS ALONG THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE. A FEW LIGHT SHOWERS OR SPRINKLES POSSIBLE OVER THE HIGH TERRAIN ON FRIDAY AS WARM AIR ADVECTION DEVELOPS AHEAD OF ANOTHER WEATHER SYSTEM. A SIGNIFICANT DOWNWARD TREND IN TEMPERATURES BEHIND THE FRONT THURSDAY WITH WARMING FOR FRIDAY. .LONG TERM...FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY... THE EXTENDED PATTERN REMAINS UNSETTLED THROUGH THE WEEKEND AND INTO NEXT WEEK. SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW ALOFT WITH AN EMBEDDED SHORTWAVE FOR FRIDAY NIGHT WILL INCREASE POPS SLIGHTLY OVER THE MOUNTAINS. UPPER LEVEL TROUGH SKIRTS ALONG THE NORTHERN EDGE OF THE FORECAST AREA STARTING EARLY SATURDAY..EASTERN UT AND WESTERN CO REMAIN UNDER SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW. UPPER LEVEL WINDS INCREASE SATURDAY AND HELP TO INCREASE SHOWERS OVER THE MOUNTAINS. MAIN TROUGH AXIS STAYS NORTH IN WY LEAVING SMALL WAVES ROTATING AROUND THE BOTTOM OF THE TROUGH AND OVER THE CWA. TIMING OF THE TROUGH AND ASSOCIATED SURFACE FRONT IS SLIGHTLY FASTER IN THE LATEST MODEL RUN...THEREFORE INCREASED POPS SATURDAY NIGHT BUT DID NOT JUMP COMPLETELY ON THE FASTER SOLUTION. THE BROAD TROUGH CONTINUES NORTH OF THE CWA THROUGH LATE MONDAY. MODELS BRING A LOW FROM SOUTHERN CA ACROSS CENTRAL NM AND EXITS LATE MONDAY. INCREASED POPS OVER THE CO MOUNTAINS SUNDAY AND SPREAD COVERAGE SUNDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT. BRIEF RIDGE MOVES OVERHEAD LATE MONDAY WITH LINGERING SHOWERS OVER THE MOUNTAINS. THE NEXT SYSTEM MOVES INLAND TUESDAY NIGHT OVER NORTHERN CA AND EJECTS EAST TO EASTER UT AND WESTERN CO WEDNESDAY. INCREASED POPS WITH A FOCUS CENTRAL AND SOUTH. && .AVIATION... VFR CONDITIONS TO PREVAIL LATE THIS AFTERNOON OUTSIDE OF A FEW ISOLATED SHOWERS OVER THE MOUNTAINS NORTH OF INTERSTATE 70. AS A COLD FRONT MOVES SOUTH INTO THE AREA TONIGHT...AREAS OF MVFR/IFR CIGS AND VISIBILITY WILL DEVELOP IN RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS MAINLY OVER THE MOUNTAINS NORTH OF A LINE FROM KGUC TO KVEL. IN ADDITION...GUSTY WEST WINDS IN THE 20 TO 30 KNOT RANGE WILL BE COMMON AT VALLEY AIRPORTS UNTIL ABOUT 03Z THIS EVENING. && .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 545 AM MDT WED MAR 26 2008 COZ001>014-017-018-UTZ023>025-027-271145- ARCHES/GRAND FLAT-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- GORE AND ELK MOUNTAINS/CENTRAL MOUNTAINS-GRAND AND BATTLEMENT MESAS- GRAND VALLEY-LOWER YAMPA RIVER BASIN-NORTHWEST SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS- ROAN AND TAVAPUTS PLATEAUS-TAVAPUTS PLATEAU- UNCOMPAHGRE PLATEAU AND DALLAS DIVIDE-UPPER GUNNISON RIVER VALLEY- UPPER YAMPA RIVER BASIN-WEST ELK AND SAWATCH MOUNTAINS- 545 AM MDT WED MAR 26 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST AND EAST CENTRAL UTAH...AND NORTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SNOW SHOWERS WILL DEVELOP OVER THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS LATE TODAY AND BECOME WIDESPREAD THERE TONIGHT. SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 1 TO 3 INCHES ARE EXPECTED OVER THE FLAT TOPS...AND THE ELKHEAD AND PARK MOUNTAINS. GUSTY WEST WINDS 15 TO 30 MPH WILL ALSO RESULT IN AREAS OF BLOWING SNOW IN THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS...AFFECTING TRAVEL OVER RABBIT EARS AND POSSIBLY VAIL PASS TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY SNOW SHOWERS WILL REMAIN LIKELY ACROSS THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS THURSDAY AND CONTINUE AFFECTING TRAVEL OVER RABBIT EARS AND VAIL PASSES. SNOW SHOWERS WILL DIMINISH THURSDAY EVENING. THE NEXT BEST CHANCE OF MOUNTAIN SNOW WILL BE SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING...WITH A BETTER CHANCE OF MOUNTAIN SNOW ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. MODERATE SNOW ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE POSSIBLE THIS WEEKEND...ESPECIALLY ABOVE 8000 FEET AND IMPACTING TRAVEL OVER THE MOUNTAIN PASSES. LIGHT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS MAY OCCUR OVER THE HIGHER NORTHERN AND CENTRAL VALLEYS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED TODAY OR TONIGHT. COZ019>023-UTZ022-028-029-271145- ANIMAS RIVER BASIN-CANYONLANDS/NATURAL BRIDGES- FOUR CORNERS/UPPER DOLORES RIVER-LA SAL AND ABAJO MOUNTAINS- PARADOX VALLEY/LOWER DOLORES RIVER-SAN JUAN RIVER BASIN- SOUTHEAST UTAH-SOUTHWEST SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS- 545 AM MDT WED MAR 26 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST UTAH AND SOUTHWEST COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT AFTERNOON HUMIDITY BETWEEN 10 AND 20 PERCENT COUPLED WITH ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES AND GUSTY WEST WINDS WILL INCREASE FIRE WEATHER CONCERNS FOR ANY SPRING BURNING OPERATIONS TODAY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY THE NEXT BEST CHANCE OF MOUNTAIN SNOW WILL BE SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING...WITH A BETTER CHANCE OF MOUNTAIN SNOW ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. MODERATE SNOW ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE POSSIBLE THIS WEEKEND...ESPECIALLY ABOVE 8000 FEET AND IMPACTING TRAVEL OVER THE MOUNTAIN PASSES. LIGHT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS MAY OCCUR OVER THE HIGHER NORTHERN AND CENTRAL VALLEYS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED TODAY OR TONIGHT. TGJT
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
Snowfall of 5 to 10 inches occurred.
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, March 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: 83248.