A very moist but relatively warm Pacific storm system brought significant snowfall to the mountains of western Colorado, especially above 9000 feet.
Every event with a place to put it; 8 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 very moist but relatively warm Pacific storm system brought significant snowfall to the mountains of western Colorado, especially above 9000 feet.
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 Feb 22, 3:46 PM MST, 8 hours 14 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO 346 PM MST SUN FEB 22 2009 .SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY... UPPER LEVEL RIDGE OVER THE REGION WILL REMAIN IN PLACE THROUGH TUESDAY ALTHOUGH A SERIES OF WEAK PACIFIC WAVES WILL HELP TO FLATTEN OR COMPRESS THE RIDGE OVER THE REGION. THIS WILL KEEP THE DEEP PLUME OF PACIFIC MOISTURE STREAMING OVER THE FORECAST AREA THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT. CURRENTLY DEALING WITH MAINLY MID AND HIGH LEVEL MOISTURE... WITH A FEW HIGH BASED VIRGA SHOWERS VISIBLE. MOISTURE WILL GRADUALLY LOWER OVER THE FORECAST AREA TONIGHT...WITH A FEW LIGHT SHOWERS REACHING THE HIGHER TERRAIN AFTER MIDNIGHT. NOTHING MAJOR DYNAMICALLY TO ENHANCE SHOWERS OVERNIGHT...SO MOST ACTIVITY WILL BE AIDED BY WEAK OROGRAPHICS. DEEP MOISTURE PLUME REMAINS IN PLACE ON MONDAY AS A COUPLE FAST MOVING PACIFIC WAVES WORK ACROSS. THIS WILL HELP TO KICK OFF MORE WIDESPREAD SHOWERS DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING...BUT NEUTRAL TEMP ADVECTION KEEPS SNOW LEVELS RATHER HIGH ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA. EXPECT MAINLY RAIN SHOWERS FOR THE VALLEYS BELOW 8K... WITH SNOW UP TOP. AT THIS TIME...DYNAMICS LOOK MARGINAL GOING INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS MONDAY NIGHT. MODELS ARE GENERATING QPF AMOUNTS THAT WOULD SUGGEST THE NEED FOR MOUNTAIN ADVISORIES ACROSS THE NORTHERN AND CENTRAL ZONES OF WESTERN COLORADO. HOWEVER...SIGNIFICANT CAA IS NOT EXPECTED AND OUTSIDE OF OROGRAPHICS...THERE IS NOT A WHOLE LOT OF FORCING TO WORK WITH TO GET HEAVY SNOW AMOUNTS. WILL KEEP A CLOSE EYE ON THINGS AND IF THE PACIFIC WAVE COMES IN A BIT STRONGER...WE MAY NEED TO KICK OUT A FEW LOW END ADVISORIES FOR THE COLORADO MOUNTAINS. BUT FOR NOW...WILL STICK WITH ACCUMULATIONS FROM 2 TO 6 INCHES FOR THE MOUNTAINS STARTING MONDAY AFTERNOON AND CONTINUING THROUGH MIDDAY TUESDAY...BEFORE DRIER CONDITIONS SPREAD BACK IN. TEMPERATURES WILL CHANGE LITTLE THROUGH THE PERIOD WITH MILD CONDITIONS PERSISTING FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR. .LONG TERM...TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY... VERY ELONGATED UPPER LEVEL RIDGE PATTERN TUESDAY NIGHT WILL KEEP SHOWERS AT A MINIMUM WITH LINGERING SHOWERS OVER THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS OF WESTERN CO. THE RIDGE WILL TRANSITION TO MORE ZONAL BY WEDNESDAY AND REMAINS OVERHEAD THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK. A SUBTLE TROUGH WILL TRACK THROUGH THE FLOW WEDNESDAY...PROBABILITY OF SHOWERS SHOULD INCREASE SLIGHTLY OVER THE NORTHERN PORTION OF THE FORECAST AREA. A FEW OTHER DISTURBANCES TRACK THROUGH THE FLOW BRINGING PERIODS OF SHOWERS TO THE NORTHERN PORTION OF THE CWA THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK. THE SOUTHERN PORTION OF THE FORECAST AREA REMAINS MAINLY DRY. CONFIDENCE STILL LOW WITH THE DETAILS. MODELS INDICATE A DIRTY RIDGE FORMING FOR NEXT WEEKEND. DAYTIME TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN NEAR OR ABOVE NORMAL THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK. && .AVIATION... VFR CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THIS EVENING AS MOISTURE CONTINUES TO SLOWLY INCREASE AND DEEPEN. EXPECT A FEW SNOW SHOWERS TO DEVELOP OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN AFTER 07Z TONIGHT...WITH RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS BECOMING MORE WIDESPREAD AFTER 19Z MONDAY. CIGS AND VSBYS WILL DROP DOWN INTO THE MVFR AND IFR CATEGORIES ON MONDAY... AND REMAIN POOR THROUGH EARLY TUESDAY...BEFORE DRIER CONDITIONS ARRIVE...BRINGING A RETURN TO VFR CONDITIONS BY TUESDAY AFTERNOON. && .GJT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... .CO...NONE. .UT...NONE. SHORT TERM.....JDC LONG TERM......AS AVIATION.......JDC
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO 545 AM MST SUN FEB 22 2009 COZ001>014-017>023-UTZ022>025-027>029-231245- 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 SUN FEB 22 2009 .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT LIGHT VALLEY RAIN AND MOUNTAIN SNOW WILL BEGIN LATE TONIGHT... FAVORING EASTERN UTAH AND SOUTHWESTERN COLORADO. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY MOUNTAIN SNOWFALL AND VALLEY RAIN WILL BECOME WIDESPREAD ON MONDAY SPECIALLY ACROSS NORTHEAST UTAH AND NORTHWEST COLORADO. THERE IS A CHANCE OF MOUNTAIN SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW...AND VALLEY RAIN EACH DAY THROUGH SATURDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED TODAY OR TONIGHT. TGJT
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
7 winter weather, 1 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Snowfall of 5 to 12 inches blanketed the area, mainly above the 9000 foot level. Locally heavier amounts included 14 inches on Lizard Head Pass. Wind gusts of 20 to 50 mph produced blowing and drifting snow.
Widespread snowfall of 5 to 12 inches occurred, mainly above the 9000 foot level. Locally higher amounts included 13 inches on Molas Pass and 17 inches at Silverton Mountain Ski Area. Wind gusts of 25 to 55 mph produced blowing and drifting snow.
Snowfall of 4 to 12 inches occurred while wind gusts of 20 to 35 mph produced blowing and drifting snow.
Snowfall of 3 to 11 inches occurred while wind gusts of 25 to 35 mph produced blowing and drifting snow.
Snowfall of 4 to 12 inches was measured. Locally heavier snowfall included 16 inches at Snowmass Ski Area. Wind gusts of 20 to 30 mph produced areas of blowing and drifting snow.
Snowfall of 5 to 12 inches occurred while wind gusts of 20 to 30 mph produced blowing and drifting snow.
Snowfall of 3 to 5 inches occurred.
Widespread snowfall of 12 to 20 inches occurred above 9000 feet with 8 to 12 inches at lower elevations. 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 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, February 2009
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: 151455, 151456, 151451, 151452, 151453, 151454, 151457, 151450.