A strong early spring storm system moved southeast across eastern Utah and brought heavy snow and gusty winds to the mountains.
Every event with a place to put it; 3 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 strong early spring storm system moved southeast across eastern Utah and brought heavy snow and gusty winds to the 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 24, 11:28 AM MST, 32 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO 1228 PM MDT TUE MAR 24 2009 .UPDATE...SNOW HAS DIMINISHED THIS MORNING SO HAVE LET THE WARNINGS AND ADVISORY EXPIRE. THAT SAID...WE ARE STILL GETTING SHOWERS IN THE NORTHWEST FLOW. ALSO SATELLITE AND RADAR IMAGES INDICATE THAT THESE WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. BUT ACCUMULATIONS WILL GENERALLY BE ON THE LIGHT SIDE. HAVE UPPED AFTERNOON POPS FOR SOME LOCATIONS TO ACCOUNT FOR THESE SHOWERS. AGAIN THEY WILL FAVOR THE NORTH TO NORTHWEST FACING SLOPES. && .SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY... UPPER LOW CONTINUES TO SLOWLY EJECT NORTHEAST OVER THE HIGH PLAINS WITH WRAP AROUND MOISTURE AND CLOUDS CONTINUING OVER THE WESTERN CO. SATELLITE IMAGES SHOW DECREASE IN CLOUD COVER OVER CO AND LESS COVERAGE OVER THE FAR SOUTHWESTERN CORNER OF THE STATE. CLOUD TOPS HAVE REGENERATED OVER SOUTH CENTRAL WY AGAIN EARLY THIS MORNING. SNOTEL TRENDS WERE UPWARD OVERNIGHT FOR THE NORTHERN AND NORTHERN PART OF THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS. EXPECT SNOW TO CONTINUE OVER THE MOUNTAINS WITH ADDITIONAL ONE TO FOUR INCHES POSSIBLE. THE LOW WILL SLOWLY TRACK EAST AND THE WRAP AROUND WILL DECREASE THROUGH THE MORNING. THEREFORE EXTENDED THE HILITES THROUGH NOON...AS MORE DATA IS RECEIVED LATER THIS MORNING THE HILITES CAN BE REFINED. ANOTHER WEAK WAVE MOVES INTO THE AREA ON THE HEELS OF THE LAST AND KEEPS SNOW SHOWERS OVER THE CENTRAL AND NORTHERN MOUNTAINS OF EASTERN UT AND WESTERN CO. UNSETTLED WEATHER PATTERN THROUGH MID WEEK WITH A NUMBER OF SHORT WAVES TRACKING THROUGH THE NORTHWEST FLOW HELP ADD TO THE OROGRAPHIC LIFT KEEPING PERIODS OF SNOW SHOWERS MAINLY OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN WEDNESDAY. THE FIRST PART OF THE NEST LARGER SYSTEM STARTS TO INFLUENCE THE REGION WEDNESDAY NIGHT ALTHOUGH DIFFERENCES IN THE MODELS LOWERS CONFIDENCE IN TIMING AND PLACEMENT. SLIGHT WARMING TREND OF A FEW DEGREES ON WEDNESDAY WITH MOST LOCATIONS REMAINING JUST BELOW NORMAL. .LONG TERM...THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY... UNSETTLED CONDITIONS CONTINUE AS A SIGNIFICANT SPRING STORM SWEEPS THROUGH THE FORECAST AREA. MODELS HAVE DEVIATED SOMEWHAT WITH THE LATEST GFS RUN COMING IN A BIT FASTER WITH TRANSITIONING THE DIGGING GREAT BASIN LOW THROUGH THE FOUR CORNERS AND INTO THE TEXAS PANHANDLE BY NOON FRIDAY. NEW 06Z NAM12 NOW SHOWING A MUCH SLOWER AND DEEPER LOW CLOSING OFF OVER THE FOUR CORNERS BY LATE THURSDAY TRACKING VERY SLOWLY EAST INTO NORTHERN NEW MEXICO BY MIDDAY FRIDAY. DIFFERENCE IN MODELS HAVE MAJOR IMPACTS ON OUR FORECAST AS THE MORE PROGRESSIVE GFS WOULD RESULT IN LESS SNOWFALL FOR OUR AREA. HOWEVER...THE DEEPER NAM WOULD ALSO RESULT IN QUESTIONABLE AMOUNTS OF SNOWFALL AS FLOW EVENTUALLY BECOMES DEEP EASTERLY WHICH IS NOT FAVORABLE FOR SIGNIFICANT WEST SLOPE SNOWFALL. SINCE THERE REMAINS MUCH UNCERTAINTY WITH THIS SYSTEM...WILL NOT BE MAKING SIGNIFICANT ADJUSTMENTS TO THE GRIDS...ALTHOUGH SNOW WILL BE LIKELY...JUST HOW MUCH REMAINS IN QUESTION. WILL LET LATER SHIFTS ZONE IN ON THIS AS THE MODELS COME BACK INTO BETTER AGREEMENT. ONCE THIS SYSTEM EXITS THE REGION LATE FRIDAY...NORTHWEST FLOW BECOMES ESTABLISHED...WITH ENOUGH LINGERING MOISTURE TO KEEP OROGRAPHICALLY DRIVEN SHOWERS IN THE FORECAST FOR TH NORTHERN MOUNTAINS OF WESTERN COLORADO. OTHERWISE A DRY AND SLIGHTLY WARMER WEEKEND IS IN STORE FOR THE MAJORITY OF THE FORECAST AREA. && .AVIATION... SCATTERED RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE ACROSS MUCH OF WESTERN COLORADO AND EASTERN UTAH THROUGH WEDNESDAY. EXPECT OCCASIONAL MVFR TO IFR CIGS AND VSBYS...ESPECIALLY OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN. && .GJT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... .CO...NONE. .UT...NONE. UPDATE.........EH SHORT TERM.....AS LONG TERM......JDC AVIATION.......JDC
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO 545 AM MDT TUE MAR 24 2009 COZ001>014-017>023-UTZ022>025-027>029-251145- 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 MDT TUE MAR 24 2009 ...EARLY SPRING STORM CONTINUES TO IMPACT WESTERN COLORADO THIS MORNING... .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT HEAVY SNOW IN THE MOUNTAINS WILL CONTINUE THIS MORNING AS WRAP AROUND MOISTURE MOVES OVERHEAD FROM A VIGOROUS SPRING STORM NOW OVER THE HIGH PLAINS. ALSO...CONTINUED STRONG WINDS OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN WILL RESULT IN BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW. PRECIPITATION WILL DIMINISH FROM WEST TO EAST LATE THIS MORNING. THE NORTHERN AND NORTH CENTRAL MOUNTAINS OF WESTERN COLORADO WILL CONTINUE TO SEE LINGERING SNOW SHOWERS THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY AN UNSETTLED FLOW WILL REMAIN OVER THE FORECAST AREA THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK. THE BEST CHANCE FOR SNOW IN THE MOUNTAINS AND RAIN AND SNOW IN THE VALLEYS WILL BE ON THURSDAY WHEN ANOTHER STRONG STORM PASSES THROUGH THE REGION. DRY AND WARMER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO MOVE IN OVER THE WEEKEND. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED TODAY AND TONIGHT...HOWEVER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS. AS/JDC
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 winter weather, 1 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Twelve to fourteen inches of snowfall occurred above 8000 feet. Wind gusts of 20 to 40 mph produced blowing and drifting snow.
Five to ten inches of snow occurred with wind gusts of 20 to 35 mph producing blowing and drifting snow.
Five to eleven inches of snow occurred with wind gusts of 25 to 45 mph producing blowing and drifting snow.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Utah in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in Utah, March 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: 154735, 154736, 154737.