A strong winter storm system moved into the Great Basin Region pulling a strong cold front with it. The front stalled over northeast Utah, where it produced heavy snowfall over the eastern Utah 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 winter storm system moved into the Great Basin Region pulling a strong cold front with it. The front stalled over northeast Utah, where it produced heavy snowfall over the eastern Utah mountains. The front then pushed through western Colorado spreading heavy snow over the Colorado mountains and higher valleys across northwest Colorado. This event began in March, so please see the March 2010 Storm Data Publication for additional information.
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 31, 8:00 PM MST, 4 hours earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO
900 PM MDT WED MAR 31 2010
.845 PM UPDATE...WEAK SURFACE INVERSIONS HAVE GENERALLY DIMINISHED
WIND GUSTS AROUND THE REGION. GUSTY WINDS WILL CONTINUE TONIGHT
UNDER THE STRONG SW GRADIENT AND APPROACHING FRONT...BUT WINDS WILL
GENERALLY REMAIN BELOW WIND ADVISORY CRITERIA.
RECEIVED A REPORT THIS EVENING OF 4 INCHES OF NEW SNOW AT FLAMING
GORGE. OTHERWISE SNOW ACCUMULATION LEVEL LOOKS LIKE SOMEWHERE
AROUND 10KFT THIS EVENING. FIRST GLANCE AT THE NEW NAM MODEL RUN
HAS SNOW LEVELS DROPPING IN COLD ADVECTION TONIGHT TO AROUND 8KFT...
PERHAPS 7.5KFT NORTH. MID-LEVEL/700-600MB FRONT PROGGED TO BE
ORIENTED FROM STEAMBOAT TO GJT TO MEXICAN HAT BY 06Z...WITH A
SECONDARY SFC FRONT TO PUSH IN THURSDAY MORNING. JET SUPPORT
AVAILABLE THRU THURSDAY AFTERNOON FOR THE CO MTNS. INSTABILITY THU
AFTERNOON WILL PRODUCE LOCALLY HEAVY SHOWERS. THE NEW NAM IS
PRODUCING AROUND 2 FEET OF NEW SNOW IN THE NORTHERN MTNS...CLOSER TO
A FOOT SOUTH...BY FRIDAY AFTERNOON. WINTER HIGHLIGHTS LOOK ON TRACK.
&&
.PREVIOUS DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 257 PM MDT WED MAR 31 2010/
.SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY...
CURRENT FORECAST PACKAGE IS IN GOOD SHAPE AND PLAN NO SIGNIFICANT
CHANGES TO THE CURRENT WIND ADVISORY OR WINTER HIGHLIGHTS.
LARGE TROF OVER THE WEST SHOWS SIGNS OF SPLITTING WITH SRN BRANCH
DEEPENING ALONG THE SRN CA COAST...WHILE NRN BRANCH DEVELOPS AND
PUSHES THE STALLED SFC COLD FRONT OVER NE UTAH INTO NWRN CO
TONIGHT. DYNAMICS PRETTY IMPRESSIVE AHEAD OF FRONT WITH POSSIBLE
BANDED PCPN DEVELOPING NORTH OF A LINE FROM GATEWAY TO STEAMBOAT.
THIS COULD PROVIDE HEAVY BURSTS OF SNOW TO THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF
THE NW PLATEAU AND PARK/FLATTOP MTNS. THE UPPER LEVEL TROF AND
ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT WILL THEN PUSH EWRD THROUGH THE CWA THURSDAY.
CURRENT TIMING OF FRONT SHOWS IT REACHING GJT BETWEEN 1000-1200 MDT.
DYNAMICS AND MSTR REMAIN SUFFICIENT FOR ADDITIONAL SIGNIFICANT SNOW
OVER THE MTNS ESPECIALLY ABOVE 8000 FEET. IN THE LOWER VALLEYS
EARLY MORNING SNOW WILL CHANGE TO RAIN OR MIXED RAIN AND SNOW AFTER
FRONTAL PASSAGE.
DRYING AND SUBSIDENCE WILL WORK INTO THE REGION FROM THE WEST THUR
NIGHT ALTHOUGH W-NW FLOW AND LOW LEVEL MOISTURE WILL PRODUCE GOOD
OROGRAPHIC UPGLIDE OVER THE MTNS...MOST NOTABLE OVER THE NORTH. THE
NORTHWEST FLOW WILL CONTINUE THROUGH FRIDAY AS A RIDGE OF HIGH
PRESSURE BUILDS ALONG THE WEST COAST. LIKELY TO BE A FEW LINGERING
SHOWERS OVER THE NRN MTNS ESPECIALLY AS CHANNELED VORT STRUCTURE
SHIFTS EWRD ACROSS THE CWA.
.LONG TERM...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY...
WESTERN EDGE OF THE TROUGH EXITS EAST OF THE FORECAST AREA AS A
BRIEF WEAK TRANSITORY RIDGE SLIDES OVERHEAD. THIS RIDGE FEATURE
MOVES QUICKLY AND IS EAST OF THE DIVIDE BY DAY BREAK. UPPER LEVEL
PATTERN BECOMES ZONAL SATURDAY. A FEW DISTURBANCES TACK THROUGH THE
FLOW OVER THE WEEKEND THEREFORE LEFT LIMITED POPS OVER THE NORTHERN
MOUNTAINS.
THE NEXT PAC TROUGH MOVES INLAND EARLY NEXT WEEK AND SHIFTS THE
UPPER LEVEL FLOW TO SOUTHWESTERLY. MOISTURE INCREASE LATE SUNDAY
INTO MONDAY INCREASING CLOUD COVER AND THEN POPS FOR MONDAY HEAD
OF THE TROUGH AXIS. THE SYSTEM MOVES TROUGH MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT
WITH THE TROUGH AXIS EAST OF THE DIVIDE BY TUESDAY. SHOWERS WILL
LINGER OVER THE NORTHERN AND CENTRAL MOUNTAINS OF WESTERN CO
THROUGH TUESDAY. WINDS WILL ALSO TURN NORTHWESTERLY.
THE NEXT RIDGE BUILDS THE WESTERN PORTION OF THE COUNTRY BY MID WEEK
AND SLIDES EAST OVER EASTERN UT AND WESTERN CO. TEMPERATURE WILL
INCREASE BACK TO NORMAL AND ABOVE.
&&
.AVIATION...
A COLD FRONT CURRENTLY OVER NW CO AND NE UTAH...IS CAUSING
SCATTERED SHOWERS AND LOCAL MVFR CONDITIONS OVER NORTHEAST UTAH
AND AROUND THE ASE AREAS...ELSEWHERE VFR CONDITIONS EXIST. STRONG
SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL CONTINUE TONIGHT CAUSING WIDESPREAD MOUNTAINWAVE
TURBULENCE. RAIN AND SNOW WILL SPREAD ACROSS THE AREA FROM NORTHWEST
TO SOUTHEAST TONIGHT CAUSING WIDESPREAD MVFR CIGS AND VSBYS AND AREAS
OF IFR CONDITIONS OVER ALL THE MOUNTAINS. SNOW LEVELS WILL LOWER FROM
ABOVE 10,000 FEET MSL TODAY TO 5000-7000 FT BY THU MORNING.
WIDESPREAD MTN IFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED THURSDAY DUE TO VSBY AND
CIGS...THE LOWER WESTERN VALLEYS WILL HAVE MVFR TO OCCASIONALLY VFR
CONDITIONS.
&&
.GJT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
CO...WINTER STORM WARNING FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT THROUGH 6 AM FRIDAY
FOR ZONES 03-04-09-10-12-13-17>19.
UT...WIND ADVISORY FROM 9 AM MDT WEDNESDAY TO 9 PM MDT WEDNESDAY
EVENING FOR ZONES 22-25-27>29.
WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 6PM THROUGH MIDNIGHT THURSDAY
FOR ZONE 23.
&&
UPDATE.......JOE
SHORT TERM...MC
LONG TERM....AS
AVIATION.....MCHAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO 930 PM MDT WED MAR 31 2010 COZ001>014-017>023-UTZ022>025-027>029-011100- 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- 930 PM MDT WED MAR 31 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EASTERN UTAH AND WESTERN COLORADO. .DAY ONE...REST OF TONIGHT GUSTY SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL CONTINUE TONIGHT. PRECIPITATION WILL INCREASE ACROSS THE AREA TONIGHT...AS A STRONG LATE WINTER STORM AFFECTS EASTERN UTAH AND WESTERN COLORADO. WINTER STORM WARNINGS AND WINTER WEATHER ADVISORIES ARE IN EFFECT TONIGHT FOR ALL THE MOUNTAINS OF EASTERN UTAH AND WESTERN COLORADO. SNOWFALL AND GUSTY WINDS WILL CAUSE HAZARDOUS DRIVING CONDITIONS OVER ALL HIGH MOUNTAIN PASSES AND MOST ROADS IN THE HIGH COUNTRY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY A STRONG PACIFIC STORM WILL CONTINUE CAUSING HAZARDOUS TRAVELING CONDITIONS ACROSS ALL HIGH MOUNTAIN PASSES ON THURSDAY AND THURSDAY NIGHT. EXPECT VALLEY RAIN...MOUNTAIN SNOW AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS. PRECIPITATION WILL DECREASE LATE THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY...BUT MUCH COLDER AIR WILL MOVE INTO THE AREA MAKING SNOW POSSIBLE IN ALL VALLEY BOTTOMS. ANOTHER PACIFIC STORM WILL BRING WIDESPREAD PRECIPITATION AND GUSTY WINDS SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED TODAY OR TONIGHT. TGJT
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO
821 PM MDT WED MAR 31 2010
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1233 PM NON-TSTM WND GST GRAND JUNCTION 39.09N 108.55W
03/31/2010 M45 MPH MESA CO TRAINED SPOTTER
&&
EVENT NUMBER GJT1000361
MCSPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO
823 PM MDT WED MAR 31 2010
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1250 PM NON-TSTM WND GST GRAND JUNCTION 39.09N 108.55W
03/31/2010 M45 MPH MESA CO ASOS
&&
EVENT NUMBER GJT1000362
MCSPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO
846 PM MDT WED MAR 31 2010
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0330 PM NON-TSTM WND GST 6 ESE WHITEWATER 38.95N 108.33W
03/31/2010 M69 MPH MESA CO TRAINED SPOTTER
&&
EVENT NUMBER GJT1000363
MCSThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 winter storm, 1 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy snow produced accumulations of 12 to 15 inches above 8,000 feet, with 6 to 12 inches elsewhere. Winds gusted to 40 mph generating areas of blowing snow. This event began in March, so please see the March 2010 Storm Data Publication for additional information.
Snowfall amounts ranged from 5 to 7 inches. Frequent wind gusts to 50 mph produced blowing and drifting snow. This event began in March, so please see the March 2010 Storm Data Publication for additional information.
Heavy snowfall produced accumulations of 12 to 20 inches above 8,000 feet. Extensive blowing and drifting snow was generated by frequent wind gusts to 55 mph, with locally stronger gusts up to 68 mph on top of La Sal Mountain. This event began in March, so please see the March 2010 Storm Data Publication for additional information.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Utah in 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyWarnings in Utah, April 2010
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: 219089, 219090, 219091.