A moist Pacific trough produced significant snowfall in the mountains of western Colorado and lower elevation areas of northwest Colorado.
Every event with a place to put it; 13 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 moist Pacific trough produced significant snowfall in the mountains of western Colorado and lower elevation areas of northwest Colorado.
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 Apr 3, 3:19 AM MST, 41 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO
419 AM MDT SUN APR 3 2011
.SHORT TERM...TODAY THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT...
A STRONG COLD FRONT AND THE ASSOCIATED UPPER TROF ARE POISED TO MOVE
INTO THE NRN PORTION OF THE CWA EARLY THIS MORNING...THEN PUSH INTO
THE GRAND VALLEY BY AROUND NOON...THEN TO OUR SOUTHERN BORDER BY
00Z MON. STRONG DYNAMICAL FORCING AND FRONTOGENESIS SEEN IN AND
NEAR THE FRONT PROMISES TO BRING A GOOD BURST OF PCPN. SNOW LEVELS
WILL QUICKLY LOWER BEHIND THE FRONT AND TO ALL VALLEY LOCATIONS BY
THIS EVENING. GUSTY POSTFRONTAL WINDS WILL CAUSE CONSIDERABLE
BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW OVER THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS. CURRENT
HIGHLIGHTS IN GOOD SHAPE AND WILL LEAVE AS IS. TEMPERATURE WISE
HIGHS WILL BE REACHED EARLY THIS MORNING OVER THE NORTHERN AND
CENTRAL PORTIONS OF THE CWA WITH FALLING TEMPERATURES THIS
AFTERNOON. TONIGHT WILL BE MUCH COLDER AND THE NWRLY FLOW ALOFT
WILL KEEP OROGRAPHIC SHOWERS GOING THROUGH THE NIGHT AIDED BY STEEP
LAPSE RATES...ESPECIALLY OVER THE HIGHLIGHT AREAS. HOWEVER PCPN
INTENSITY WILL DECREASE AS THE NIGHT PROGRESSES AS MUCH DRIER AIR
LIES BEHIND THE FRONT.
HEIGHTS WILL BEGIN TO RISE MONDAY AS HIGH PRESSURE STARTS TO REBUILD
OVER THE GRT BASIN AND EXPECT BY 18Z PRECIP WILL HAVE ENDED IN MOST
LOCATIONS. WOULD NOT BE SURPRISED IF WE END UP HAVING TO CANCEL
SOME HIGHLIGHTS A BIT EARLIER THAN THE EXPIRATION TIME OF 9 AM.
SOME RESIDUAL MOISTURE WILL LINGER OVER THE NORTH MONDAY NIGHT AND
WOULD NOT RULE OUT A FLURRY OR TWO. OTHERWISE EXPECT A COOL NIGHT
WITH CLEAR SKIES OVER THE SWRN HALF OF THE CWA.
RECORD-BREAKING HIGH TEMPS YESTERDAY WILL DROP 20 TO 30 DEGREES
BEHIND TODAYS COLD FRONT AND REMAIN BELOW SEASONAL NORMALS THROUGH
MONDAY.
.LONG TERM...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY...
ON TUESDAY THE WESTERN U.S. RIDGE FLATTENS AS A SHORTWAVE RIDES ALONG
THE U.S./CA BORDER. A WEAK FRONT LINKED TO THE TAIL END OF THIS
SHORTWAVE WILL PASS OVERHEAD WED. IT PHASES WITH A TROUGH TRAVELING
THROUGH AZ AND NM AND WILL BRING INCREASING CLDS AND A SCATTERED
PRECIP. ON THURSDAY A STRONG STORM IS PROJECTED TO DEVELOP OVER THE
GREAT BASIN AND MOVE SE. IT'S ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT MOVES INTO NW CO
AND NE UT THU AFTERNOON. THEN ACCORDING TO THE GFS AND ECMWF...THE
FRONT STALLS WHEN THE MAIN TROUGH DIGS SOUTH AND RETROGRADES A BIT
THU NIGHT AND FRI NIGHT. THE FRONTAL BAND REMAINS ALMOST STATIONARY
OVER THE FORECAST AREA UNTIL SATURDAY WHEN THE MAIN TROUGH GRADUALLY
MOVES OVERHEAD.
&&
.AVIATION...
VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED EARLY TODAY THOUGH STRONG GUSTY WINDS WILL
CAUSE WIDESPREAD MECHANICAL AND MOUNTAIN WAVE RELATED TURBULENCE NEAR
TAF SITES...ESPECIALLY KASE AND KEGE. A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL MOVE
THROUGH THE AREA FROM LATE MORNING THROUGH THIS EVENING...CAUSING
ALL TAF SITES TOMORROW TO EXPERIENCE PERIODS OF MVFR...AND POSSIBLE
IFR...UNDER RAIN AND SNOWSHOWERS.
&&
.HYDROLOGY...
LOCAL RIVER GAUGES INDICATING SOME RISE AND INCREASED FLOWS TO AREA
RIVERS DUE TO WARM TEMPS AND SNOWMELT. THESE READINGS ARE WELL BELOW
ANY ACTIONS LEVELS SO NO CONCERNS ATTM BUT WILL CONTINUE TO KEEP AN
EYE ON GAUGES AS THIS WARMING WILL INCREASE SNOWMELT FURTHER
INCREASING RIVER FLOWS AND HEIGHTS.
&&
.GJT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
CO...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 6 AM TODAY UNTIL 9 AM MDT MONDAY
FOR ZONES 001>003-005-017>019.
WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 6 AM TODAY UNTIL 9 AM MDT MONDAY FOR
ZONES 004-009-010-012-013.
UT...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 6 AM TODAY UNTIL 9 AM MDT MONDAY
FOR ZONES 023-025.
SHORT TERM.....MC
LONG TERM......CJC
AVIATION.......TGR
HYDROLOGY......TGRHAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO 408 AM MDT SUN APR 3 2011 COZ001>014-017>023-UTZ022>025-027>029-041100- 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- 408 AM MDT SUN APR 3 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EASTERN UTAH AND WESTERN COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT... A SIGNIFICANT STORM WILL MOVE THROUGH THE AREA TODAY THROUGH EARLY MONDAY...WITH WINTER STORM WARNINGS FOR MANY MOUNTAIN LOCATIONS...WITH SNOW ADVISORIES IN EFFECT FOR THE NORTHERN VALLEYS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY... THE NEXT CHANCE FOR ANY SIGNIFICANT WEATHER IS WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY WHEN ANOTHER STRONG PACIFIC STORM IS PROJECTED TO MOVE OVER THE AREA. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED TODAY OR TONIGHT. MC/CJC
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO
212 AM MDT SUN APR 03 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1210 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 3 E RIFLE 39.55N 107.72W
04/03/2011 M67 MPH GARFIELD CO ASOS
&&
EVENT NUMBER GJT1100319
MALEKSAPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO
213 AM MDT SUN APR 03 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1134 PM NON-TSTM WND GST 1 ESE CRAIG 40.51N 107.53W
04/02/2011 M62 MPH MOFFAT CO ASOS
&&
EVENT NUMBER GJT1100320
MALEKSAPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO
214 AM MDT SUN APR 03 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0859 PM NON-TSTM WND GST 1 S MEEKER 40.04N 107.89W
04/02/2011 M51 MPH RIO BLANCO CO ASOS
&&
EVENT NUMBER GJT1100321
MALEKSAPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO
215 AM MDT SUN APR 03 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1045 PM NON-TSTM WND GST 3 NNE GRAND JUNCTION 39.12N 108.53W
04/02/2011 M48 MPH MESA CO ASOS
&&
EVENT NUMBER GJT1100322
MALEKSAPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO
216 AM MDT SUN APR 03 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0355 PM NON-TSTM WND GST 1 ESE VERNAL 40.44N 109.51W
04/02/2011 M46 MPH UINTAH UT ASOS
&&
EVENT NUMBER GJT1100323
MALEKSAPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO
217 AM MDT SUN APR 03 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0100 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 3 WSW RED MOUNTAIN PASS 37.88N 107.74W
04/03/2011 M87 MPH SAN JUAN CO MESONET
&&
EVENT NUMBER GJT1100324
MALEKSAThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
9 winter weather, 4 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Snowfall of 9 to 15 inches was measured across the area. Winds gusted 20 to 30 mph and produced local blowing and drifting snow.
Snowfall of 3 to 4 inches was measured across the area. Winds gusted 20 to 30 mph and produced local blowing and drifting snow.
Snowfall of 10 to 14 inches was measured across the area. Winds gusted 20 to 25 mph and produced local blowing and drifting snow.
Snowfall of 4 to 6 inches was measured across the area. Winds gusted 20 to 35 mph and produced local blowing and drifting snow.
Snowfall of 2 to 5 inches was measured across the area. Winds gusted 20 to 30 mph and produced local blowing and drifting snow.
Snowfall of 4 to 6 inches was measured across most of the area.
Snowfall of 12 to 14 inches was measured across most of the area. Winds gusted 20 to 30 mph and produced local blowing and drifting snow.
Snowfall of 5 to 7 inches was measured above the 7000 foot level. Winds gusted 20 to 35 mph and produced local blowing and drifting snow.
Snowfall of 2 to 7 inches was measured across the eastern half of the area. Winds gusted 20 to 30 mph and produced local blowing and drifting snow.
Snowfall of 9 to 15 inches was measured across the area. Winds gusted 20 to 35 mph and produced local blowing and drifting snow.
Snowfall of 4 to 10 inches was measured across the area. Locally heavier amounts included 14 inches at Schofield Pass. Winds gusted 20 to 35 mph and produced local blowing and drifting snow.
Snowfall of 5 to 12 inches was measured across the area. Winds gusted 25 to 50 mph and produced areas of blowing and drifting snow.
Snowfall of 3 to 6 inches was measured across the area. Winds gusted 25 to 50 mph and produced areas of blowing and drifting snow.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Colorado in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, April 2011
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: 314276, 314283, 314280, 314281, 314284, 314282, 314277, 314285, 314288, 314278, 314279, 314286, 314287.