A closed upper low tracked eastward from Utah into Colorado and produced significant snowfall across most of southwest Colorado.
Every event with a place to put it; 7 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 closed upper low tracked eastward from Utah into Colorado and produced significant snowfall across most of southwest 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 Feb 5, 8:38 PM MST, 22 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO 838 PM MST SUN FEB 5 2012 .AVIATION /FOR 06Z TAF ISSUANCE/... AN UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM SITUATED OVER NORTHERN UTAH WILL CONTINUE TO WRAP LIMITED AMOUNTS OF MOISTURE ACROSS EASTERN UTAH AND WESTERN COLORADO TONIGHT AND MONDAY. WEAK SHRTWV ENERGY ROTATING AROUND THE LOW PRESSURE WILL BRING PERIOD OF SNOW ALONG WITH MVFR TO LOCAL IFR CONDITIONS...GENERALLY SOUTH OF A LINE FROM K4BL-KMTJ-KUC. AS THE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM STARTS TO MOVE OUT EARLY MONDAY THE LOW CLOUDS AND SNOW SHOWERS WILL LIFT NORTHEAST ACROSS WEST CENTRAL COLORADO...BETWEEN 09Z AND 15Z MONDAY MORNING...IMPACTING KRIL...KASE AND KEGE WITH LOCAL MVFR CIGS AS SNOW SHOWERS MOVE THROUGH. VFR CONDITIONS RETURN TO ALL SITE BY 07Z TUESDAY AS THE UPPER LOW EXITS TO THE EAST. && .PREV DISCUSSION /ISSUED 327 PM MST SUN FEB 5 2012/... SHORT TERM /TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY/... SHORTWAVE ENERGY ROTATING AROUND CUT-OFF LOW OVER UTAH AND WEAK UPSLOPE FLOW OVER THE SOUTHERN ZONES CONTINUES TO PRODUCE SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS THIS AFTERNOON. FEW AREAS WEST OF DURANGO...NEAR HESPERUS...GOT UNDERNEATH SOME BANDING THIS MORNING WHICH LED TO PERSISTENT LIGHT SNOWFALL FOR SEVERAL HOURS RESULTING IN ACCUMULATIONS AROUND 3 INCHES. OTHERWISE...SNOWFALL AMOUNTS HAVE BEEN RATHER MEAGER IN MOST AREAS...AND GENERALLY RESTRICTED TO THE SOUTHERN VALLEYS AS FLOW HAS NOT BEEN STRONG ENOUGH TO DRIVE THE MOISTURE INTO THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS. PATTERN BEGINS TO CHANGE TONIGHT AND MONDAY AS STRONGER PIECE OF ENERGY NOW DROPPING SOUTHWEST INTO NORTHERN UTAH...WILL BE ARRIVING AFTER MIDNIGHT. THIS WILL FINALLY GET THE LOW MOVING OUT BY EARLY MONDAY...WITH BETTER ENERGY/FORCING INTO THE SOUTHERN MOUNTAINS. EXPECT SNOWFALL TO INCREASE IN COVERAGE AND INTENSITY OVERNIGHT...PEAKING IN THE SOUTHERN SAN JUANS BY MORNING. FLOW THEN FLIPS TO MORE WEST AND NORTHWEST COMPONENT BY MIDDAY MONDAY...SHIFTING FOCUS TO THE NORTHWEST SAN JUANS AND THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS. TOYED WITH THE IDEA OF A LOW END ADVISORY FOR PORTIONS OF THE SAN JUANS...BUT CONFIDENCE OF WIDESPREAD ADVISORY SNOWFALL OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS IS NOT GREAT ENOUGH TO HOIST IT WITH MOISTURE MARGINAL AT BEST. SO WILL BE RUNNING WITH 2 TO 6 INCHES FOR THE SOUTHERN MOUNTAINS...WITH ANOTHER 1 TO 4 FOR THE SOUTHERN VALLEYS FROM DURANGO EAST TO PAGOSA SPRINGS. OF COURSE...LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS POSSIBLE...MAINLY ACROSS THE SAN JUANS. THIS SYSTEM EXITS TO THE EAST MONDAY EVENING WITH SNOW ENDING FROM WEST TO EAST. SLIGHT MODERATION OF TEMPS EXPECTED TONIGHT...MAINLY ALONG AND SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 70 AS LOW LEVEL MOISTURE INCREASES...WITH DECK OF STRATUS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP. THIS WILL KEEP MINS UP BY AS MUCH AS 10 DEGREES IN A FEW AREAS VERSUS READINGS THIS MORNING. CLOUD COVER AND PASSING UPPER LOW ON MONDAY KEEPS TEMPS NEAR NORMAL WITH COLDER CONDITIONS ANTICIPATED MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY AS SKIES CLEAR IN THE WAKE OF THE EXITING LOW. LONG TERM /TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY/... THE PATTERN FOR THESE PERIODS REMAIN COMPLEX. YET NO MATTER WHICH MODEL SOLUTION IS FAVORED THE RESULTS ARE ESSENTIALLY THE SAME. MOSTLY DRY AND MILD CONDITIONS WILL DOMINATE. TUESDAY NIGHT...A WEAK RIDGE BLOSSOMS OVER THE REGION AHEAD OF A CLOSED LOW ROLLING DOWN THE BAJA. FLOW ALOFT IS FROM THE SW-W AND DRY. WEDNESDAY INTO THURSDAY...TO THE WEST AND NORTH OF THIS DIGGING LOW...A SHARP RIDGE WILL AMPLIFY INTO THE PACIFIC NW. THIS TURNS OUR FLOW ALOFT TO NW-N. THE EC DROPS A DISTURBANCE INTO THE FORECAST AREA ON THURSDAY WHILE THE GFS TIMING IS THURSDAY NIGHT. NEITHER MODEL IS PRODUCING SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL WITH ITS PASSAGE DUE TO ITS LONG DRY TRACK OVER LAND. FRIDAY-SATURDAY...THE WEST COAST RIDGE PROGRESSES INLAND AND FLATTENS UNDER ENERGY FROM THE NORTHERN PACIFIC. BY NEXT SUNDAY THE EC AND GFS AGREE THAT SPLITTING PACIFIC ENERGY WILL WORK THROUGH THE INTERMTN WEST...STILL KEEPING THE CWA OUT OF THE SNOW PRODUCTION ZONE. TEMPERATURES WILL BE ABOVE NORMAL EXCEPT CLOSER TO NORMAL IN THE DEEPER VALLEYS. VALLEY INVERSIONS WILL PERSIST. WINDS WILL BE LIGHT AND TERRAIN DRIVEN EXCEPT NW OVER HIGH EXPOSED TERRAIN INCREASING FROM THE WEST NEXT WEEKEND. && .GJT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... CO...NONE. UT...NONE. && SHORT TERM...JDC LONG TERM....JOE AVIATION.....JDC
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO 633 AM MST SUN FEB 5 2012 COZ001>014-017>023-UTZ022>025-027>029-061300- LOWER YAMPA RIVER BASIN-CENTRAL YAMPA RIVER BASIN- ROAN AND TAVAPUTS PLATEAUS-ELKHEAD AND PARK MOUNTAINS- UPPER YAMPA RIVER BASIN-GRAND VALLEY-DEBEQUE TO SILT CORRIDOR- CENTRAL COLORADO RIVER BASIN-GRAND AND BATTLEMENT MESAS- GORE AND ELK MOUNTAINS/CENTRAL MOUNTAIN VALLEYS- CENTRAL GUNNISON AND UNCOMPAHGRE RIVER BASIN- WEST ELK AND SAWATCH MOUNTAINS-FLATTOPS- UPPER GUNNISON RIVER VALLEY-UNCOMPAHGRE PLATEAU AND DALLAS DIVIDE- NORTHWEST SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS-SOUTHWEST SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS- PARADOX VALLEY/LOWER DOLORES RIVER- FOUR CORNERS/UPPER DOLORES RIVER-ANIMAS RIVER BASIN- SAN JUAN RIVER BASIN-SOUTHEAST UTAH-EASTERN UINTA MOUNTAINS- EASTERN UINTA BASIN-TAVAPUTS PLATEAU-ARCHES/GRAND FLAT- LA SAL AND ABAJO MOUNTAINS-CANYONLANDS/NATURAL BRIDGES- 633 AM MST SUN FEB 5 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EASTERN UTAH AND WESTERN COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS CAN BE EXPECTED MAINLY OVER THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN MOUNTAINS. MOTORISTS SHOULD EXPECT SOME REDUCTION IN VISIBILITY SHOULD THEY ENCOUNTER A SNOW SHOWER. LOCALIZED NEW SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF A COUPLE INCHES ARE POSSIBLE IN THE SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY MONDAY...TRAVELERS CROSSING THE WESTERN COLORADO MOUNTAINS MAY ENCOUNTER SOME SNOW SHOWERS THAT MAY CAUSE SOME LOCALIZED SLOWDOWNS...SUCH AS ON HIGHWAY 550 OVER THE SAN JUANS. NO OTHER HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED FROM TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED TODAY OR TONIGHT...HOWEVER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SNOWFALL AMOUNTS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GRAND JUNCTION.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
7 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
Snowfall generally ranged from 5 to 12 inches across the area. Locally heavier amounts included 19 inches at the Weminuche SNOTEL site, 14 inches at Silverton Ski Area, and 14 inches at the Vallecito SNOTEL site.
Snowfall generally ranged from 2 to 6 inches. Locally heavier amounts included 8 inches in Norwood and 9 inches at Slick Rock.
Snowfall ranged from 2 to 4 inches, except in the northwest portion of the area where 6 to 8 inches were measured.
Snowfall generally ranged from 2 to 6 inches. However, locally heavier amounts occurred in the Durango area where 6 to 12 inches were measured.
Snowfall ranged from 4 to 7 inches above the 7000 foot level.
Snowfall ranged from 5 to 12 inches across the area.
Snowfall ranged from 3 to 4 inches across the area.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Colorado in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, February 2012
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: 356497, 356516, 356517, 356501, 356513, 356515, 356519.