A northwest flow with embedded disturbances produced significant snowfall in the Elkhead and Park Mountain Ranges.
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The episode as NWS GJT wrote it up.
A northwest flow with embedded disturbances produced significant snowfall in the Elkhead and Park Mountain Ranges.
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, 3:51 AM MST, 1 hour 9 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO 351 AM MST SAT FEB 22 2014 .SHORT TERM...(TODAY THROUGH SUNDAY) ISSUED AT 350 AM MST SAT FEB 22 2014 UNSETTLED NORTHWEST FLOW WILL CONTINUE AS ANOTHER DISTURBANCE DRIVEN BY THE JET STREAM ALOFT SLIDES BY NORTHCENTRAL COLORADO THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. VERY LITTLE MOISTURE IS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS DISTURBANCE...SO ALL AREAS ARE EXPECTED TO STAY BELOW ADVISORY THRESHOLDS OTHER THAN AN ISOLATED SPOT OR TWO ALONG THE PARK OR GORE RANGES WHICH COULD PICK UP 4 TO 6 INCHES OF SNOW BY SUNDAY. EXPECT AFTERNOON WINDS TO PICK UP ONCE AGAIN TODAY AS WINDS ALOFT ARE MIXED DOWN TO THE SURFACE. MEANWHILE...RIDGING IS BEGINNING TO BUILD OFF OF THE COAST OF CALIFORNIA AND WILL MOVE INLAND AS THE JET STREAM ALOFT GRADUALLY MOVES EAST TODAY AND ALLOWS GUSTY MOUNTAIN WINDS AND OROGRAPHIC SNOW SHOWERS TO SUBSIDE BY SUNDAY AFTERNOON. .LONG TERM...(SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY) ISSUED AT 350 AM MST SAT FEB 22 2014 THE EXTENDED PERIOD STARTS OFF WITH BENIGN NW FLOW ALOFT AND DRY CONDITIONS AFFECTING THE FORECAST AREA SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY. MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY AN OLD FRONTAL BOUNDARY SAGS SOUTH FROM THE NORTHERN ROCKIES AND DRAPES ACROSS NE UT AND NW CO...AND SLOWLY SAGGING SOUTH ACROSS CENTRAL CO AND THE NORTHERN PORTION OF THE SAN JUAN MTS BY TUE NIGHT. THE BEST COLD ADVECTION ASSOCIATED WITH THIS BOUNDARY APPEARS TO STAY EAST OF THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE ACCORDING TO EACH OF THE MODELS. QPF AND SNOW AMTS ARE CURRENTLY PREDICTED TO BE LOW...WITH A POTENTIAL OF ONLY ABOUT 1-3 INCHES OF SNOW OVER THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF ROUTT COUNTY MONDAY NIGHT AND TUE. HAVE BUMPED UP CLOUDS AND PRECIP CHANCES TO SHOW THIS. WEDNESDAY BEGINS TO SHOW THE BIG CHANGES IN STORE FOR THE WESTERN U.S. THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK. THE MIDRANGE MODELS EACH SHOW A SIGNIFICANT STORM SYSTEM MOVING ON SHORE OVER THE WESTERN COAST... AFFECTING CA/OR/WA. THE EC SHOWS THE TROUGH LOSING MUCH OF ITS ORGANIZATION AS IT MOVES INLAND AND A STRONG SHORTWAVE EJECTS OUT OF ITS BASE AND OVER THE FORECAST AREA THU NGT AND FRI. THE GFS TAKE MORE ENERGY FROM THE SYSTEM FURTHER NORTH...BUT BOTH MODELS SOLUTIONS RESULT IN THE SAME SET UP OVER THE FORECAST AREA THU NIGHT...WITH MOIST NW FLOW AND A GOOD CHANCE OF A FAIRLY WARM... MIXED PRECIP...LATE WINTER STORM. FRIDAY SHOULD SEE IMPROVEMENT AS STRONG RIDGING FOLLOWS THE WED/THU STORM...THOUGH THE NEXT SIGNIFICANT SYSTEM IS PROGGED TO DEEPEN OFF THE WEST COAST AND SPREAD ITS INITIAL PRECIP BAND INLAND ON FRIDAY. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z SUNDAY MORNING) ISSUED AT 350 AM MST SAT FEB 22 2014 MODERATE NW WINDS ALOFT AT MT TOP LEVEL WILL CONTINUE PRODUCING CLOUDS AND SNOWFALL ON W TO NW FACING SLOPES TODAY AND TONIGHT. WIDESPREAD -SN OVER THE NORTHERN CO MOUNTAINS FROM K3MW TO VAIL PASS CAUSING MOUNTAIN OBSCURATIONS AND OCCASIONALLY OBSCURED HIGH MOUNTAIN PASSES. OROGRAPHIC SNOW WILL EXTEND SOUTH TO KMYP AND KTEX UNTIL ABOUT 18Z. CONDITIONS WILL IMPROVE TONIGHT AND SUNDAY AS PRECIP CHANCES LIFT TO THE NE. THE NORTHWEST WINDS ALOFT WILL CAUSES AREAS OF MECHANICAL TURBULENCE AND POSSIBLE WIND SHEAR FOR AIRCRAFT RISING OUT OF OR DESCENDING INTO PROTECTED VALLEYS. OTHERWISE...VFR IS EXPECTED TO BE THE PREVAILING CONDITION AT THE TAF SITES AND SKI COUNTRY AIRPORTS. && .GJT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... CO...NONE. UT...NONE. && SHORT TERM...JAM LONG TERM...CC AVIATION...CC
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO 357 AM MST SAT FEB 22 2014 COZ001>014-017>023-UTZ022>025-027>029-231100- 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- 357 AM MST SAT FEB 22 2014 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EASTERN UTAH AND WESTERN COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT AREAS OF SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW CAN BE EXPECTED ACROSS THE NORTH CENTRAL MOUNTAINS OF COLORADO AND AS FAR SOUTH AS CRESTED BUTTE TODAY AS A WEAK WEATHER SYSTEM MOVES THROUGH THE AREA. VISIBILITY WILL BE REDUCED TO LESS THAN ONE MILE AT TIMES IN BLOWING SNOW... ESPECIALLY AT HIGHER ELEVATIONS AND IN PASSES. EXPECT BREEZY CONDITIONS ELSEWHERE THROUGHOUT THE REGION UNTIL WIND BEGINS TO SUBSIDE SUNDAY AFTERNOON. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY A SERIES OF DISTURBANCES WILL PRODUCE PERSISTENT SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW...MAINLY IN THE NORTHERN AND CENTRAL COLORADO MOUNTAINS THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK. MOUNTAIN TRAVEL MAY BE HAZARDOUS AT TIMES...ESPECIALLY OVER RABBIT EARS AND VAIL PASSES. THE NEXT SIGNIFICANT WINTER STORM IS POSSIBLE THURSDAY AND FRIDAY WHEN A STRONGER PACIFIC STORM IS EXPECTED TO AFFECT THE AREA. THERE WILL BE A CHANCE OF VALLEY RAIN AND MOUNTAIN SNOW ACROSS EASTERN UTAH AND WESTERN COLORADO. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED. JAM/CJC
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
Snowfall totals of 4 to 8 inches were measured across the area. Wind gusts of 20 to 30 mph produced areas of blowing and drifting snow.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Colorado in 2014Every state in 2014This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, February 2014
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: 517178.