High pressure at the surface and aloft created a stable air mass over Eastern Utah, which trapped low level moisture in some valleys.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 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.
High pressure at the surface and aloft created a stable air mass over Eastern Utah, which trapped low level moisture in some valleys.
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 Jan 16, 9:49 PM MST, 1 hour 11 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO 949 PM MST FRI JAN 16 2015 .UPDATE... ISSUED AT 945 PM MST FRI JAN 16 2015 THE MILD STORM IS BEGINNING TO IMPACT THE REGION. WINDS HAVE PICKED UP OVER THE HIGH COUNTRY THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING WHILE THE INVERSIONS REMAIN INTACT IN THE VALLEYS. THE GRADIENT WINDS AND CLOUDS ARE KEEPING THE EVENING TEMPERATURES MILD WITH CRAIG AND MEEKER 20 OR MORE DEGREES WARMER THAN LAST NIGHT AT 9PM. GUNNISON'S INVERSION REMAINS STRONG AT 9F. SNOTELS INDICATE LIGHT SNOWFALL HAS BEGUN IN THE EASTERN UINTA AND PARK MOUNTAINS ACROSS THE FAR NORTH. BLOWING SNOW WILL LIKELY BE AN ISSUE ACROSS THE NORTHERN HIGH COUNTRY TONIGHT INTO SATURDAY. THE 00Z NAM REMAINS CONSISTENT WITH JUST A FEW INCHES OF ACCUMULATION THROUGH SATURDAY. FOG TONIGHT IS CONFINED TO THE SOUTHERN ZONES WHERE THE SURFACE LOW IS CENTERED. THE GUNNISON BASIN COULD ALSO PRODUCE SOME NIGHTTIME FOG. && .SHORT TERM...(TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT) ISSUED AT 341 PM MST FRI JAN 16 2015 CLOUDS WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE FROM THE NORTHWEST AHEAD OF A WEAK DISTURBANCE THAT WILL BRUSH THE NORTHERN PORTION OF THE FORECAST AREA TONIGHT. THIS WILL BRING SOME SNOW TO THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS BEGINNING THIS EVENING...PEAKING BEFORE DAYBREAK AND THEN DIMINISHING BY AROUND MIDDAY. THE HIGHER COLORADO MOUNTAINS FROM THE VAIL VICINITY AND NORTHWARD WILL BE FAVORED...WITH LITTLE ACTIVITY ELSEWHERE. WINDS WILL ALSO BE A PLAYER AT THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS TONIGHT AS THE GRADIENT TIGHTENS. THEREFORE EXPECT THAT SOME BLOWING SNOW WILL BE POSSIBLE OVER RABBIT EARS AND VAIL PASSES...AND ESPECIALLY OVER EXPOSED RIDGES AND PEAKS ABOVE TIMBERLINE. COOLER TEMPERATURES ALOFT WILL ALSO MOVE INTO THE AREA FROM THE NORTH. THIS HAS RAMIFICATIONS FOR THE LOW STRATUS DECKS THAT HAVE PLAGUED THE UINTA AND GUNNISON BASINS THE LAST COUPLE OF DAYS...AND THE AREA OF LOW CLOUDS HAVE DEVELOPED OVER SOUTHEAST UTAH TODAY. ALREADY CEILINGS AT KVEL HAVE GONE FROM 150 FEET TO 9000 FEET. ALSO THE LOW STATUS SEEMS TO HAVE WASHED OUT OVER THE GUNNISON BASIN. WITH THE COLDER AIR ALOFT AND THE MORE EXTENSIVE MID AND HIGH CLOUD LAYERS...DO NOT EXPECT THE LOW CLOUDS TO REFORM TONIGHT. HOWEVER ONCE THE SKIES CLEAR BEHIND THIS WAVE...THE LOW STRATUS AND POSSIBLY FOG AS WELL MAY REFORM. NOT AS MUCH COOLER AIR WILL MAKE IT OVER SOUTHEAST UT...SO THINK THE CLOUD DECK WILL BE MORE PERSISTENT. ALSO I HAVE ADDED PATCHY FOG THERE FOR LATE TONIGHT AND SAT MORNING...AND KEPT MENTION NEAR GUNNISON SINCE TEMPERATURES ARE STILL IN THE SINGLE DIGITS THIS AFTERNOON. ONCE THIS WAVE PASSES THE NORTHWEST FLOW WILL RELAX SAT NIGHT AS A RELATIVELY FLAT SHORT WAVE RIDGE PASSES OVER THE AREA. A FEW OROGRAPHIC SNOW SHOWERS MAY PERSIST LONG THE NORTHERN DIVIDE ABOVE STEAMBOAT. BUT OTHERWISE DRY CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED. VALLEY INVERSIONS WILL STRENGTHEN WITH POSSIBLY AREAS OF LOW CLOUDS AGAIN SPREADING ACROSS VULNERABLE BASINS. .LONG TERM...(SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY) ISSUED AT 341 PM MST FRI JAN 16 2015 STRONG RIDGING OVER THE CARIBBEAN AND EAST-CENTRAL PACIFIC...AND EXPANSIVE LOW PRESSURE OVER EASTERN NOAM WILL CHANGE LITTLE FROM LATE THIS WEEKEND THROUGH NEXT WEEK. THE JET STREAM/STORM TRACK WILL THEN GENERALLY ENTER THE CONUS IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST...DIP SLIGHTLY ACROSS THE PLAINS TO THE UPPER MIDWEST...BEFORE CROSSING NEW ENGLAND. SPLIT ENERGY IN THE WEST AND STRONGER PIECE OF THE JET STREAM WILL BE CARVING OUT A RETROGRADING TROUGH ACROSS THE DESERT SOUTHWEST TO THE CENTRAL PLAINS. HOWEVER THE BULK OF DYNAMICS AND MOISTURE LOOK TO JUST BRUSH OUR CWA...AND THE COLDER AIR STAYS WELL TO THE EAST...SO A SIGNIFICANT STORM DOES NOT LOOK LIKELY ATTM IN THE EXTENDED FORECAST. PACIFIC MOISTURE WILL BE ROUNDING THE TOP OF THE WESTERN RIDGE AND BRUSHING OUR NORTHERN DIVIDE MOUNTAINS SUNDAY. LIFT IS WEAK IN THE FLOW BUT MOIST OROGRAPHIC FLOW WILL BRING LIGHT SNOW TO THE PARK...GORE AND FLAT TOPS. THE MID LEVEL FLOW AND ASCENT INCREASE ON MONDAY AS THE ABOVE MENTIONED JET DIPS INTO GREAT BASIN AND CENTRAL ROCKIES. THE CYCLONIC CURVATURE OF THE FLOW AND SLIGHT COOLING ALOFT SHOULD INCREASE THE SNOW INTENSITY A TAD BY MONDAY MORNING BUT AGAIN THE QUICK MOVEMENT OF THE PASSING LIFT LOOKS TO LEAVE SNOW AMOUNTS RATHER THIN. THE MED RANGE MODELS STILL A BIT TORN ON THE FORMATION OF THE RETROGRADING TROUGH MID WEEK. TIMING AND PLACEMENT ARE BOTH GOING TO NEED WORKED OUT. THE GFS IS FORMING THE TROUGH AND PCPN TO OUR SOUTH WHILE THE EURO CUTS THE TROUGH TO OUR NORTH AND BRINGS SOME LIGHT PCPN TO OUR CWA. CONFIDENCE LOW/POPS LOW ATTM. THIS TROUGH WILL BRING A BIT OF COLDER AIR INTO THE REGION...THOUGH THE ARCTIC AIRMASS WILL STAY WILL INTO THE PLAINS. HIGHS START OUT THE WEEK NEAR NORMAL...THEN SHOULD COOL BY MID WEEK. DRY WEATHER IN FORECAST BY ALL THE MODELS BY LATE WEEK EVEN THOUGH THE GFS DRIVES AN UPPER LOW DOWN THE WASATCH RANGE. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z SATURDAY EVENING) ISSUED AT 945 PM MST FRI JAN 16 2015 MOUNTAIN TOP WINDS HAVE INCREASED TONIGHT WITH G40-50MPH RECORDED OVER SOME MTN PASSES. THEREFORE EXPECT MODERATE TO STRONG TURBULENCE AT AND ABOVE MTN TOP LEVEL THROUGH 18Z SATURDAY. THE NORTHERN MTNS WILL HAVE -SN THROUGH 18Z SATURDAY. MTN TOPS ALONG AND NORTH OF I-70 WILL BE OBSCRD AT TIMES IN SN. OCCASIONAL -SN IS POSSIBLE AT KCAG KHDN KSBS KEGE KASE THROUGH 15Z SATURDAY PERIODICALLY PRODUCING CIGS BLO 040 AND VSBY BLO 4SM. AREAS OF FOG WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE SOUTH AND MAY IMPACT KCEZ KDRO KPSO THROUGH 18Z SATURDAY WITH LIFR CIGS AND VSBY. && .GJT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... CO...NONE. UT...NONE. && UPDATE...JOE SHORT TERM...EH LONG TERM...15 AVIATION...EH+JOE
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO 327 AM MST FRI JAN 16 2015 COZ001>014-017>023-UTZ022>025-027>029-171030- 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- 327 AM MST FRI JAN 16 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EASTERN UTAH AND WESTERN COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT PATCHY FOG AND AREAS OF LOW CLOUDS WILL PERSIST TODAY AND INTO TONIGHT IN THE LOWER ELEVATIONS OF THE FOUR CORNERS...THE GUNNISON RIVER VALLEY NEAR THE CITY OF GUNNISON...ALONG THE COLORADO RIVER...AND ACROSS THE EASTERN UINTA BASIN. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY THERE WILL BE SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS OF NORTHERN COLORADO TONIGHT AND SATURDAY. THERE IS A CHANCE OF SNOW OVER THE NORTHERN AND CENTRAL MOUNTAINS AND THE COLORADO NORTHWEST PLATEAU MONDAY...THEN AGAIN WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED. CUOCO
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 dense fog. Local standard time, as filed.
Widespread dense fog reduced visibility to one quarter of a mile in much of the area.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Utah in 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings in Utah, January 2015
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: 604849.