SPM 08-11-2021: Yet Another Hot and Smoky Summer Day – Isolated Southeast Storms

August 11, 2021 by ·

Issue Date: Wednesday, August 11th, 2021
Issue Time: 9:10 AM MDT

Summary:

Isolated afternoon thunderstorms developed in the Southeast Mountains, Palmer Ridge, Raton Ridge, and Southeast Plains on Tuesday. Like the last few days, a lack of available moisture limited rainfall rates and precipitation totals to only the strongest cells. A CoCoRaHS observer in Walsenberg, just north of the Spring Creek burn scar in the Southeast Mountains, reported 0.42 inches of rain yesterday with the remark that it all fell in about a 20-minute afternoon thunderstorm. A severe warned thunderstorm also developed on Southwest Plains in rural Cheyenne County after Doppler radar indicated quarter size hail. Due to the rural nature of the location, there are limited precipitation observations, but the gridded MetStorm QPE in the map below suggests up to 0.25 inches of rain fell.

Tuesday was also yet another smoky day across all of Colorado, with the entire state covered by air quality advisories. There’s been no relief from the smoke, even at high elevations and on mountain peaks – WeatherNation shared the following video from Long’s Peak looking out over a blanket of smoke and haze at lower elevations.

No flooding was reported on Tuesday. For rainfall estimates in your area, check out the State Precipitation Map below.

Click Here For Map Overview

The map below shows radar-estimated, rainfall gage-adjusted Quantitative Precipitation Estimates (QPE) across Colorado. The map is updated daily during the operational season (May 1 – Sep 30) by 11AM. The following six layers are currently available: 24-hour, 48-hour and 72-hour total precipitation, as well as maximum 1-hour, 2-hour and 6-hour precipitation over the past 24 hour period (to estimate where flash flooding may have occurred). The accumulation ending time is 7AM of the date shown in the bottom right corner. Also shown optionally are vulnerable fire burn areas (post 2012), which are updated throughout the season to include new, vulnerable burn areas. The home button in the top left corner resets the map to the original zoom.

Filed Under: State Precipitation Map ·

SPM 08-10-2021: Record Setting Heat Along Urban Corridor

August 10, 2021 by ·

Issue Date: Tuesday, August 10th, 2021
Issue Time: 9:10 AM MDT

Summary:

Isolated showers developed Monday afternoon across the Northern, Central, and Front Range Mountains, as well as portions of the Urban Corridor. Available moisture and rainfall rates were very low, leaving just light (Trace – 0.02 inches) accumulations, if any, scattered across the region. Thunderstorms became more organized on the Northeast Plains. CoCoRaHS observers in Wray, near the Kansas and Nebraska borders, reported between 0.10 – 0.49 inches yesterday evening from a couple of cells. These storms ultimately produced much larger rainfall totals on the Nebraska side of the border and included large hail and damaging winds.

For the most part though it was a hot, dry, and smoky day across Colorado. For the fourth day in a row, the entire state was covered by an air quality alert due to the poor air quality from wildfire smoke and pollutants. With high August heat added into the mix, Colorado Springs broke their record high of 95 degrees yesterday as temperatures reached 96 degrees. In Denver, the record high of 98 degrees (which was just set last year in 2020) was tied.

No flooding was reported on Monday. For rainfall estimates in your area, check out the State Precipitation Map below.

Click Here For Map Overview

The map below shows radar-estimated, rainfall gage-adjusted Quantitative Precipitation Estimates (QPE) across Colorado. The map is updated daily during the operational season (May 1 – Sep 30) by 11AM. The following six layers are currently available: 24-hour, 48-hour and 72-hour total precipitation, as well as maximum 1-hour, 2-hour and 6-hour precipitation over the past 24 hour period (to estimate where flash flooding may have occurred). The accumulation ending time is 7AM of the date shown in the bottom right corner. Also shown optionally are vulnerable fire burn areas (post 2012), which are updated throughout the season to include new, vulnerable burn areas. The home button in the top left corner resets the map to the original zoom.

Filed Under: State Precipitation Map ·

SPM 08-09-2021: Dry and Smoky Again Across Entire State

August 9, 2021 by ·

Issue Date: Monday, August 9th, 2021
Issue Time: 9:15 AM MDT

Summary:

This weekend wrapped up with another day of dry conditions across all of Colorado following the exit of the trough to the east. High-pressure to the southwest kept a westerly flow of dry and smoky air into the state, which limited precipitation and greatly reduced air quality. There was no relief from the smoke anywhere as the entire state was under an air quality alert yesterday.

Social media has been flooded with pictures of hazy skies and orange sunsets as smoke and other pollutants reduced visibility. Chris Bianchi shared the following picture on twitter of the smoky sunset over Denver yesterday:

No flooding was reported on Sunday. For rainfall estimates in your area, including antecedent conditions, check out the State Precipitation Map below.

Click Here For Map Overview

The map below shows radar-estimated, rainfall gage-adjusted Quantitative Precipitation Estimates (QPE) across Colorado. The map is updated daily during the operational season (May 1 – Sep 30) by 11AM. The following six layers are currently available: 24-hour, 48-hour and 72-hour total precipitation, as well as maximum 1-hour, 2-hour and 6-hour precipitation over the past 24 hour period (to estimate where flash flooding may have occurred). The accumulation ending time is 7AM of the date shown in the bottom right corner. Also shown optionally are vulnerable fire burn areas (post 2012), which are updated throughout the season to include new, vulnerable burn areas. The home button in the top left corner resets the map to the original zoom.

Filed Under: State Precipitation Map ·

SPM 08-08-2021: Severe Thunderstorms on Palmer Ridge and Southeast Plains

August 8, 2021 by ·

Issue Date: Sunday, August 8th, 2021
Issue Time: 9:25 AM MDT

Summary:

There was very little in terms of precipitation in Colorado yesterday, though the Eastern Plains and Palmer Ridge did see afternoon thunderstorm development. A series of severe thunderstorm warnings were issued along the Palmer Ridge extending into Southeast Plains after Doppler Radar indicated high winds and large hail. Between 1.00-1.25 inch hail was reported in Lincoln and Cheyenne counties, though most of the severe damaging weather occurred across the border into Kansas. Hardly any actual rain fell with many of these storms, and the highest precipitation totals measured at gauges in the area was between Trace-0.08 inches – though these counties are very rural and it is possible higher storm totals were missed.

The greater impacting weather story yesterday was smoke from wildfires in the Western US blanketing nearly all of Colorado. In fact, at certain points in the day the air quality in Denver was the worst in the entire world! While the Urban Corridor, especially Denver, has historically been known for its poor air quality – no where in the state escaped smoke. Meteorologist Chris Bianchi shared the following pictures yesterday of Telluride, highlighting the difference in visibility between Friday and Saturday.

While looking for some silver lining to all the smoke in the air, the weather update for the Morgan Creek fire (currently burning in the Northern Mountains) shared that “widespread smoke from fires in the Pacific Northwest and northern California moved over much of Colorado early Saturday and lingered throughout the day. The smoke helped hold highs in the mid 60s to low 70s. Cooler afternoon temperatures also lead to afternoon humidity higher than recent days. West to northwest winds of 10 to 15 mph with gusts around 20 mph developed Saturday afternoon. Moderate humidity recover Saturday night with light, terrain driven winds and clear skies. ”

No flooding was reported on Saturday. For rainfall estimates in your area, including antecedent conditions, check out the State Precipitation Map below.

Click Here For Map Overview

The map below shows radar-estimated, rainfall gage-adjusted Quantitative Precipitation Estimates (QPE) across Colorado. The map is updated daily during the operational season (May 1 – Sep 30) by 11AM. The following six layers are currently available: 24-hour, 48-hour and 72-hour total precipitation, as well as maximum 1-hour, 2-hour and 6-hour precipitation over the past 24 hour period (to estimate where flash flooding may have occurred). The accumulation ending time is 7AM of the date shown in the bottom right corner. Also shown optionally are vulnerable fire burn areas (post 2012), which are updated throughout the season to include new, vulnerable burn areas. The home button in the top left corner resets the map to the original zoom.

Filed Under: State Precipitation Map ·
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