SPM 05-07-2021: Red Flag Warnings on Western Slope

May 7, 2021 by ·

Issue Date: Friday, May 7, 2021
Issue Time: 9:45 am MDT

Summary

Yesterday was another uneventful day precipitation-wise across the state of Colorado thanks to high-pressure settling in the western half of the state. This allowed for a beautiful day across the state, although with some unseasonably high temperatures, especially on the Western Slope. High temperatures and low available moisture can elevate fire danger, and Red Flag Warnings have already been issued for critically dry regions of the Western Slope and San Luis Valley. Warnings remain in effect until 9:00 pm on Friday, May 7 for the pink areas in the following map.

Flooding was not reported on Friday. For rainfall estimates in your area, check out our 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 05-06-2021: Calm and Clear

May 6, 2021 by ·

Issue Date: Thursday, May 6, 2021
Issue Time: 9:30 am MDT

Summary

Yesterday was calm across most of the state of Colorado. There were no local storm reports for any kind of phenomena including precipitation, wind, or other severe weather. Flooding was not reported on Wednesday. For rainfall estimates in your area, check out our State Precipitation Map below.

On Thursdays, the Western Regional Climate Center releases weekly updates to the US. Drought Monitor, seen in the map and table below. Much of the state is experiencing some sort of drought, and the Western Slope is still under D4 or “Exceptional Drought” conditions. However, a large portion of the Northeastern Plains has improved to no drought conditions. While the map itself looks dire, there has been slight improvement across the board for all drought conditions. The table below shows the difference in cumulative percent area experiencing each drought condition between last week and current conditions. Areas not experiencing drought or “None” have increased, while areas in D0 (Abnormally Dry) to D4 (Exceptional Drought) have decreased.

The end of the work week is anticipated to remain dry, with unseasonably warms temperatures, especially in the western portion of the state.

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 05-05-2021: Quiet Day but Improving Drought Conditions

May 5, 2021 by ·

Issue Date: Monday, May 5, 2021
Issue Time: 9:15 am MDT

Summary

May 4, 2021 saw the passage of a shortwave trough across the state, which moved eastward from the northwest corner near the Wyoming/Utah borders. This fast-moving trough brought some localized rainfall to the state, but the main event was high winds. 52 mph winds were reported at the Craig-Moffat County Airport around 2:00 pm yesterday, with a few other high wind observations in nearby Routt County.

While yesterday was quieter than the previous few days, the last several days of precipitation have certainly helped with drought conditions for at least some portions of Colorado. The map below from USGS represents the normal 7-day average streamflow compared to historical streamflow for Tuesday, May 4. While the Western Slope is still experiencing below normal streamflow to even severe hydrologic drought, much of the Northern, Central, San Juan, and Front Range mountains are experiencing normal streamflow for this time of year.

 

Flooding was not reported on Tuesday. For rainfall estimates in your area, check out our 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 05-04-2021: Heavy Mountain Snow, Widespread Rainfall

May 4, 2021 by ·

Issue Date: Monday, May 4, 2021
Issue Time: 9:15 am MDT

Summary

Monday, May 3rd saw widespread, long-duration precipitation across much of the state, associated with a low-pressure system that stalled at the Four-Corners Region for most of the day. Except for the Eastern Plains and portions of the Southwest slope, many regions of Colorado saw above 30-year normal precipitation for the first three days of May, with some areas receiving over 400% of normal precipitation, as seen in the PRISM map below.

Most of yesterday’s precipitation fell as heavy snow in the Northern and Central Mountains, and heavy rain was reported along the Front Range, Urban Corridor, and portions of the Grand Valley. The real snowfall winners were in Larimer and Boulder counties, with some additional heavy snow reports in Park, Jackson, and Clear Creek Counties, seen in the table below. Cameron Pass topped the list, where it picked up 14” of snow on May 3rd!

While heavy precipitation was the main headline of the day, and there was a potential for severe weather, there were no storm-based watches, warnings, or advisories issued yesterday. Flooding was not reported on Monday either. For rainfall estimates in your area, check out our State Precipitation Map below.

 

Location County Event Type Magnitude (in.)
9 SE CAMERON PASS LARIMER HEAVY SNOW 14
4 NNW LONGS PEAK LARIMER HEAVY SNOW 11
8 NW GLENDEVEY LARIMER HEAVY SNOW 11
9 SE WESTON PASS PARK HEAVY SNOW 11
3 SW MEEKER PARK BOULDER HEAVY SNOW 10
3 SW WARD BOULDER HEAVY SNOW 10
9 E GLENDEVEY LARIMER HEAVY SNOW 10
3 NNE MOUNT AUDUBON BOULDER HEAVY SNOW 9
3 S BRAINARD LAKE BOULDER HEAVY SNOW 9
4 S LONGS PEAK BOULDER HEAVY SNOW 9
7 NW RED FEATHER LAKES LARIMER HEAVY SNOW 9
3 WNW PINGREE PARK LARIMER HEAVY SNOW 8
1 SW ELDORA BOULDER HEAVY SNOW 7
1 NE ECHO LAKE CLEAR CREEK HEAVY SNOW 7
3 WNW ALMA PARK HEAVY SNOW 7
4 SE MOUNT ZIRKEL JACKSON HEAVY SNOW 6

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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