SPM 05-02-2020: A Dose of Early Summer

Issue Date: Saturday, May 2nd, 2020
Issue Time: 9:30 AM MDT

Summary:

Colorado was given a dose of early summer yesterday, with high temperatures well above average across the state. Grand Junction, for example, tied the daily record high temperature set back in 1943 and 2001 at 88° F. As the day marched on into the afternoon and evening hours, a mid-level disturbance scraped across northern Colorado, kicking off scattered high-based showers and thunderstorms across the Northwest Slope, Northern Mountains, and northern portions of the Front Range. Shower activity diminished slowly after sunset, and aside from a light sprinkle or two over the highest peaks of the Northern Mountains, all activity came to an end by 5 AM this morning.

Further to the east, a surface cool front accompanied by some low-level moisture, worked with the disturbance to develop high-based scattered showers and thunderstorms during the afternoon and evening across the Urban Corridor and Northeast Plains. Still, a general lack of moisture below cloud bases resulted in mainly gusty winds and light rain, with plenty of virga. Shower and thunderstorm activity diminished after sunset, with a few showers lingering into the early morning hours.

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 24-hour, 48-hour and 72-hour total precipitation contain bias corrections that are not disaggregated into the hourly estimates, so there will likely be some differences. 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.