SPM 06-15-2021: Hot and Dry Across State

Issue Date: Tuesday, June 15, 2021
Issue Time: 9:00 AM MDT

Summary:

Monday can really only be described as hot and dry across the entire state of Colorado. Many stations got up to the high 90s along the Urban Corridor and Eastern Plains, including over 100 in La Junta. Low 100s were reported up and down the Western Slope and Grand Valley, including 104 in Delta. Highs were in the 80s and even 90s in the high elevations, with 91 as the observed high in Aspen. In addition to the heat, air quality, especially in the Urban Corridor, has been poor since high temperatures drive increased ozone pollution. Visible smoke was also in the air from fires elsewhere in the southwest.

There was some isolated convection in the evening yesterday, but hardly any measurable precipitation and no warnings were issued from or reports made to the NWS. Flooding was not 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 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.