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

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:

Yikes. Quite the smoky sunset over Denver tonight.#9wx #COwx pic.twitter.com/7PYoIT2Nep

— Chris Bianchi (@BianchiWeather) August 9, 2021

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.