SPM 08-31-2017: Scattered Storms Mainly Across High Country And Nearby Foothills

Issue Date: Thursday, August 31, 2017
Issue Time: 9:50AM MDT

Summary:

Afternoon and evening shower and storm activity was once again mainly limited to the High Country and nearby foothills where instability was greatest. With marginal moisture available for thunderstorms, rain rates were again limited, though a few storms produced short-term heavy rainfall. CoCoRaHS observers in Larimer, Fremont and Arapahoe counties noted just over 0.75 inches of rainfall, occurring in about an hour or less. Radar supplemented estimates suggest up to 1.5 inches over Morgan County, and up to 1 inch in Custer County. A cluster of storms moved across the Hayden Pass burn scar in the late afternoon, prompting a Flash Flood Warning. Western and eastern portions of the burn scar were estimated to have received 0.25 to 0.5 inches of rain. Fortunately, flooding was not reported.

A local storm report of gusty winds was received in Gunnison County, likely associated with a thunderstorm’s rain cooled downdraft.

The increased cloud cover caused a slightly downtick in afternoon high temperatures, though readings up to 10F above average were still observed west of the Continental Divide.

Flooding was not reported on Wednesday. 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 6AM of the date shown in the bottom right corner. Also shown optionally are fire burn areas since 2012. The home button in the top left corner resets the map to the original zoom.

Note: We have identified a possible underestimation in QPE over the southwest part of the state. We are working to on this issue, and will provide an update as soon as possible.