SPM 06-16-2018: A Final Day of Gusty Showers before the Main Show of Rainfall

Issue Date: Saturday, June 16th, 2018
Issue Time: 9:30 AM MDT

Summary:

Plenty of mid-level moisture blanketed the state yesterday to support scattered, high-based showers and thunderstorms. Activity over the High Country was garden-variety, producing more gusty winds than rain as the low-levels remained too dry for much wetting rainfall. The peak of shower/storm coverage occurred during the late afternoon and into the evening hours, with activity tapering off by midnight. A second wave of showers encroached on western Colorado during the overnight hours thanks to Bud’s remnants beginning to encroach on the area and an increase in upper-level support from the approaching upper-level trough. These features will set the stage for today’s FTB forecast.

East of the mountains, just as over the High Country, dry air in the lower levels kept most storms from producing much in the way of rainfall. However, the presence of a stalled frontal boundary over the Northeast Plains allowed a bit better moisture to creep into that portion of the state, which supported a few stronger thunderstorms with periods of light-to-moderate rainfall during the evening hours.

No flash flooding was reported on Friday. For a look at precipitation estimates in your area, please see 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 6AM of the date shown in the bottom right corner. Also shown optionally are fire burn areas (post 2012), which are updated throughout the season to include new burn areas. 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.