SPM 08-14-2018: Another afternoon of Garden Variety Thunderstorms for Western Colorado

Issue Date: Tuesday, August 14th, 2018
Issue Time: 10:10 AM MDT

Summary:

Persistent pattern again yesterday as trapped moisture under the ridge was recycled to help initiate thunderstorm activity over the western high terrains in the afternoon. A passing shortwave over the northwest corner of the state increased coverage over the Northern Mountains. Without ample moisture further north, precipitation totals yesterday were limited and storms produced mostly virga and gusty winds. Most of the lower valleys received only a trace of rainfall. Local storm reports in the area from ASOS and observers reported thunderstorm gusts up to 45 mph. Over southern Colorado, totals increased as there was a bit more moisture to work with. The highest observation of the day was in La Plata County where a CoCoRaHS station recorded 0.6 inches in Bayfield. Small hail was also reported with this thunderstorm. Most other rainfall gages were in the 0.2 to 0.3 inch range. Over the Southeast Plains, some thunderstorms kicked off overnight along a line of convergence on the west side of low pressure system that is now in Kansas. Totals were estimated by radar to be up to 0.5 inches. Flooding was not reported on Monday.

To see how much precipitation fell over your area the last 72-hours, scroll down to the State Precipitation Map below.

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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 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.