SPM 06-03-2019: River Gages Continue to Rise with another Round of Severe Thunderstorms for the Eastern Plains

Issue Date: Monday, June 3rd, 2019
Issue Time: 9:10AM MDT

Summary:

Similar large-scale pattern for Sunday with a slight uptick in moisture. The upper level low continued to spin over southern CA/NV with a thermal ridge over the state. A weak shortwave helped spark more widespread rainfall and a couple severe thunderstorms over the eastern plains. Totals over the Southeast Plains were up to 2 inches with more general values in the 0.8 to 1.25 inch range. Hail in Elbert County was measured at 0.75 inches and a brief tornado associated with a gust front occurred near Burlington. Grand Junction and Gateway, Colorado also reported small hail with a thunderstorm in the area. Radar indicates just under 0.1 inches of rain falling with these storms.

Two areal flood advisories were issued for rising rivers. The first was for the Mancos River near Mancos in Montezuma County. The flow was slightly above bankfull, so minor lowland flooding may have occurred though the gage never reached above the Action stage. The second areal flood advisory was issued for the San Antonio and Conejos Rivers in southeastern Conejos County. Flooding was not reported as of this morning, but the advisory will likely be renewed throughout the week.

To see estimated precipitation totals over your area yesterday, scroll down to 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.