{"id":12295,"date":"2020-07-14T09:27:58","date_gmt":"2020-07-14T15:27:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.coloradofloodthreat.com\/?p=12295"},"modified":"2020-07-15T08:12:03","modified_gmt":"2020-07-15T14:12:03","slug":"ftb-07-14-2020-a-cold-front-drops-through-the-eastern-plains-returns-the-flood-threat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive-coftb.dewberryanalytics.com\/?p=12295","title":{"rendered":"FTB 07-14-2020: A Cold Front Drops through the Eastern Plains &#038; Returns the Flood Threat"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Issue Date: Tuesday, July 14th, 2020<br>\nIssue Time: 9:30AM MDT<\/p>\n<p><em>&mdash; A <strong>MODERATE<\/strong> flood threat has been issued for the Southeast Plains <\/em><br><em>&mdash; A <strong>LOW<\/strong> flood threat has been issued for the Palmer Ridge and portions of the Urban Corridor, Northeast Plains, &nbsp;and eastern Raton Ridge<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Not much change in the overall synoptic set up from yesterday. The <span class=\"glossaryLink\" aria-describedby=\"tt\" data-cmtooltip=\"&lt;div class=glossaryItemTitle&gt;trough&lt;\/div&gt;&lt;div class=glossaryItemBody&gt;An elongated area of relatively low atmospheric pressure; the opposite of a ridge.&lt;\/div&gt;\" data-gt-translate-attributes='[{\"attribute\":\"data-cmtooltip\", \"format\":\"html\"}]'>trough<\/span> will continue to pass to our north and the high will be pushed south, so Colorado will remain under westerly flow aloft. Taking a look at the water vapor imagery below, there are some subtle changes with the details. First, the jet will sit just north of the border. This will help produce faster, westerly surface winds over western Colorado and the mountains. <span class=\"glossaryLink\"  aria-describedby=\"tt\"  data-cmtooltip=\"&lt;div class=glossaryItemTitle&gt;PW&lt;\/div&gt;&lt;div class=glossaryItemBody&gt;(Stands for: Precipitable Water) The total atmospheric water vapor contained in a vertical column of the atmosphere. It is typically measured in inches, and anomalously (deviation from normal) high values of precipitable water generally correlate to heavy rainfall potential.&lt;\/div&gt;\"  data-gt-translate-attributes='[{\"attribute\":\"data-cmtooltip\", \"format\":\"html\"}]'>PW<\/span> will continue to drop off over western Colorado as a drier air mass is entrained, and with relative humidity values falling between 10 and 15%, <span class=\"glossaryLink\" aria-describedby=\"tt\" data-cmtooltip=\"&lt;div class=glossaryItemTitle&gt;critical fire weather&lt;\/div&gt;&lt;div class=glossaryItemBody&gt;&amp;lt;!-- wp:paragraph {&amp;quot;textColor&amp;quot;:&amp;quot;white&amp;quot;} --&amp;gt;\n&amp;lt;p class=&amp;quot;has-white-color has-text-color&amp;quot;&amp;gt;weather conditions especially conducive to the formation of wildfires; typically strong winds, low relative humidity, and atmospheric instability&amp;lt;\/p&amp;gt;\n&amp;lt;!-- \/wp:paragraph --&amp;gt;&lt;\/div&gt;\" data-gt-translate-attributes='[{\"attribute\":\"data-cmtooltip\", \"format\":\"html\"}]'>critical fire weather<\/span> is anticipated. A <span class=\"glossaryLink\" aria-describedby=\"tt\" data-cmtooltip=\"&lt;div class=glossaryItemTitle&gt;Red Flag&lt;\/div&gt;&lt;div class=glossaryItemBody&gt;&amp;lt;!-- wp:paragraph {&amp;quot;textColor&amp;quot;:&amp;quot;white&amp;quot;} --&amp;gt;\n&amp;lt;p class=&amp;quot;has-white-color has-text-color&amp;quot;&amp;gt;weather conditions are extremely conducive to burning and wildfires&amp;lt;\/p&amp;gt;\n&amp;lt;!-- \/wp:paragraph --&amp;gt;&lt;\/div&gt;\" data-gt-translate-attributes='[{\"attribute\":\"data-cmtooltip\", \"format\":\"html\"}]'>Red Flag<\/span> <span class=\"glossaryLink\" aria-describedby=\"tt\" data-cmtooltip=\"&lt;div class=glossaryItemTitle&gt;Warning&lt;\/div&gt;&lt;div class=glossaryItemBody&gt;&amp;lt;!-- wp:paragraph {&amp;quot;textColor&amp;quot;:&amp;quot;white&amp;quot;} --&amp;gt;\n&amp;lt;p class=&amp;quot;has-white-color has-text-color&amp;quot;&amp;gt;a weather warning is issued when a specific weather event is imminent or occurring&amp;lt;\/p&amp;gt;\n&amp;lt;!-- \/wp:paragraph --&amp;gt;&lt;\/div&gt;\" data-gt-translate-attributes='[{\"attribute\":\"data-cmtooltip\", \"format\":\"html\"}]'>Warning<\/span> has been issued for the region in red below. Mid-level energy will continue to move across the western border, so weak storms are forecast again across the western high terrains. Overall, rainfall totals and coverage are expected to decrease, and strong <span class=\"glossaryLink\" aria-describedby=\"tt\" data-cmtooltip=\"&lt;div class=glossaryItemTitle&gt;outflow&lt;\/div&gt;&lt;div class=glossaryItemBody&gt;A cool pool of air that results when a thunderstorm downdraft reaches the surface and spreads horizontally.&lt;\/div&gt;\" data-gt-translate-attributes='[{\"attribute\":\"data-cmtooltip\", \"format\":\"html\"}]'>outflow<\/span> winds (50 mph) should be anticipated once again.<\/p>\n<p>Back to the east, a cold front has started to drop south over the plains. This will help return low level moisture, which can be seen by the increase in cloud cover on its north side. Additionally, there will finally be a break in the hot temperatures over the northeast quadrant of the state, and afternoon highs are expected to drop off ~15F! The front will continue to drop south through tonight, and very high <span class=\"glossaryLink\" aria-describedby=\"tt\" data-cmtooltip=\"&lt;div class=glossaryItemTitle&gt;dew points&lt;\/div&gt;&lt;div class=glossaryItemBody&gt;The temperature to which a given air parcel must be cooled (at constant pressure and water vapor content) in order for saturation to occur.&lt;\/div&gt;\" data-gt-translate-attributes='[{\"attribute\":\"data-cmtooltip\", \"format\":\"html\"}]'>dew points<\/span> will fill in over the eastern plains (60F). With plenty of lift from shortwaves moving through the flow overnight and concentrated lift along the front, a Moderate and Low flood threat have been issued. While the northeast corner of the state is expected to remain <span class=\"glossaryLink\" aria-describedby=\"tt\" data-cmtooltip=\"&lt;div class=glossaryItemTitle&gt;capped&lt;\/div&gt;&lt;div class=glossaryItemBody&gt;The area where a parcel of air has negative buoyancy or sinks. The intensity of the cap is measured by its convective inhibition. If the cap is sufficiently large, it may prevent thunderstorms from forming at all.&lt;\/div&gt;\" data-gt-translate-attributes='[{\"attribute\":\"data-cmtooltip\", \"format\":\"html\"}]'>capped<\/span> today, the Low threat has been extended back west to pick up any overnight <span class=\"glossaryLink\" aria-describedby=\"tt\" data-cmtooltip=\"&lt;div class=glossaryItemTitle&gt;convection&lt;\/div&gt;&lt;div class=glossaryItemBody&gt;Refers to vertical atmospheric motion driven by buoyancy, i.e., warm air is less dense than cool air, and therefore rises. One of the primary drivers of thunderstorm development, especially during monsoon season.&lt;\/div&gt;\" data-gt-translate-attributes='[{\"attribute\":\"data-cmtooltip\", \"format\":\"html\"}]'>convection<\/span> firing over the Cheyenne Ridge due to extra dynamics in the area.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-12296\" src=\"https:\/\/archive-coftb.dewberryanalytics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/vis_20200714.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"625\" height=\"455\" srcset=\"https:\/\/archive-coftb.dewberryanalytics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/vis_20200714.png 594w, https:\/\/archive-coftb.dewberryanalytics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/vis_20200714-300x218.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 625px) 100vw, 625px\"\/><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Today&rsquo;s Flood Threat Map<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>For more information on today&rsquo;s flood threat, see the map below. If there is a threat, hover over the threat areas for more details, and click on burn areas to learn more about them. For Zone-Specific forecasts, scroll below the threat map.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/archive-coftb.dewberryanalytics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/FTB_20200714_snap.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-12305\" src=\"https:\/\/archive-coftb.dewberryanalytics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/FTB_20200714_snap-300x202.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"880\" height=\"594\" srcset=\"https:\/\/archive-coftb.dewberryanalytics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/FTB_20200714_snap-300x202.png 300w, https:\/\/archive-coftb.dewberryanalytics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/FTB_20200714_snap-768x518.png 768w, https:\/\/archive-coftb.dewberryanalytics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/FTB_20200714_snap.png 891w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 880px) 100vw, 880px\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Zone-Specific Forecasts:<\/strong><\/h3>\n<h4><strong>Southeast Plains, Northeast Plains, Palmer Ridge, Raton Ridge, &amp; Urban Corridor:<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>A Moderate flood threat has been issued for the Southeast Plains as the cold front drops south overnight through the area. Storm totals just over 2.5 inches are possible, which would cause local stream flooding, road flooding, and flooding of low-lying areas. Additionally, <span class=\"glossaryLink\" aria-describedby=\"tt\" data-cmtooltip=\"&lt;div class=glossaryItemTitle&gt;severe thunderstorms&lt;\/div&gt;&lt;div class=glossaryItemBody&gt;Thunderstorms that produce a tornado, winds of at least 58 mph (50 kts) and\/or hail at least 1&amp;quot; in diameter.&lt;\/div&gt;\" data-gt-translate-attributes='[{\"attribute\":\"data-cmtooltip\", \"format\":\"html\"}]'>severe thunderstorms<\/span>&nbsp;are expected to develop over the plains, and these storms will be capable of producing 60 mph gusts and large, damaging hail. In the Low threat area (east), max 1-hour rain rates up to 1.50 will be possible with totals just over an inch forecast over the Palmer Ridge. Storm motion will be more easterly this afternoon and overnight, and the flood threat is expected to end just after midnight.<\/p>\n<p>Primetime: 1PM to 1AM<\/p>\n<h4><strong>San Juan Mountains, Central Mountains, Northern Mountains, Front Range, <\/strong><strong>&amp; <\/strong><strong>Southeast Mountains<\/strong><strong>:<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>It has started to dry out west of the <span class=\"glossaryLink\" aria-describedby=\"tt\" data-cmtooltip=\"&lt;div class=glossaryItemTitle&gt;Continental Divide&lt;\/div&gt;&lt;div class=glossaryItemBody&gt;&amp;lt;!-- wp:paragraph {&amp;quot;textColor&amp;quot;:&amp;quot;white&amp;quot;} --&amp;gt;\n&amp;lt;p class=&amp;quot;has-white-color has-text-color&amp;quot;&amp;gt;the dividing line that separates the watersheds of the western and eastern United States; rivers west of the divide empty into the Pacific Ocean, while rivers east of the divide empty into the Atlantic Ocean or Gulf of Mexico&amp;lt;\/p&amp;gt;\n&amp;lt;!-- \/wp:paragraph --&amp;gt;&lt;\/div&gt;\" data-gt-translate-attributes='[{\"attribute\":\"data-cmtooltip\", \"format\":\"html\"}]'>Continental Divide<\/span>, but there will still be some moisture left for some high-based, <span class=\"glossaryLink\" aria-describedby=\"tt\" data-cmtooltip=\"&lt;div class=glossaryItemTitle&gt;convection&lt;\/div&gt;&lt;div class=glossaryItemBody&gt;Refers to vertical atmospheric motion driven by buoyancy, i.e., warm air is less dense than cool air, and therefore rises. One of the primary drivers of thunderstorm development, especially during monsoon season.&lt;\/div&gt;\" data-gt-translate-attributes='[{\"attribute\":\"data-cmtooltip\", \"format\":\"html\"}]'>convection<\/span> over the high mountain peaks with shortwaves moving through the flow. Expect coverage of storms to decrease when compared to yesterday as well. The main threat from the stronger storms that form will be again be <span class=\"glossaryLink\" aria-describedby=\"tt\" data-cmtooltip=\"&lt;div class=glossaryItemTitle&gt;outflow&lt;\/div&gt;&lt;div class=glossaryItemBody&gt;A cool pool of air that results when a thunderstorm downdraft reaches the surface and spreads horizontally.&lt;\/div&gt;\" data-gt-translate-attributes='[{\"attribute\":\"data-cmtooltip\", \"format\":\"html\"}]'>outflow<\/span> winds (50 mph gusts), and max 1-hour rain rates will decrease to 0.25 inches (north\/central) and 0.15 inches (south).<\/p>\n<p>Over the eastern mountains, coverage of storm coverage will be greatest along the <span class=\"glossaryLink\" aria-describedby=\"tt\" data-cmtooltip=\"&lt;div class=glossaryItemTitle&gt;Divide&lt;\/div&gt;&lt;div class=glossaryItemBody&gt;&amp;lt;!-- wp:paragraph {&amp;quot;textColor&amp;quot;:&amp;quot;white&amp;quot;} --&amp;gt;\n&amp;lt;p class=&amp;quot;has-white-color has-text-color&amp;quot;&amp;gt;the dividing line that separates the watersheds of the western and eastern United States; rivers west of the divide empty into the Pacific Ocean, while rivers east of the divide empty into the Atlantic Ocean or Gulf of Mexico&amp;lt;\/p&amp;gt;\n&amp;lt;!-- \/wp:paragraph --&amp;gt;&lt;\/div&gt;\" data-gt-translate-attributes='[{\"attribute\":\"data-cmtooltip\", \"format\":\"html\"}]'>Divide<\/span> (north), northern Southeast Mountains, and Front Range\/Palmer Ridge intersect. Max 1-hour up to 0.50 inches (north foothills) and 0.15 inches (south) are forecast. Flooding is not expected, and light showers may linger over the Central Mountains through 11PM.<\/p>\n<p>Primetime: 12:30PM to 11PM<\/p>\n<h4><strong>Northwest Slope, Grand Valley, Southwest Slope, &amp; San Luis Valley:<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p><span class=\"glossaryLink\" aria-describedby=\"tt\" data-cmtooltip=\"&lt;div class=glossaryItemTitle&gt;critical fire weather&lt;\/div&gt;&lt;div class=glossaryItemBody&gt;&amp;lt;!-- wp:paragraph {&amp;quot;textColor&amp;quot;:&amp;quot;white&amp;quot;} --&amp;gt;\n&amp;lt;p class=&amp;quot;has-white-color has-text-color&amp;quot;&amp;gt;weather conditions especially conducive to the formation of wildfires; typically strong winds, low relative humidity, and atmospheric instability&amp;lt;\/p&amp;gt;\n&amp;lt;!-- \/wp:paragraph --&amp;gt;&lt;\/div&gt;\" data-gt-translate-attributes='[{\"attribute\":\"data-cmtooltip\", \"format\":\"html\"}]'>Critical fire weather<\/span> is forecast for these western regions with spotty <span class=\"glossaryLink\" aria-describedby=\"tt\" data-cmtooltip=\"&lt;div class=glossaryItemTitle&gt;critical fire weather&lt;\/div&gt;&lt;div class=glossaryItemBody&gt;&amp;lt;!-- wp:paragraph {&amp;quot;textColor&amp;quot;:&amp;quot;white&amp;quot;} --&amp;gt;\n&amp;lt;p class=&amp;quot;has-white-color has-text-color&amp;quot;&amp;gt;weather conditions especially conducive to the formation of wildfires; typically strong winds, low relative humidity, and atmospheric instability&amp;lt;\/p&amp;gt;\n&amp;lt;!-- \/wp:paragraph --&amp;gt;&lt;\/div&gt;\" data-gt-translate-attributes='[{\"attribute\":\"data-cmtooltip\", \"format\":\"html\"}]'>critical fire weather<\/span> anticipated for the San Luis Valley. Westerly winds will pick up to 10 to 15 mph by noon with gusts up to 30 mph. Relative humidity will drop off to 10 to 15%, so conditions will be favorable for the rapid ignition, growth and spread of fires. <span class=\"glossaryLink\"  aria-describedby=\"tt\"  data-cmtooltip=\"&lt;div class=glossaryItemTitle&gt;NWS&lt;\/div&gt;&lt;div class=glossaryItemBody&gt;National Weather Service&lt;\/div&gt;\"  data-gt-translate-attributes='[{\"attribute\":\"data-cmtooltip\", \"format\":\"html\"}]'>NWS<\/span> Grand Junction has issued a <span class=\"glossaryLink\" aria-describedby=\"tt\" data-cmtooltip=\"&lt;div class=glossaryItemTitle&gt;Red Flag&lt;\/div&gt;&lt;div class=glossaryItemBody&gt;&amp;lt;!-- wp:paragraph {&amp;quot;textColor&amp;quot;:&amp;quot;white&amp;quot;} --&amp;gt;\n&amp;lt;p class=&amp;quot;has-white-color has-text-color&amp;quot;&amp;gt;weather conditions are extremely conducive to burning and wildfires&amp;lt;\/p&amp;gt;\n&amp;lt;!-- \/wp:paragraph --&amp;gt;&lt;\/div&gt;\" data-gt-translate-attributes='[{\"attribute\":\"data-cmtooltip\", \"format\":\"html\"}]'>Red Flag<\/span> <span class=\"glossaryLink\" aria-describedby=\"tt\" data-cmtooltip=\"&lt;div class=glossaryItemTitle&gt;Warning&lt;\/div&gt;&lt;div class=glossaryItemBody&gt;&amp;lt;!-- wp:paragraph {&amp;quot;textColor&amp;quot;:&amp;quot;white&amp;quot;} --&amp;gt;\n&amp;lt;p class=&amp;quot;has-white-color has-text-color&amp;quot;&amp;gt;a weather warning is issued when a specific weather event is imminent or occurring&amp;lt;\/p&amp;gt;\n&amp;lt;!-- \/wp:paragraph --&amp;gt;&lt;\/div&gt;\" data-gt-translate-attributes='[{\"attribute\":\"data-cmtooltip\", \"format\":\"html\"}]'>Warning<\/span>, and please use caution with open flames. Rainfall is not forecast, and high temperatures should reach the mid to upper 90Fs over the lower elevations with high 80Fs for the San Luis Valley.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Issue Date: Tuesday, July 14th, 2020 Issue Time: 9:30AM MDT &mdash; A MODERATE flood threat has been issued for the Southeast Plains &mdash; A LOW flood threat has been issued for the Palmer Ridge and portions of the Urban Corridor, Northeast Plains, &nbsp;and eastern Raton Ridge Not much change in the overall synoptic set up [&hellip;]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[6],"tags":[],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive-coftb.dewberryanalytics.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12295"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive-coftb.dewberryanalytics.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive-coftb.dewberryanalytics.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive-coftb.dewberryanalytics.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive-coftb.dewberryanalytics.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12295"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/archive-coftb.dewberryanalytics.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12295\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12306,"href":"https:\/\/archive-coftb.dewberryanalytics.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12295\/revisions\/12306"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive-coftb.dewberryanalytics.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12295"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive-coftb.dewberryanalytics.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12295"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive-coftb.dewberryanalytics.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12295"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}