Alert archive / Colorado / Special Weather Statements in 2011

Special Weather Statement, NWS Grand Junction, CO

August 3, 2011Pitkin County, Colorado

NWS Grand Junction, CO issued this special weather statement at Aug 3, 2011, 8:01 PM MDT for Pitkin County, Colorado. It was in force for 44 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Aug 3, 2011, 8:01 PM MDT (02:01 UTC)
Expired
Aug 3, 2011, 8:45 PM MDT
In force
44 min
Issued by
NWS Grand Junction, CO

County Pitkin County, CO

The radar

The Grand Junction radar (KGJX), 85 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:05 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

The nearest sounding before it

Denver, CO (KDNR), launched 00:00Z, 2.0 hours before the alert went out and 355 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Denver, CO at 00:00Z on 2011-08-04Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 265 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Denver, CO at 00:00Z on 2011-08-04The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -2 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.
Mixed-layer CAPE
265 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-10 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2362 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
23 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-2 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
9 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
-0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this special weather statement went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Grand Junction, CO wrote its last area forecast discussion before this special weather statement went out at Aug 3, 2:32 PM MDT, 5 hours 29 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 3, 2:32 PM MDT, 5 hours 29 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO
232 PM MDT WED AUG 3 2011

.SHORT TERM DISCUSSION...TONIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY...
STORMS THIS AFTERNOON ARE SHOWING ONLY SLOW MOTION TO THE NE FOR
LOCALIZED POTENTIAL FOR FLOODING. IN SW FLOW ALOFT A DISTURBANCE IS
WORKING NE THROUGH NE UTAH-EXTREME NW CO LATE THIS AFTERNOON WHERE
STORMS WILL BE A BIT MORE ENHANCED AND NUMEROUS. THE HRRR INDICATES
DYNAMICAL SUPPORT WILL BE LIFTING INTO SOUTHERN WYOMING BY 6 PM.
STILL BOUNDARY INTERACTION WILL LIKELY GENERATE SOME NIGHTTIME
STORMS. NO FAVORED LOCATION IS EVIDENT THIS AFTERNOON SO HAVE
BLANKETED THE FORECAST AREA WITH ISOLATED POPS.

THURSDAY...MOISTURE DIMINISHES SOMEWHAT BUT AFTERNOON HEATING WILL
AGAIN GENERATE MAINLY MOUNTAIN CONVECTION. THE EMPHASIS SHIFTS SOUTH
AS A DISTURBANCE...CURRENTLY IN SE ARIZONA...PASSES THROUGH THE
SOUTHEAST PORTION OF OUR SAN JUAN MTNS INCLUDING DURANGO AND PAGOSA
SPRINGS.

.LONG TERM DISCUSSION...THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY.

THE DRYING TREND WILL BE UNDERWAY ON FRIDAY AS A WESTERLY FLOW
ADVECTS DRIER AIR OVER THE REGION. ENOUGH MOISTURE WILL REMAIN OVER
THE SOUTH AND EASTERN PORTION OF THE FORECAST AREA...FOR ANOTHER
ROUND OF SCATTERED LATE-DAY THUNDERSTORMS. BUT COVERAGE SHOULD BE
MARKEDLY LESS THAN WHAT WE HAVE SEEN LATELY. IN ADDITION...THE
STRONGER FLOW OVER THE NORTH WILL MIX TO THE SURFACE FOR BREEZY
CONDITIONS DURING THE AFTERNOON...MAINLY ALONG THE WY BORDER.

THE DRYING TREND WILL THEN CONTINUE AS SHORTWAVE ENERGY CONTINUES TO
MOVE INTO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST THEN ACROSS THE NORTHERN TIER STATES.
MODELS INDICATE THE WESTERLY FLOW WILL CONTINUE TO SUPPRESS THE SUB
TROPICAL MOISTURE PLUME THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE PERIOD.
THEREFORE LITTLE CHANGE IS EXPECTED FROM DAY TO DAY DURING THE NEW
WEEK.

THE DRIER CONDITIONS WILL RESULT IN LESS CLOUDS...AND THUS WARMER
HIGH TEMPERATURES...AND COOLER NIGHTTIME LOWS.

&&

.AVIATION...

SCATTERED CONVECTION WILL AGAIN HUG THE HIGHER TERRAIN THROUGH THIS
EVENING...ALTHOUGH SOME OF THESE STORMS WILL DRIFT OVER THE VALLEYS.
BRIEF PERIODS OF MVFR CIG AND VIS WILL BE POSSIBLE AT THE MOUNTAIN
AIRPORTS FROM PASSING STORMS AND HEAVY SHOWERS...BUT DESERT VALLEY
AIRPORTS WILL LIKELY STAY VFR. CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY WILL DIMINISH BY
MIDNIGHT...WITH A FEW NOCTURNAL STORMS POSSIBLE...MAINLY OVER THE
SOUTHERN MOUNTAINS. ANOTHER ROUND OF CONVECTION IS SCHEDULED FOR
THURSDAY AFTERNOON.

&&

.GJT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...

CO...NONE.
UT...NONE.

&&

SHORT TERM...JOE
LONG TERM....EH
AVIATION.....TGJT
Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 3, 6:00 AM MDT, 14 hours 1 minute before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO
600 AM MDT WED AUG 3 2011

COZ001>014-017>023-UTZ022>025-027>029-041200-
ANIMAS RIVER BASIN-ARCHES/GRAND FLAT-CANYONLANDS/NATURAL BRIDGES-
CENTRAL COLORADO RIVER BASIN-
CENTRAL GUNNISON AND UNCOMPAHGRE RIVER BASIN-
CENTRAL YAMPA RIVER BASIN-DEBEQUE TO SILT CORRIDOR-
EASTERN UINTA BASIN-EASTERN UINTA MOUNTAINS-
ELKHEAD AND PARK MOUNTAINS-FLAT TOPS-
FOUR CORNERS/UPPER DOLORES RIVER-
GORE AND ELK MOUNTAINS/CENTRAL MOUNTAINS-GRAND AND BATTLEMENT MESAS-
GRAND VALLEY-LA SAL AND ABAJO MOUNTAINS-LOWER YAMPA RIVER BASIN-
NORTHWEST SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS-PARADOX VALLEY/LOWER DOLORES RIVER-
ROAN AND TAVAPUTS PLATEAUS-SAN JUAN RIVER BASIN-SOUTHEAST UTAH-
SOUTHWEST SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS-TAVAPUTS PLATEAU-
UNCOMPAHGRE PLATEAU AND DALLAS DIVIDE-UPPER GUNNISON RIVER VALLEY-
UPPER YAMPA RIVER BASIN-WEST ELK AND SAWATCH MOUNTAINS-
600 AM MDT WED AUG 3 2011

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EASTERN UTAH AND WESTERN
COLORADO.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT...

EXPECT SCATTERED AFTERNOON SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE
MOUNTAINS AND NEAR THE HIGHER TERRAIN...A FEW OF THESE STORMS WILL
DRIFT OVER THE VALLEYS LATE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING.  BRIEF
HEAVY RAIN WILL ACCOMPANY THESE STORMS WITH LOCALIZED MUD DEBRIS
FLOWS.  STORMS WILL DIMINISH AFTER SUNSET.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY...

THURSDAY...SCATTERED AFTERNOON AND EVENING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
WILL CONTINUE...PRIMARILY OVER THE MOUNTAINS AND NEAR HIGHER TERRAIN.
BRIEF HEAVY RAINS HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO GENERATE MUD DEBRIS FLOWS
ONTO ROADS AND RISES ALONG STREAMS AND NORMALLY DRY CREEK BEDS OR
WASHES WILL BE POSSIBLE.

FRIDAY AND SATURDAY...THE THREAT OF AFTERNOON AND EVENING
THUNDERSTORMS DIMINISHES TO SLIGHT CHANCE.  MOST STORMS WILL STAY
CONFINED TO THE HIGHER TERRAIN.

SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY...MOSTLY DRY CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED AS THE
MONSOONAL MOISTURE PLUME GETS SUPPRESSED OVER THE DESERT SOUTHWEST.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED TONIGHT.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Aug 3, 4:10 PM MDT, 3 hours 51 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO
410 PM MDT WED AUG 03 2011

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0353 PM     TSTM WND GST     15 NW MOAB              38.73N 109.74W
08/03/2011  M59 MPH          GRAND              UT   ASOS

&&

EVENT NUMBER GJT1100524

NL
Special weather statement, Aug 3, 4:15 PM MDT, 3 hours 46 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO
415 PM MDT WED AUG 3 2011

COZ009-011-032300-
CENTRAL GUNNISON AND UNCOMPAHGRE RIVER BASIN CO-GRAND AND BATTLEMENT
MESAS CO-
415 PM MDT WED AUG 3 2011

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SOUTHERN DELTA AND EXTREME
NORTHERN MONTROSE COUNTIES UNTIL 500 PM MDT...

AT 407 PM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR DELTA...OR 22 MILES NORTHWEST OF MONTROSE...
MOVING EAST AT 10 MPH.

HAIL UP TO ONE-HALF INCH IN DIAMETER AND WIND GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH ARE
EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM...ALONG WITH TORRENTIAL RAIN AND FREQUENT
DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.

THIS STORM WILL BE NEAR...
CORY AROUND 435 PM MDT.
ORCHARD CITY AROUND 440 PM MDT.
ECKERT AROUND 445 PM MDT.
AUSTIN AROUND 450 PM MDT.

THIS STORM MAY INTENSIFY...SO BE CERTAIN TO MONITOR LOCAL RADIO AND
TV STATIONS...AS WELL AS LOCAL CABLE TV OUTLETS... FOR ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

TORRENTIAL RAIN...WHICH MAY FLOOD LOW LYING AREAS SUCH AS DITCHES AND
UNDERPASSES...IS ALSO LIKELY. DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE ON A FLOODED
ROADWAY.

LAT...LON 3867 10785 3865 10786 3866 10816 3884 10817
      3889 10775 3867 10773

NL
Special weather statement, Aug 3, 8:01 PM MDT, 0 minutes before
<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

The office that day

Everything else NWS Grand Junction, CO issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 3, 6:14 PM MDTAreal Flood AdvisoryGJTMesa84 min
Aug 3, 7:34 PM MDTAreal Flood AdvisoryGJTGarfield, Mesa89 min
Aug 4, 2:31 PM MDTAreal Flood AdvisoryGJTArchuleta, Dolores, Gunnison, Hinsdale, La Plata, Montezuma and 4 more118 min
Aug 4, 4:09 PM MDTSpecial Weather StatementGJTUintah51 min
Aug 4, 5:05 PM MDTFlash Flood WarningGJTGrand, San Juan3 hr
Aug 4, 5:21 PM MDTSpecial Weather StatementGJTGrand39 min

Nearby

Special Weather Statements in Colorado, 2011Every special weather statement in 2011

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.