Alert archive / Colorado / Mesoscale Discussions in 2021

Mesoscale Discussion 2059

December 26, 20215 counties in Colorado; Grand County, Uintah County, Utah; Carbon County, Fremont County, Sweetwater County, Wyoming

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at Dec 26, 2021, 11:00 AM MST for 5 counties in Colorado; Grand County, Uintah County, Utah; Carbon County, Fremont County, Sweetwater County, Wyoming. It was in force for 3 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Dec 26, 2021, 11:00 AM MST (18:00 UTC)
Expired
Dec 26, 2021, 2:00 PM MST
In force
3 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Concerning
Snow squall

Counties Garfield County, CO, Mesa County, CO, Moffat County, CO, Rio Blanco County, CO, Routt County, CO, Grand County, UT, Uintah County, UT, Carbon County, WY, Fremont County, WY, Sweetwater County, WY

The radar

The Riverton/Lander radar (KRIW), 213 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:02 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

Riverton, WY (KRIW), launched 12:00Z, 6.0 hours before the alert went out and 213 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, Riverton, WY at 12:00Z on 2021-12-26Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Riverton, WY at 12:00Z on 2021-12-26The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 126 square meters per square second.1939587897117136Sfc1 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
1333 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
50 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
126 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
188 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

005 
ACUS11 KWNS 261800
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 261800 
COZ000-WYZ000-UTZ000-262100-

Mesoscale Discussion 2059
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
1200 PM CST Sun Dec 26 2021

Areas affected...central WY into northwest CO and far northeast UT

Concerning...Snow Squall 

Valid 261800Z - 262100Z

SUMMARY...Heavy snow bands and snow squalls will continue to impact
portions of the MCD area the next few hours. Brief periods of heavy
snow, reduced visibility and strong wind gusts are expected.

DISCUSSION...Snow squalls and occasional bursts of heavy snow near
an eastward-advancing surface cold front will continue to impact
portions of central WY, southward into northwest CO/far northeast UT
the next few hours. This includes portions of the I-80 and I-70
corridors across the MCD area. 

A surface low will continue to track east/northeast across northern
WY today. A strong surface pressure gradient and moderate
southwesterly deep-layer flow will result in continued strong gusts
between 35-50 kt, with the strongest gusts noted near/just behind
the cold front. Weak instability and steep midlevel lapse rates will
continue to support convective snow bands along and behind the cold
front. Regional observations have consistently be reporting heavy
snow and visibility reduced to near 1/2-1/4 mile within snow
squalls. This activity should continue for at least the next few
hours across the MCD area

..Leitman.. 12/26/2021

...Please see www.spc.noaa.gov for graphic product...

ATTN...WFO...BOU...CYS...RIW...GJT...

LAT...LON   40360965 41660902 42350897 43160885 43400868 43530816
            43510779 43380729 43130696 42600669 41380653 40540647
            39630672 39060736 38750832 38770914 38930958 39160994
            39470992 40360965

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Dec 26, 8:06 AM MSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCDuchesne, Morgan, Rich, Salt Lake, Sanpete, Summit and 2 more2 hr

Nearby

Mesoscale Discussions in Colorado, 2021Mesoscale Discussions in Wyoming, 2021Mesoscale Discussions in Utah, 2021Every mesoscale discussion in 2021

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.