Funnel Cloud, Archuleta
- When
- July 31, 2:30 PM MST to 2:35 PM MST
- Where
- Archuleta County, 1 mi NW of Pagosa Spgs Arpt
- Reported by
- GENERAL PUBLIC
- Coordinates
- 37.194, -107.048 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Funnel Cloud in Colorado, July 31, 2001
A funnel cloud was seen by at least 5 people near Stevens Field Airport. Witnesses saw the funnel cloud come down towards the ground, but were unable to see if it actually touched the ground.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 1
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What happened
The episode as NWS GJT wrote it up.
A funnel cloud was seen by at least 5 people near Stevens Field Airport. Witnesses saw the funnel cloud come down towards the ground, but were unable to see if it actually touched the ground.
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before the first event, 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 the first event at Jul 31, 11:00 AM MST, 3 hours 30 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Jul 31, 11:00 AM MST, 3 hours 30 minutes before
WESTERN COLORADO & EASTERN UTAH AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO 1200 PM MDT TUE JUL 31 2001 MOIST LOWER LEVELS ARE IN CONVECTIVE CONTROL IN SPITE OF DRYING FROM THE WEST. IN ADDITION...IN NORTHWESTERN CO THIS EVENING...RIGHT- ENTRANCE REGION OF 80KT JET IS PRODUCING SOME UPPER FORCING THROUGH 06Z. NORTHEASTERN UT LIKELY TOO DRY TO REALIZE THIS FORCING. AVN THE MODEL OF CHOICE DUE TO BEST POSITION OF JET FORCING...BUT ALSO DUE TO ITS INITIALIZATION OF TROPICAL WAVE IN NW MEXICO THAT WILL BE A WEATHER MAKER FOR WEDNESDAY AND POSSIBLY THURSDAY. TONIGHT: DRY AIR OBVIOUSLY WORKING INTO FAR WESTERN COLORADO. BRIEF HEAVY RAIN POSSIBLE MAINLY IN THE EASTERN SAN JUANS AND ELKS WHERE PRECIP WATER IS HIGHEST. LITTLE FORCING SEEN BEYOND MIDNIGHT SO DON'T EXPECT WIDESPREAD ACTIVITY INTO THE EARLY MORNING HOURS. ONE EXCEPTION MAY BE IN THE SOUTH CO WHERE SOME 300 DIVERGENCE IS PROGGED AT 12Z. JET FORCING NORTH MAY ASSIST WITH SMALL HAIL PRODUCTION. OUTFLOW WINDS A THREAT JUST ABOUT EVERYWHERE. WEDNESDAY-THURSDAY: TROPICAL DISTURBANCE MOVING INTO SE AZ TODAY IS IMPRESSIVE AS IT HAS REMAINED COHESIVE INTO THE AFTERNOON HOURS. THIS FEATURE WILL ROTATE PIECEMEAL TOWARD THE FORECAST AREA OR AT LEAST PUMP MOISTURE OUR WAY. NE UTAH WILL REMAIN HIGH AND DRYER...WITH NUMEROUS SHOWERS EXPECTED OVER THE EASTERN SAN JUANS-ELKS. SOME CONVECTION WILL LIKELY CONTINUE INTO THE EARLY MORNING HOURS. MODELS HAVE HAD A HARD TIME WITH THE DRY LINE IN UTAH...LATELY PROGGING TOO MUCH DRYING INTO OUR WESTERN FORECAST AREA. THIS MAKES LIGHT POPS IN FAR WESTERN CO AND SE-EAST CENTRAL UTAH SUSPECT AND WILL GENERALLY GO HIGHER THAN PROGGED THERE. MILD TEMPERATURES IN CLOUDS AND MOISTURE...WARMER IN NE UTAH. RAMEY IN THE EXTENDED...UPPER RIDGE WILL REMAIN OVER THE SOUTHERN PLAINS AS NEXT TROUGH DROPS INTO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. MOIST SOUTHERLY FLOW AND A FEW WEAK DISTURBANCES PROGGED TO ROTATE AROUND WESTERN PERIPHERY OF UPPER RIDGE FRIDAY AND SATURDAY. WILL KEEP SLIGHT CHC POPS MOST AREAS THESE TWO DAYS WITH JUST BELOW NORMAL TEMPS. UPPER RIDGE TO SHIFT NORTH AND WEST BY THE END OF THE WEEKEND. THIS SHOULD CUT OFF MOST OF THE MOISTURE FROM THE SOUTH AND WARM TEMPS A CATEGORY OR TWO. HAVE LEFT ONLY ISOLATED IN THE SOUTHERN MOUNTAINS SUNDAY-TUESDAY. CJ .GJT...NONE.
The radar
The Albuquerque radar (KABX), 228 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:27 UTC.
Event by event
1 funnel cloud. Local standard time, as filed.
What these are
- Funnel Cloud
- A rotating column of cloud extending from a thunderstorm that did not reach the ground.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Heat in Wisconsin, July 31, 2001
- Flash Flood and Damaging Wind in Arizona, July 31, 2001
- Heat in Wisconsin, July 31, 2001
- Heavy Rain in Florida, July 31, 2001
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in Minnesota, July 31, 2001
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Minnesota, July 31, 2001
- Tornado and Hail in Minnesota, July 31, 2001
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Nebraska, July 31, 2001
- Damaging Winds in North Dakota, July 31, 2001
- Damaging Wind in Louisiana, July 31, 2001
- Cold in New Jersey, July 31, 2001
- Flash Flood and Hail in North Dakota, July 31, 2001
More
Every storm in Colorado in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, July 2001
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5275175.