Colorado, 2002

Drought in Colorado, August 1 to 31, 2002

August 1 to 31, 2002 · NWS GJT · 21 events in 21 counties and zones

Extreme to exceptional drought conditions continued throughout western Colorado during the month of August. Surges of monsoon moisture resulted in occasional rainfall which brought minor relief to portions of Colorado.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 21 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
21

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.

Extreme to exceptional drought conditions continued throughout western Colorado during the month of August. Surges of monsoon moisture resulted in occasional rainfall which brought minor relief to portions of Colorado. Water restrictions were in place across much of the area. The persistent drought conditions continued a heightened risk for wildfires and caused problems for agricultural interests. See the September 2002 Storm Data publication for a continuation on the drought in western Colorado.

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, 12:44 PM MST, 11 hours 16 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 31, 12:44 PM MST, 11 hours 16 minutes before
WESTERN COLORADO & EASTERN UTAH AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO
144 PM MDT WED JUL 31 2002

CUMULUS DEVELOPMENT MORE NUMEROUS ACROSS MOUNTAINS THIS AFTERNOON
THAN YESTERDAY WITH MARGINAL INSTABILITY ACROSS THE AREA. LOW LEVELS
ARE QUITE DRY THOUGH PER 12Z RAOB AND CURRENT DEW POINTS. MAY SEE
SOME ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE HIGH TERRAIN EARLY THIS
EVENING. POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT RAIN IS LOW BUT POTENTIAL FOR
GUSTY WINDS EXISTS WITH DRY SUB CLOUD LAYER.

MODELS ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT SHIFTING THE UPPER HIGH CENTER EAST OF
THE FORECAST AREA TONIGHT AND THURSDAY. THIS ALLOWS A SOUTHERLY FLOW
TO DEVELOP ACROSS THE AREA WHICH OPENS THE DOOR FOR MONSOON MOISTURE
TO ADVECT NORTH. MOISTURE IS GRADUALLY ADVANCING NORTH ACROSS AZ PER
GOES PW DATA. CYCLONIC CIRCULATION OVER BAJA CALIFORNIA WILL CONTINUE
TO PULL MOISTURE INTO THE SOUTHWEST AS WELL. ALL THIS SUPPORTS THE
IDEA OF INCREASING MOISTURE ACROSS EASTERN UTAH AND WESTERN COLORADO
THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS. A SERIES OF WAVES ARE PROGGED TO BREAK OFF
FROM THE BAJA CIRCULATION. TIMING OF THESE WAVES IS UNCERTAIN AT
THIS POINT AND WILL CONTINUE WITH A GENERAL UPWARD TREND IN POPS
THROUGH FRIDAY. EXPECT DIURNALLY DRIVEN CONVECTION THURSDAY AFTERNOON
AND EVENING...WITH BETTER CHANCES OF NOCTURNAL CONVECTION ON FRIDAY
NIGHT AS MOIST LAYER DEEPENS. TAL

(SAT-WED):  MOISTURE WILL BE ON THE WANE THROUGH THE WEEKEND FOR
DRYING TREND FROM NORTH TO SOUTH THROUGH MONDAY.  EACH DAY WILL SEE A
LITTLE LESS ACTIVITY THAN THE PREVIOUS ONE...WITH THE TREND REVERSING
BY TUE. GOOD AGREEMENT IN LATEST RUNS OF MID-RANGE MODELS IN
DEVELOPING A TROUGH ALONG THE WEST COAST EARLY NEXT WEEK FOR
SOUTHWEST FLOW OVER EAST UT/WEST CO. THE AVN/MRF HAS COME IN LINE
WITH OTHER MODELS IN CONTRAST TO ITS PREVIOUS SOLUTION. THE
SOUTHWEST FLOW IS MORE FAVORABLE FOR INCREASING MOISTURE OVER THE
AREA AND LOOKS LIKE A DECENT TAP COULD BE ESTABLISHED BY WED. WILL
MAKE A FEW ADJUSTMENTS TO THE FORECAST TO REFLECT THESE IDEAS.
HEFFERNAN

.GJT...NONE.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

21 drought. Local standard time, as filed.

Drought, Animas River Basin

When
August 1, 12:00 AM MST to August 31, 11:59 PM MST
Where
Animas River Basin forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
37.287, -107.843 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Central Colorado River Basin

When
August 1, 12:00 AM MST to August 31, 11:59 PM MST
Where
Central Colorado River Basin forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
39.481, -107.172 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Central Gunnison and Uncompahgre River Basin

When
August 1, 12:00 AM MST to August 31, 11:59 PM MST
Where
Central Gunnison and Uncompahgre River Basin forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
38.737, -107.907 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Central Yampa River Basin

When
August 1, 12:00 AM MST to August 31, 11:59 PM MST
Where
Central Yampa River Basin forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
40.361, -107.805 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Debeque to Silt Corridor

When
August 1, 12:00 AM MST to August 31, 11:59 PM MST
Where
Debeque to Silt Corridor forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
39.308, -108.185 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Elkhead and Park Mountains

When
August 1, 12:00 AM MST to August 31, 11:59 PM MST
Where
Elkhead and Park Mountains forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
40.552, -107.599 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Flattop Mountains

When
August 1, 12:00 AM MST to August 31, 11:59 PM MST
Where
Flattop Mountains forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
40.062, -107.603 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Four Corners / Upper Dolores River Basin

When
August 1, 12:00 AM MST to August 31, 11:59 PM MST
Where
Four Corners / Upper Dolores River Basin forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
37.698, -108.507 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Gore and Elk Mountains/Central Mountain Valleys

When
August 1, 12:00 AM MST to August 31, 11:59 PM MST
Where
Gore and Elk Mountains/Central Mountain Valleys forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
39.481, -107.172 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Grand and Battlement Mesas

When
August 1, 12:00 AM MST to August 31, 11:59 PM MST
Where
Grand and Battlement Mesas forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
39.159, -108.078 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Grand Valley

When
August 1, 12:00 AM MST to August 31, 11:59 PM MST
Where
Grand Valley forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
39.308, -108.185 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Lower Yampa River Basin

When
August 1, 12:00 AM MST to August 31, 11:59 PM MST
Where
Lower Yampa River Basin forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
40.066, -108.109 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Northwestern San Juan Mountains

When
August 1, 12:00 AM MST to August 31, 11:59 PM MST
Where
Northwestern San Juan Mountains forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
38.210, -107.755 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Paradox Valley / Lower Dolores River Basin

When
August 1, 12:00 AM MST to August 31, 11:59 PM MST
Where
Paradox Valley / Lower Dolores River Basin forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
38.294, -108.414 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Roan and Tavaputs Plateaus

When
August 1, 12:00 AM MST to August 31, 11:59 PM MST
Where
Roan and Tavaputs Plateaus forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
39.532, -108.196 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, San Juan River Basin

When
August 1, 12:00 AM MST to August 31, 11:59 PM MST
Where
San Juan River Basin forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
37.194, -107.048 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Southwestern San Juan Mountains

When
August 1, 12:00 AM MST to August 31, 11:59 PM MST
Where
Southwestern San Juan Mountains forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
37.594, -107.912 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Uncompahgre Plateau and Dallas Divide

When
August 1, 12:00 AM MST to August 31, 11:59 PM MST
Where
Uncompahgre Plateau and Dallas Divide forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
38.488, -108.155 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Upper Gunnison River Valley

When
August 1, 12:00 AM MST to August 31, 11:59 PM MST
Where
Upper Gunnison River Valley forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
38.535, -107.650 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Upper Yampa River Basin

When
August 1, 12:00 AM MST to August 31, 11:59 PM MST
Where
Upper Yampa River Basin forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
40.485, -106.991 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, West Elk and Sawatch Mountains

When
August 1, 12:00 AM MST to August 31, 11:59 PM MST
Where
West Elk and Sawatch Mountains forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
38.643, -107.721 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Drought
A drought reaching severe (D2) or worse on the US Drought Monitor, or with notable impacts.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Colorado in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, August 2002

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: 5320734, 5320735, 5320736, 5320737, 5320738, 5320739, 5320740, 5320741, 5320742, 5320743, 5320816, 5320817, 5320818, 5320819, 5320820, 5320821, 5320822, 5320823, 5320824, 5320825, 5320826.