Colorado, 2002

Drought in Colorado, September 1 to 30, 2002

September 1 to 30, 2002 · NWS GJT · 21 events in 21 counties and zones

The extreme to exceptional drought officially persisted across western Colorado through the month of September. However, periods of rainfall reduced the usage of water across the area, while decreasing the risk of wildfires.

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.

The extreme to exceptional drought officially persisted across western Colorado through the month of September. However, periods of rainfall reduced the usage of water across the area, while decreasing the risk of wildfires. See the October 2002 Storm Data publication for a continuation of 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 Aug 31, 1:02 PM MST, 10 hours 58 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 31, 1:02 PM MST, 10 hours 58 minutes before
WESTERN COLORADO & EASTERN UTAH AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO
202 PM MDT SAT AUG 31 2002

DEEP SOUTHWEST FLOW OVER THE FORECAST AREA AHEAD OF AN UPPER TROUGH
MOVING ACROSS THE NORTHERN ROCKIES. TAIL END OF THE TROUGH WILL PASS
THROUGH LATE TONIGHT AND SUNDAY...VEERING WINDS TO THE WEST AND
NORTHWEST. MOISTURE IS LACKING ACROSS THE AREA AND EXPECT ONLY
ISOLATED HIGH BASED THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH EARLY EVENING ACROSS THE
MOUNTAINS NEAR THE DIVIDE. UPPER JET SHOULD PROVIDE ENOUGH LIFT FOR
SOME CLOUDS ACROSS THE AREA TONIGHT EXCEPT NORTHEAST UTAH AND FAR
NORTHWEST COLORADO.

DRIER AIR ADVECTS INTO THE AREA SUNDAY. ENOUGH MOISTURE AND JET
DYNAMICS DURING PEAK HEATING ACROSS THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN
MOUNTAINS OF WESTERN COLORADO FOR ISOLATED AFTERNOON POPS. EXCEPT FOR
GUSTY WINDS WITH ISOLATED STORMS...WEAK GRADIENT FLOW WILL ALLOW
DIURNAL TERRAIN DRIVEN WINDS TO PREVAIL. PERSISTENCE TEMP FORECAST
SUNDAY.

FURTHER DRYING OF THE AIRMASS SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY. A LITTLE
MID LEVEL MOISTURE PROGGED ACROSS SOUTHWEST COLORADO MONDAY. LITTLE
TO NO LARGE SCALE FORCING BUT LOCAL CONVERGENCE ACROSS HIGH TERRAIN
MAY BE ENOUGH FOR AN ISOLATED STORM ACROSS THE SAN JUAN RANGE...ELK
AND SAWATCH MOUNTAINS. WILL USE ETA TEMPS MONDAY FOR NEAR PERSISTENCE
FORECAST. AMPLIFICATION OF THE PATTERN MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY AS
A WEST COAST TROUGH DEVELOPS. FLOW TURNS SOUTHWEST BY TUESDAY
AFTERNOON WITH INCREASING MOISTURE. MODELS GENERATE AN UPPER
DIVERGENCE MAX OVER SOUTHWEST COLORADO. TUESDAY LOOKS LIKE THE
BEGINNING OF A MOIST AND UNSETTLED PERIOD. LINDQUIST

EXTENDED (WED-SAT)...WEST COAST TROUGH PROGRESSION IS SLOWER IN THE
EC/UK...AND THE 12Z AVN IS SIMILAR AND SLOWER THAN LAST NIGHTS GFS.
TROUGH PASSAGE ACROSS THE NORTHERN TIER NOW OCCURS ON FRIDAY AND
SUSPECT IT MAYBE LATER YET. SO WITH THE NEW MEXICO HIGH DOMINANT AND
ALLOWING A MONSOONAL BLOOM...WILL KEEP POPS IN FOR FRIDAY.  AS TROUGH
APPROACHES...GRADIENT TIGHTENS ACROSS THE NORTH FOR WINDY CONDITIONS.
WILL INTRODUCE SATURDAY AS DRY...BUT A SLOWER PROGRESSION COULD MEAN
POPS CONTINUE THEN.   RAMEY

.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
September 1, 12:00 AM MST to September 30, 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
September 1, 12:00 AM MST to September 30, 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
September 1, 12:00 AM MST to September 30, 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
September 1, 12:00 AM MST to September 30, 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
September 1, 12:00 AM MST to September 30, 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
September 1, 12:00 AM MST to September 30, 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
September 1, 12:00 AM MST to September 30, 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
September 1, 12:00 AM MST to September 30, 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
September 1, 12:00 AM MST to September 30, 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
September 1, 12:00 AM MST to September 30, 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
September 1, 12:00 AM MST to September 30, 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
September 1, 12:00 AM MST to September 30, 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
September 1, 12:00 AM MST to September 30, 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
September 1, 12:00 AM MST to September 30, 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
September 1, 12:00 AM MST to September 30, 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
September 1, 12:00 AM MST to September 30, 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
September 1, 12:00 AM MST to September 30, 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
September 1, 12:00 AM MST to September 30, 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
September 1, 12:00 AM MST to September 30, 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
September 1, 12:00 AM MST to September 30, 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
September 1, 12:00 AM MST to September 30, 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, September 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: 5320200, 5320201, 5320202, 5320203, 5320204, 5320205, 5320206, 5320207, 5320208, 5320293, 5320294, 5320295, 5320296, 5320297, 5320298, 5320299, 5320300, 5320301, 5320302, 5320303, 5320304.