Flood in Colorado, September 13, 2002

Name: Flood in Colorado, September 13, 2002
Start: 2002-09-13T13:30
End: 2002-09-13T16:00
Location: Colorado

September 13, 2002 · NWS GJT · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Heavy rainfall resulted in water and debris 4 to 8 inches deep crossing several county roads around the Vallecito and Lemon Reservoir area. Sections of the county roads were temporarily closed as logs, mud, and rocks up to the size of bowling balls had to be removed from the roads.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

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.

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 Sep 13, 12:19 PM MST, 1 hour 11 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 13, 12:19 PM MST, 1 hour 11 minutes before

WESTERN COLORADO & EASTERN UTAH AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO
119 PM MDT FRI SEP 13 2002

THE UPPER LOW WHICH HAS BEEN BRINGING ALL THE RAIN TO EASTERN UTAH
AND WESTERN COLORADO HAS NOW MOVED OFF INTO THE PLAINS. DRIER AIR
CONTINUES TO FILTER INTO THE REGION AROUND THE BACK SIDE OF THIS
LOW WITH NORTHWESTERLY FLOW BECOMING ESTABLISHED.  STILL SEEING
SOME CONVECTION OVER THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN ZONES WHERE
SLIGHTLY BETTER INSTABILITY EXISTS AND MOISTURE IS SOMEWHAT
DEEPER.  ACTIVITY IS NOTICEABLY DIMINISHED FROM PREVIOUS DAYS...
AND WITH SUBSIDENCE SPREADING OVER THE AREA...EXPECT ANY LINGER
CONVECTION THIS EVENING TO DISSIPATE QUICKLY WITH LOSS OF DIURNAL
HEATING.

SHORTWAVE RIDGING THEN BUILDS INTO THE REGION OVER THE WEEKEND...
BRINGING DRIER AND WARMER WEATHER TO THE AREA.  WILL THROW IN SOME
ISOLATED CONVECTION OVER THE MOUNTAINS FOR SATURDAY AFTERNOON...WITH
LINGERING MOISTURE AND BETTER SURFACE HEATING EXPECTED.   DRY
EVERYWHERE ON SUNDAY. SLIGHTLY WARMER THROUGH THE PERIOD...WITH
AFTERNOON HIGHS SLOWLY CLIMBING BACK TO NEAR NORMAL READINGS. JDC

(MON-FRI)...UPPER RIDGE FLATTENS MON AS PAC WAVE SWEEPS ACROSS THE
NRN GREAT BASIN...BRUSHING THE NORTHERN FORECAST ZONES. BROAD TROUGH
OVER WRN CANADA AND PAC NW THEN KEEPS WESTERLIES OVER THE FORECAST
AREA THROUGH WED. MOST ENERGY LIKELY TO STAY NORTH WITH LIMITED FOR
ERN UT/WRN CO...SO HAVE KEPT JUST A SLIGHT CHANCE OF PCPN FOR THE NRN
MTNS. BIGGEST IMPACT LIKELY TO BE AN INCREASE IN SOUTHWEST SURFACE
WINDS. SHOULD BE MOSTLY CLEAR SOUTH...THOUGH MAYBE SOME HIGH CLOUDS
ASSOCIATED WITH THE UPPER JET. GREATER UNCERTAINTY CROPS UP AFTER
MIDWEEK AS THE DIFFERENT MODELS BUCKLE THE WESTERLY FLOW AT DIFFERENT
TIMES...AND PROGRESS SUBSEQUENT WAVES AT DIFFERENT RATES. WILL FOLLOW
THE GFS FOR NOW...WHICH MAINTAINS MOSTLY DRY WEATHER INTO FRI.  JAD

.GJT...NONE.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Sep 13, 8:55 AM MST, 4 hours 35 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION, CO
955 AM MDT FRI SEP 13 2002

TIME(MDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0420 PM    9 WSW GRAND JUNCTION      CO   .75 INCH HAIL
09/12/02   MESA                           REPORTED BY CO-OP
                                          OBSERVERS

0420 PM    14 SW  GRAND JUNCTION     CO   FLASH FLOODS
09/12/02   MESA                           LARGE BOULDER WASHED ONTO
                                          RIM ROCK ROAD. -- TRAFFIC
                                          BLOCKED -- REPORTED BY
                                          CO-OP OBSERVER.

0400 PM    8 N MANCOS                CO   .88 INCH HAIL
09/12/02   MONTEZUMA                      REPORTED BY CO-OP
                                          OBSERVERS

0530 PM    24 WNW LA SAL JUNCTION    UT   FLASH FLOODS
09/12/02   SAN JUAN                       VEHICLES PARTIALLY BURIED
                                          IN MUD - POTASH ROAD AND
                                          TRAIN TRACKS WASHED OUT -
                                          REPORTED BY NATIONAL PARK
                                          SERVICE.

1030 PM    10 ENE DURANGO            CO   FLASH FLOODS
09/12/02   LA PLATA                       DEBRIS WASHED OVER COUNTY
                                          ROAD 502. REPORTED BY
                                          COUNTY E.M.

JDC

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, La Plata

When: September 13, 1:30 PM MST to 4:00 PM MST
Where: La Plata County, 11 mi N of Bayfield
Reported by: NWS EMPLOYEE(OFF DUTY)
Coordinates: 37.287, -107.843 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Flood: Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Colorado in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings 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: 5318566.