Large hail struck portions of the Grand Valley.
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The episode as NWS GJT wrote it up.
Large hail struck portions of the Grand Valley.
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 May 2, 2:43 PM MST, 3 hours 31 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO 343 PM MDT SAT MAY 2 2009 .SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH MONDAY... GENERAL WEST TO EAST UPPER LEVEL PATTERN WILL PERSIST OVER MUCH OF THE CONUS OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS. THIS WILL ALLOW A SERIES OF FAST MOVING SHRTWVS TO PASS THROUGH THE FORECAST AREA. FIRST WAVE MOVING ACROSS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. INITIAL ACTIVITY MORE STRATIFORM IN NATURE...BUT CLEARING ACROSS EASTERN UTAH HAS ALLOW CONDITIONS TO DESTABILIZE SIGNIFICANTLY THIS AFTERNOON...WITH SEVERAL THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING. THIS ACTIVITY WILL HEAD EAST INTO WESTERN COLORADO THIS EVENING...WINDING DOWN BY MIDNIGHT. STILL SOME OROGRAPHIC SHOWERS TO CONTEND WITH OVER THE NORTHERN AND CENTRAL MOUNTAINS THROUGH EARLY SUNDAY...OTHERWISE FLAT SHRTWV RIDGE BUILDS IN DRYING CONDITIONS FROM WEST TO EAST ON SUNDAY. NEXT WAVE ARRIVES LATE SUNDAY AFTERNOON...SPARKING ANOTHER ROUND OF SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE NORTHERN ZONES...MAINLY ALONG AND NORTH OF INTERSTATE 70. THIS ACTIVITY LINGERS THROUGH EARLY MONDAY... WITH ANOTHER BREAK THEN EXPECTED MONDAY AFTERNOON. AFTER A RATHER COOL DAY TODAY...TEMPERATURES BOUNCE BACK TO MORE SEASONAL VALUES ON SUNDAY AND MONDAY. .LONG TERM...MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY... MODELS ARE IN DISAGREEMENT ABOUT THE TRACK AND INTENSITY OF AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE CROSSING THE REGION LATE MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY. THE NAM AND ECMWF BOTH CREATE A MORE ORGANIZED AND PHASED SYSTEM WHICH DIGS A TROUGH INTO THE CENTRAL PLAINS BY WEDNESDAY. THE GFS DOES NOT PHASE THE ENERGY IN THIS SYSTEM QUITE AS WELL AND RESULTS IN A WEAKER MORE PROGRESSIVE TROUGH WHICH ENTERS THE MID WEST BY WEDNESDAY. HAVE TRENDED TOWARDS THE ECMWF AND NAM FOR THIS FORECAST WHICH PRODUCE MORE WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND THUNDERSHOWERS MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY FAVORING THE NORTHERN ZONES WHERE THE MOST UPPER LEVEL ENERGY AND DYNAMICS WILL BE. ANY SUNSHINE ON TUESDAY WILL HELP CONVECTION AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF THUNDERSTORMS. BUFKIT SHOWS SOME MODERATE SURFACE TO 3 KM WIND SHEAR BUT CAPES DO NOT LOOK EXCEPTIONAL. FOR WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY THE UPPER LEVEL FLOW BECOMES ZONAL ACROSS WESTERN COLORADO AND EASTERN UTAH WITH THE JET STREAM AT 300MB SETTING UP ACROSS SOUTHERN IDAHO AND NORTH CENTRAL WYOMING. DYNAMICS WILL BE LIMITED. 700MB-500MB MEAN LAYER MIXING RATIOS WILL RANGE BETWEEN 2 TO 3 G/KG DURING THE PERIOD. WITH DYNAMICS WELL TO THE NORTH OF THE AREA ANTICIPATE DRY WEATHER WITH SOME HIGH CLOUDINESS ALONG WITH AFTERNOON CUMULUS CLOUDS BUILDING UP OVER THE MOUNTAINS. THE GFS CREATES A TROUGH OVER THE WESTERN US ON SATURDAY WHILE THE ECMWF KEEPS THE AREA IN ZONAL FLOW. KEPT THE FORECAST FOR SATURDAY PARTLY CLOUDY AND DRY FOR NOW. THE AMOUNT OF CLOUDS AND PRECIPITATION ON TUESDAY WILL DETERMINE THE MAX TEMPERATURES. TEMPERATURES WILL WARM TO SEASONABLY MILD LEVELS BY THE END OF THE WEEK. && .AVIATION... WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO IMPACT WESTERN COLORADO AND EASTERN UTAH TONIGHT. MOST THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY WILL END BY 06Z THIS EVENING. VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL...EXCEPT NEAR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...WHICH WILL RESULT IN LOCAL MVFR AND IFR CONDITIONS. THE SHOWERS COME TO AN END BY 15Z SUNDAY...WITH CLEARING SKIES FROM WEST TO EAST. ANOTHER STORM MOVES IN LATE SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING... BRINGING ANOTHER CHANCE FOR RAIN AND SNOW. && .HYDROLOGY... FLOWS ON THE WHITE RIVER AND DOLORES RIVER WILL REMAIN HIGH DUE TO THE WEEKEND RAINFALL. A FEW PORTIONS OF THESE RIVERS ARE NEAR BANKFULL BUT NO FLOODING PROBLEMS HAVE BEEN REPORTED. RIVER LEVELS WILL ONCE AGAIN RISE LATER NEXT WEEK AS MILDER AIR WORKS INTO THE AREA AND FREEZING LEVELS HEIGHTEN. PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENTS HAVE BEEN ISSUED FOR THE WHITE RIVER NEAR MEEKER AND THE HEADWATERS OF THE DOLORES RIVER. FLOWS REMAIN HIGH BUT GENERALLY BELOW BANKFULL ON PORTIONS OF THE WHITE RIVER IN NORTHWESTERN COLORADO AS WELL AS ALONG THE DOLORES RIVER BETWEEN RICO AND DOLORES. FLOWS ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN HIGH ON THESE RIVERS INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. FORECAST RIVER STAGES FOR SUNDAY INCLUDE...THE COLORADO RIVER AT CAMEO...7.1 FEET...THE COLORADO RIVER AT CISCO... 7.1 FEET...THE GUNNISON RIVER NEAR GRAND JUNCTION...6.6 FEET...THE DOLORES RIVER NEAR DOLORES...5.1 FEET...THE ANIMAS RIVER NEAR DURANGO...5.1 FEET...THE SAN JUAN RIVER NEAR BLUFF...6.1 FEET. CAUTION SHOULD BE EXERCISED NEAR THE BANKS OF STREAMS AND RIVERS EXPERIENCING HIGHER FLOWS. HIGH FLOWS CAN ERODE AND WEAKEN RIVER BANKS MAKING THEM SUSCEPTIBLE TO COLLAPSING. && .GJT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... .CO...NONE. .UT...NONE. SHORT TERM.....JDC LONG TERM......BAL AVIATION.......JDC HYDROLOGY......BAL
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO 545 AM MDT SAT MAY 2 2009 COZ001>014-017>023-UTZ022>025-027>029-031145- ANIMAS RIVER BASIN-ARCHES/GRAND FLAT-CANYONLANDS/NATURAL BRIDGES- CENTRAL COLORADO RIVER BASIN- CENTRAL GUNNISON AND UNCOMPAHGRE RIVER BASIN- CENTRAL YAMPA RIVER BASIN-DEBEQUE TO SILT CORRIDOR- EASTERN UINTA BASIN-EASTERN UINTA MOUNTAINS- ELKHEAD AND PARK MOUNTAINS-FLAT TOPS- FOUR CORNERS/UPPER DOLORES RIVER- GORE AND ELK MOUNTAINS/CENTRAL MOUNTAINS-GRAND AND BATTLEMENT MESAS- GRAND VALLEY-LA SAL AND ABAJO MOUNTAINS-LOWER YAMPA RIVER BASIN- NORTHWEST SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS-PARADOX VALLEY/LOWER DOLORES RIVER- ROAN AND TAVAPUTS PLATEAUS-SAN JUAN RIVER BASIN-SOUTHEAST UTAH- SOUTHWEST SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS-TAVAPUTS PLATEAU- UNCOMPAHGRE PLATEAU AND DALLAS DIVIDE-UPPER GUNNISON RIVER VALLEY- UPPER YAMPA RIVER BASIN-WEST ELK AND SAWATCH MOUNTAINS- 545 AM MDT SAT MAY 2 2009 .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT... WIDESPREAD VALLEY RAIN...WITH RAIN AND SNOW IN THE MOUNTAINS...IS EXPECTED TODAY. SEVERAL INCHES OF SNOW ARE POSSIBLE ABOVE 9500 FEET THROUGH TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY... A CHANCE OF SHOWERS WILL PERSIST SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY...WITH THE FOCUS MAINLY OVER THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF NORTHEAST UTAH AND NORTHWEST COLORADO. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED TODAY OR TONIGHT. JAD/AS
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO 629 PM MDT SAT MAY 2 2009 COZ003-006-030100- GRAND VALLEY-ROAN AND TAVAPUTS PLATEAUS- 629 PM MDT SAT MAY 2 2009 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR NORTHWESTERN MESA AND SOUTHWESTERN GARFIELD COUNTIES UNTIL 700 PM MDT... AT 625 PM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 17 MILES NORTHWEST OF FRUITA...OR 27 MILES NORTHWEST OF GRAND JUNCTION...MOVING EAST AT 15 MPH. SMALL HAIL...WINDS AROUND 40 MPH AND BRIEF HEAVY RAINFALL ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM. NORMALLY DRY WASHES AND ARROYOS SILL START TO FLOW. THIS STORM WILL BE NEAR... 6 MILES NORTH OF FRUITA BY 650 PM MDT. AS
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO 639 PM MDT SAT MAY 2 2009 COZ003-006-030100- GRAND VALLEY-ROAN AND TAVAPUTS PLATEAUS- 639 PM MDT SAT MAY 2 2009 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR NORTHWESTERN MESA AND SOUTHWESTERN GARFIELD COUNTIES UNTIL 700 PM MDT... AT 625 PM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 17 MILES NORTHWEST OF FRUITA...OR 27 MILES NORTHWEST OF GRAND JUNCTION...MOVING EAST AT 15 MPH. SMALL HAIL...WINDS AROUND 40 MPH AND BRIEF HEAVY RAINFALL ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM. NORMALLY DRY WASHES AND ARROYOS WILL START TO FLOW. THIS STORM WILL BE NEAR... 6 MILES NORTH OF FRUITA BY 650 PM MDT. AS
The Grand Junction radar (KGJX), 36 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:12 UTC.
1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
NWS employees and trained spotters reported large hail across a significant swath of the Grand Valley, from the Redlands area to the downtown Grand Junction area. At least 800 vehicles were damaged, including vehicles parked outside at six vehicle dealerships.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Colorado in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, May 2009
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: 173749.