Lightning struck a water treatment plant in Daggett County.
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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.
Lightning struck a water treatment plant in Daggett County.
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 30, 2:30 PM MST, 7 hours earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO 330 PM MDT SAT MAY 30 2009 .SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH MONDAY... THE REGION REMAINED BENEATH A BROAD AREA OF HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE WESTERN U.S. TODAY. HOWEVER...DESPITE THE PRESENCE OF THE RIDGE WINDS FLOWED FROM THE SOUTHWEST AHEAD OF A HEAT LOW OVER THE SOUTHWESTERN DESERT. MOISTURE CARRIED NORTHWARD RESULTED IN AN INCREASE IN PW LEVEL IN THE 12Z KGJT SOUNDING. AS EXPECTED...THE INCREASED MOISTURE HAS RESULTED IN AN EARLIER AND MORE WIDESPREAD TSTORM DEVELOPMENT. IN THE ABSENCE OF DYNAMIC FORCING...STORMS HAVE SHOWN A DISINCLINATION TO MOVE FROM HIGHER TERRAIN WHILE UPSLOPE WINDS PREVAIL. EXPECT BETTER CHANCES OVER THE VALLEYS THIS EVENING WHEN DIURNAL WINDS SHIFT TO A DOWNSLOPE FLOW. SHEAR...BUOYANCY AND FORCING DO NOT SUPPORT MORE THAN PULSE TYPE THUNDERSTORMS. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS DIMINISH OVERNIGHT WITH CONTINUED COOLING AND IN THE ABSENCE OF DYNAMIC FORCING. AS MENTIONED IN THE PREVIOUS DISCUSSION...MOISTURE VALUES WILL CONTINUE TO CREEP UPWARD THROUGH THE NEXT FEW PERIODS AS FLOW FROM THE SOUTH PERSISTS ON SUNDAY. POP VALUES HAVE BEEN RAISED ACCORDINGLY AND THREAT WILL COME MAINLY FROM LOCALIZED FLOODING AS STEERING WINDS REMAIN LIGHT. SOUTHWEST LOW EJECTS SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY...SO WILL CARRY PRECIPITATION CHANCES THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT WITH HIGHER POP VALUES MONDAY. DAYTIME HIGHS WILL TREND SLOWLY DOWNWARD DURING THE WEEKEND AND INTO THE EARLY PART OF THE COMING WEEK AS CLOUDS AND STORMS INCREASE. IN CONTRAST...OVERNIGHT LOWS WILL MODERATE DUE TO HEIGHTENED AIRMASS MOISTURE CONTENT AND LINGERING CLOUD COVER. .LONG TERM...MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY... MODELS ARE IN DISAGREEMENT WITH THE TIMING OF THE WEAK UPPER LEVEL TROUGH POSITIONED OVER THE FORECAST AREA MONDAY EVENING. THE GFS DEPICTS A DEEPER SYSTEM WHICH SLOWLY EXITS THE AREA TUESDAY AND TUESDAY NIGHT WHILE THE NAM AND ECMWF BOTH PORTRAY A QUICKER MOVING SYSTEM. FAVORED THE GFS SOLUTION WHICH HAS HAD BETTER RUN TO RUN CONSISTENCY AND WHICH IS FAVORED BY THE 12Z ENSEMBLE MEAN. A GOOD AMOUNT OF MOISTURE WILL REMAIN ACROSS THE REGION MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY WITH VALUES OF .60-.75 INCHES. FORCING FROM UPPER LEVEL DYNAMICS WILL COMBINE WITH THIS MOISTURE TO ENHANCE THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY WITH PRECIPITATION BEING THE MOST WIDESPREAD TUESDAY AFTERNOON WHEN DIURNAL HEATING TAKES OVER. A COLD FRONT ASSOCIATED WITH A NORTHERN STREAM SHORTWAVE WILL STALL ACROSS SOUTH/CENTRAL WYOMING AND THIS MAY HELP TO ENHANCE CONVECTION ACROSS THE FAR NORTHERN FORECAST AREA. BY WEDNESDAY THE GFS INDICATES THAT PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES WILL SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASE MAKING FOR A DRIER SECOND HALF OF THE WEEK AS A RIDGE BUILDS OVER THE REGION. MODELS HAVE BEEN FAIRLY CONSISTENT IN SHOWING A STRONG SOUTHERN STREAM STORM SYSTEM APPROACHING THE WEST COAST AND THE NORTHERN JET STREAM STRETCHING ACROSS THE NORTHERN TIER STATES. SOME LINGERING MOISTURE WILL ALLOW GENERALLY ISOLATED CONVECTION OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING ON WEDNESDAY...THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. A DECAYING COLD FRONT OVER SOUTHERN WYOMING MAY ENHANCE THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE FAR NORTHERN PORTIONS OF THE CWA WEDNESDAY/THURSDAY...AND A REINFORCING SHOT OF COLD AIR WILL SETTLE INTO THE NORTHERN TIER STATES LATE THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY. THE MODELS HAVE TRENDED SLOWER WITH THE DEEP STORM SYSTEM SPINNING OFF OF THE WEST COAST NEXT WEEKEND. THE GFS AND ECMWF ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT THAT THE STORM SYSTEM WILL STILL BE POSITIONED OFF OF THE CALIFORNIA COAST BY NEXT SATURDAY BUT THE GFS IS SHOWING A TENDENCY TO RETROGRADE THE SYSTEM WHILE THE ECMWF IS MORE PROGRESSIVE. BY SATURDAY THE RIDGE SHOULD START BREAKING DOWN OVER THE FORECAST AREA BUT WITH THE LACK OF MOISTURE DRY CONDITIONS SHOULD CONTINUE. && .AVIATION... SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL PERSIST UNTIL SUNSET THIS EVENING... THEN BECOME ISOLATED UNTIL AROUND MIDNIGHT. EXPECT ISOLATED MVFR CIGS AND VSBY IN HEAVIER SHOWERS. GUSTY OUTFLOW WINDS AS HIGH AS 40 MPH ARE ALSO POSSIBLE NEAR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. && .HYDROLOGY... THE SNOWPACK IN THE ELKHEAD...GORE...AND PARK MOUNTAINS HAS BEEN LARGELY DEPLETED. THE CURRENT AVERAGE SNOWPACK IN THE YAMPA/WHITE RIVER BASIN IS 39% OF NORMAL...IN THE UPPER COLORADO BASIN...40% OF NORMAL...IN THE GUNNISON BASIN...14% OF NORMAL...AND IN THE SAN MIGUEL/DOLORES/ANIMAS/SAN JUAN BASIN...17% OF NORMAL. THE QUICKER THAN NORMAL MELT OF THE SNOWPACK HAS RESULTED IN MANY RIVERS AND STREAMS IN WESTERN COLORADO AND EASTERN UTAH CRESTING 1 TO 2 WEEKS EARLIER THAN NORMAL. WHILE RUNOFF FROM SNOWMELT WILL BE DECREASING...AN UNUSUALLY EARLY MONSOONAL MOISTURE FLOW WILL RESULT IN PRECIPITATION...ESPECIALLY OVER THE MOUNTAINS...INTO THE FIRST HALF OF NEXT WEEK. THIS PRECIPITATION WILL HELP TO SUSTAIN HIGH RIVER AND STREAM FLOWS AND MAY EVEN CAUSE SOME MINOR RISES IN WATER LEVELS. MOST RIVERS AND STREAMS ARE WITHIN THEIR BANKS. HOWEVER...THE EAGLE RIVER IS CURRENTLY AT BANKFULL AND IS RESULTING IN SOME MINOR FLOODING OF AGRICULTURAL LAND. A FLOOD ADVISORY CONTINUES FOR THE EAGLE RIVER NEAR GYPSUM TO ALERT PEOPLE OF HIGH FLOWS. && .GJT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... .CO...FLOOD ADVISORY EAGLE RIVER AT GYPSUM THROUGH MIDDAY WEDNESDAY. .UT...NONE. SHORT TERM.....NL LONG TERM......BAL/EH AVIATION.......TGJT HYDROLOGY......BAL
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO 500 AM MDT SAT MAY 30 2009 COZ001>014-017>023-UTZ022>025-027>029-311100- 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- 500 AM MDT SAT MAY 30 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EASTERN UTAH AND WESTERN COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT... EXPECT SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS MAINLY OVER THE MOUNTAINS THIS AFTERNOON AND INTO THE EVENING HOURS. LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN...SMALL HAIL...AND GUSTY WINDS ARE POSSIBLE FROM THE STRONGER STORMS. RIVERS AND STREAMS ACROSS WESTERN COLORADO AND EASTERN UTAH WILL CONTINUE TO RUN HIGH FROM SNOW MELT AND RAINFALL. FOR MORE INFORMATION...PLEASE VISIT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION WEB SITE AT WEATHER.GOV/GJT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY... SCATTERED AFTERNOON AND EVENING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE EACH DAY...ESPECIALLY IN THE MOUNTAIN AREAS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED TODAY OR TONIGHT. HOWEVER...REPORTS OF SIGNIFICANT WEATHER SENT TO THE GRAND JUNCTION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE WILL BE APPRECIATED. TGJT
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO 757 PM MDT SAT MAY 30 2009 UTZ022-310230- SOUTHEAST UTAH- 757 PM MDT SAT MAY 30 2009 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR CENTRAL SAN JUAN COUNTY UNTIL 830 PM MDT... AT 754 PM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 12 MILES SOUTH OF BLANDING...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 10 MPH. SMALL HAIL AND HEAVY RAIN IS EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM. THIS STORM WILL AFFECT MAINLY RURAL AREAS OF CENTRAL SAN JUAN COUNTY...BUT THE TOWN OF BLANDING WILL BE NEAR THE STORM AND EXPECT SOME GUSTY WINDS TO 25 MPH AND BRIEF RAIN. PF
The Grand Junction radar (KGJX), 230 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 04:31 UTC.
1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Lightning struck the Red Canyon water treatment plant and destroyed the USFS' transducer.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Utah in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in Utah, 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: 173752.