Dense fog reformed under a strong surface-based inversion in the valleys of northwest Colorado.
Every event with a place to put it; 2 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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.
Dense fog reformed under a strong surface-based inversion in the valleys of northwest Colorado.
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 Dec 25, 2:50 PM MST, 5 hours 10 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO 250 PM MST SAT DEC 25 2010 .SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH MONDAY... HIGH SURFACE HUMIDITY AND LOW CLOUDS WILL CONTINUE OVER THE EASTERN UINTAH BASIN AND THE COLORADO NW PLATEAU. THIS SHOULD RESULT IN FOG REFORMING SHORTLY AFTER DARK. THE SW CORNER OF COLORADO CLEARED OUT BY AFTERNOON...BUT THE RH REMAINS HIGH AND AT LEAST PATCHY FOG AND LOW CLOUDS SHOW REDEVELOP AFTER DARK. AFTER ANOTHER COOL NIGHT TONIGHT TEMPERATURES WILL CONTINUE A GRADUAL WARMING TREND SUNDAY. THE FLOW ALOFT TURNS SOUTHWESTERLY AHEAD OF THE NEXT FAST MOVING PACIFIC STORM. BY SUNDAY MORNING THE INITIAL MID CLOUD DECK SHOULD BE SPREADING INTO EASTERN UTAH...AS THE TROUGH LINE MOVES INTO WESTERN UT. BOTH THE GFS AND NAM12 SHOW THE 500 MB TROUGH PASSING OVER THE UT/CO BORDER ABOUT 00Z...WITH THE BULK OF CLOUD IN PRECIP COVERING WESTERN CO AT THAT TIME AND DIMINISHING OVER E. UT. HAVE INCREASED CLOUD COVER AND CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION ACROSS THE BOARD SUNDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT. THE SYSTEM IS RELATIVELY WEAK AND FAST-MOVING...WITH SHALLOW MOISTURE. SO DON'T EXPECT A LOT OF SNOW ACCUMULATION SUNDAY NIGHT CONDITIONS SHOULD IMPROVE STEADILY SUNDAY AND MONDAY FROM WEST TO EAST. ONLY REMNANT OROGRAPHIC SNOW ON WEST AND NW FACING SLOPES SHOULD REMAIN OVER THE WESTERN CO MTS BY MONDAY AFTERNOON. .LONG TERM...MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY... BIG CHANGE IN THE OFFING LATER NEXT WEEK AS MODELS REMAIN IN GENERAL AGREEMENT BRINGING A STRONG COLD FRONT ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA THURSDAY WITH ACCUMULATING SNOW EXPECTED IN THE MOUNTAINS. PRIOR TO THAT...A WEAK WAVE LATE MON NIGHT AND TUE SHOULD NOT PRODUCE MUCH MORE THAN CLOUDINESS. CUT BACK POPS TO JUST A SLIGHT CHANCE OF PRECIP FOR THE NORTHERN MTNS ON TUE. THEN CLOUDS ON THE INCREASE TUE NIGHT IN ISENTROPIC UPGLIDE AHEAD OF AN ENERGETIC PACIFIC TROUGH THAT DIGS INTO THE WEST ON WED. DEEP MOIST WARM ADVECTIVE UPGLIDE SEEN ON ISENTROPIC ANALYSES WILL PRODUCE CLOUDY SKIES AND INCREASING CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION...FIRST TO THE MOUNTAINS...WED AFTERNOON AND NIGHT. COLD FRONTAL PASSAGE STILL EXPECTED ON THU AND BOOSTED THE CHANCE OF PRECIP AS A RESULT...AS THE PRIMARY SURFACE LOW IS EXPECTED TO MOVE FROM THE NRN ROCKIES TO VICINITY OF ERN OR SERN CO CO BY LATE THU. BUT...SIGNIFICANT UPSTREAM ENERGY ON THE GFS DIGS THE UPPER TROUGH FARTHER SOUTH WELL INTO AZ/NM BY MIDDAY FRI AND IS THUS SLOWER TO SHIFT THE TROUGH EAST. WITH THIS MIND...BUMPED UP POPS FOR FRI SOMEWHAT TO ACCOUNT FOR POTENTIAL SLOWER MOVEMENT. TEMPERATURES LOOK TO TAKE A SIGNIFICANT HIT POST-FRONT WITH HIGH TEMPS ON FRI 10 TO 20 DEGREES COLDER THAN THU. HIGHS MAY NOT GET OUT OF THE TEENS ACROSS NE UT AND NW CO FRI AND SAT. LOW TEMPS IN THE SINGLE DIGITS OR BELOW ZERO LATE NEXT WEEK. && .AVIATION... STRATUS AND FOG DISSIPATED OVER THE FOUR CORNERS AND THE GUNNISON VCNTY...BUT ONLY THINNED OUT OVER THE CO NW PLATEAU. THE LOG CLOUDS AND AREA OF FOG SHOULD REDEVELOP AFTER DARK TONIGHT AND PERSIST UNTIL MID-MORNING TOMORROW. THIS WILL BRINGS AREAS OF MVR AND IFR CONDITIONS IN LOW CEILINGS AND FOG TO NW CO PLATEAU AND UINTA BASIN AND LOW CLOUDS OVER THE FOUR CORNERS. && .GJT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... CO...NONE. UT...NONE. && SHORT TERM...EH LONG TERM....JAD AVIATION.....PF
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO 600 AM MST SAT DEC 25 2010 COZ001>014-017>023-UTZ022>025-027>029-261300- 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- 600 AM MST SAT DEC 25 2010 ...DENSE FOG ADVISORY UNTIL 9 AM MST FOR THE YAMPA AND WHITE RIVER VALLEYS... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EASTERN UTAH AND WESTERN COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT AREAS OF DENSE FOG WILL PERSIST THROUGH MID-MORNING ALONG THE YAMPA RIVER VALLEY NEAR CRAIG AND WESTWARD...AND ALONG THE WHITE RIVER VALLEY. VISIBILITY WILL DROP BELOW ONE QUARTER MILE AT TIMES. OTHER LOCATIONS ACROSS EASTERN UTAH AND WESTERN COLORADO MAY ALSO SEE AREAS OF FOG THIS MORNING...ESPECIALLY THE UINTA BASIN...THE FOUR CORNERS AREA...AND IN THE VICINITY OF GUNNISON. PATCHY VALLEY FOG MAY AGAIN REFORM LATE TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY LOW CLOUDS AND PATCHY FOG WILL BE POSSIBLE OVER THE EASTERN UINTA BASIN...AND ACROSS NORTHWEST COLORADO THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING. THERE WILL BE A CHANCE OF SNOW IN THE MOUNTAINS SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY...ANY SNOW ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED TO BE LIGHT. A COLDER WINTER STORM WILL APPROACH FROM THE WEST ON WEDNESDAY AND MOVE ACROSS THE REGION ON THURSDAY. THIS MAJOR WINTER STORM IS EXPECTED TO BRING WIDESPREAD SNOW...WITH SIGNIFICANT ACCUMULATIONS IN THE MOUNTAINS AND SOME VALLEY LOCATIONS. TRAVEL COULD BE SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACTED EVERYWHERE. MUCH COLDER TEMPERATURES WILL FOLLOW THE STORM SYSTEM ON FRIDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED TODAY OR TONIGHT. TGJT
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO
727 PM MST SAT DEC 25 2010
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1201 PM HEAVY SNOW 7 N BAYFIELD 37.34N 107.59W
12/24/2010 M13.9 INCH LA PLATA CO TRAINED SPOTTER
6 DAY STORM TOTAL... SWE 3.01 INCHES
&&
EVENT NUMBER GJT1000932
TGJTThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 dense smoke, 1 dense fog. Local standard time, as filed.
Dense fog occurred in many areas with visibilities down to a quarter mile or less.
Dense fog occurred in many areas with visibilities down to a quarter mile or less.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Colorado in 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, December 2010
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: 324609, 324612.