Thunderstorms moved through southwest Colorado and produced wind gusts in excess of 60 mph.
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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.
Thunderstorms moved through southwest Colorado and produced wind gusts in excess of 60 mph.
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 Jul 24, 10:19 AM MST, 1 hour 41 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...CORRECTED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO 1119 AM MDT TUE JUL 24 2012 CORRECTED FOR UPDATE CLARITY .UPDATE... ISSUED AT 1105 AM MDT TUE JUL 24 2012 ONE MORE WET DAY BEFORE THE DRIER AIR MASS WORKS IN FROM THE WEST. TEMPS AND DEWPOINTS AT 11 AM ARE SIMILAR TO 24 HOURS AGO. SPC MESOSCALE ANALYSIS SHOWS PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES OF 1.2 INCHES EXTENDS THROUGH SE UTAH AND INTO THE ROAN TAVAPUTS WITH THE EASTERN FORECAST AREA AROUND 0.9 INCHES. USING 1-6KM MEAN FLOW FOR STORM MOTION IS LIGHTER THAN MONDAY...SW 10 MPH SOUTH AND 20 MPH NORTH. SO THE STAGE IS SET FOR ANOTHER ROUND OF LOCALLY HEAVY SHOWERS. AREAS WITH WET SOILS FORM THE LAST FEW DAYS ARE ESPECIALLY SUSCEPTIBLE TO FLASH FLOODING. THE FIRST CELLS OF THE DAY INITIATED OVER THE LA SAL AND WESTERN SAN JUAN MTNS. MOST VALLEYS WILL SEE SHOWERS ON THE 2ND OR 3RD GENERATION STORMS IN THE LATE AFTERNOON OR EARLY EVENING. UPDATED THE WIND GUST GRID FOR G30-40MPH WITH LOCALIZED GUSTS 50 MPH POSSIBLE TO THE NORTH OF THE STRONGEST RAIN SHAFTS. SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWS DRIER AIR WORKING INTO UTAH AND THE MODELS SHOW PRECIP WATER VALUES STARTING TO LOWER ACROSS NE UTAH THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. BOTH THE GFS AND NAM SHOW A DISTURBANCE RIDING ON THIS AIR MASS CHANGE ACROSS THE NORTH THIS EVENING. QPF FORECAST DOES SHOW VERY LITTLE SHOWER ACTIVITY AFTER MIDNIGHT. DRIER AND WARMER CONDITIONS EXPECTED ON WEDNESDAY WITH MOST SHOWER ACTIVITY LIMITED TO THE MTNS NEAR THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE. && .SHORT TERM...(TODAY THROUGH THURSDAY) ISSUED AT 347 AM MDT TUE JUL 24 2012 TODAY: FLOW BECAME MORE SOUTHWESTERLY OVERNIGHT AS A DEEP LOW MOVING OVER SOUTHWEST CANADA HAS SHIFTED THE PATTERN SLIGHTLY. A WEAK SHORTWAVE MOVING ACROSS EASTERN UTAH WORKING ON THE SOUPY MONSOONAL AIR MASS WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR ISOLATED SHOWER ACTIVITY OVER MUCH OF EASTERN UTAH AND EXTREME WESTERN COLORADO. EXPECT THIS FEATURE TO SHEAR AND WEAKEN THROUGH THE REMAINING MORNING HOURS...THOUGH CLOUDS AND A FEW SHOWERS ARE LIKELY TO LINGER AFTER SUNRISE. MID-LEVEL RH FIELDS INDICATED THE BROAD MID-LEVEL CLOUD SHIELD OVER EASTERN UTAH WILL PUSH SLOWLY EASTWARD OVER THE AREA THIS MORNING AND SHOULD INHIBIT THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT...AT LEAST EARLY IN THE DAY. HOWEVER...EXPECT ENOUGH BREAKS IN THE CLOUD COVER TO ALLOW DIURNAL CIRCULATIONS TO DEVELOP SPARKING ANOTHER ROUND OF SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY FROM LATE MORNING THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. FORECAST SOUNDINGS INDICATED STORMS SHOULD CONTINUE TO BE EFFICIENT RAIN PRODUCERS WITH DECENT SUB- CLOUD MOISTURE AVAILABLE. PW VALUES AT...OR APPROACHING ONE INCH BRINGS THE PROMISE OF HEAVY RAIN AND APPEARS CERTAIN THAT THE REGION WILL SEE LOCALIZED FLOODING OR MUD SLIDES IN STEEPER TERRAIN...ESPECIALLY GIVEN ANTECEDENT RAINFALL. TEMPERATURES WILL REFLECT THE IMPACT OF EARLY CLOUDS WITH HIGHS EXPECTED TO RANGE FROM 3 TO 5 DEGREES COOLER THAN YESTERDAY/S. TONIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY: DRIER AIR WILL BEGIN TO MOVE IN ALOFT TONIGHT ON A WESTERLY FLOW. THIS CHANGE IS IN RESPONSE TO THE HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE CENTER OF THE COUNTRY GETTING FLATTENED BY A PACIFIC LOW TRACKING ACROSS SOUTHERN CANADA. HOWEVER PLENTY OF MOISTURE WILL PERSIST OVER OUR AREA THIS EVENING TO KEEP SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY ON PAR WITH THE RECENT PAST. THEREFORE HEAVY RAIN WILL STILL BE POSSIBLE. ALSO MODELS SHOW A WEAK DISTURBANCE BRUSHING THE NORTH LATE TONIGHT WHICH COULD KEEP A FEW MORE NOCTURNAL STORMS ONGOING NORTH OF THE TAVAPUTS PLATEAU DURING THE LATE NIGHT PERIOD. BY WEDNESDAY...THE AIR MASS WILL DRY SIGNIFICANTLY AS THE FLOW BECOMES NORTHWEST. THEREFORE A REAL DOWNTURN IN CONVECTION IS EXPECTED. ANY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THAT DO DEVELOP IN THE AFTERNOON WILL BE MAINLY OVER THE HIGHER CO MOUNTAINS... ESPECIALLY NEAR THE DIVIDE. BY EARLY THURSDAY HIGH PRESSURE WILL STRENGTHEN JUST TO OUR WEST... AND THEN WILL GRADUALLY SHIFT EAST THROUGH THE DAY. WITH TIME THIS TREND WILL AGAIN OPEN THE MONSOONAL TAP. BUT THURSDAY WILL REMAIN RELATIVELY DRY WITH THE BETTER MOISTURE WAITING UNTIL FRIDAY. THU AFTERNOON'S THUNDERSTORMS WILL STAY MAINLY OVER THE SOUTHERN CO MOUNTAINS. .LONG TERM...(THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY) ISSUED AT 347 AM MDT TUE JUL 24 2012 THE MONSOONAL BREAK DESCRIBED ABOVE WILL BE SHORT LIVED AS A DEEPENING TROUGH OVER THE EASTERN PACIFIC DRIVES HIGH PRESSURE BACK TO THE EAST. IN RESPONSE...FLOW SHIFTS TO THE SOUTHWEST FRIDAY AND WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE WEEKEND. AS A RESULT... EXPECT AN UPTICK IN AFTERNOON/EVENING SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY AT THE END OF THE WEEK AND INTO THE WEEKEND. ON MONDAY...A PACIFIC TROUGH WILL SHIFT THE RIDGE AXIS SLIGHTLY EASTWARD BRINGING SOME DRYING TO THE NORTHERN MOST ZONES. HOWEVER...THUNDERSTORMS FUELED BY SUBTROPICAL MONSOON MOISTURE WILL CONTINUE UNABATED ACROSS THE SOUTH. AFTERNOON HIGHS WILL TREND DOWNWARD FRIDAY INTO SATURDAY AS MONSOON MOISTURE RETURNS...THEN HOVERING NEAR SEASONAL NORMS SUNDAY AND MONDAY. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z WEDNESDAY NOON) ISSUED AT 347 AM MDT TUE JUL 24 2012 CONDITIONS WILL BE SIMILAR TO THOSE EXPERIENCED OVER THE PAST SEVERAL DAYS. DAY TIME HEATING WILL RESULT IN SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING HEAVY RAIN AND OUTFLOW WINDS FROM 25 TO 35 MPH. EXPECT MOUNTAINS TO BE FREQUENTLY OBSCURED BY RAIN. AREA AIRPORTS HAVE A GOOD CHANCE OF EXPERIENCING MVFR CIGS AND VSBY IN HEAVY RAIN WITH BRIEF IFR VSBY ALSO POSSIBLE. CONDITIONS IMPROVE AFTER 03Z THIS EVENING AS COOLING REDUCE STORM INTENSITY. VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED TO DOMINATE ON WEDNESDAY WITH ONLY A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS AT KHDN KSBS KEGE AND KASE. && .GJT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... CO...NONE. UT...NONE. && UPDATE...JOE SHORT TERM...NL/EH LONG TERM...NL AVIATION...NL/JOE
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO 545 AM MDT TUE JUL 24 2012 COZ001>014-017>023-UTZ022>025-027>029-251200- LOWER YAMPA RIVER BASIN-CENTRAL YAMPA RIVER BASIN- ROAN AND TAVAPUTS PLATEAUS-ELKHEAD AND PARK MOUNTAINS- UPPER YAMPA RIVER BASIN-GRAND VALLEY-DEBEQUE TO SILT CORRIDOR- CENTRAL COLORADO RIVER BASIN-GRAND AND BATTLEMENT MESAS- GORE AND ELK MOUNTAINS/CENTRAL MOUNTAIN VALLEYS- CENTRAL GUNNISON AND UNCOMPAHGRE RIVER BASIN- WEST ELK AND SAWATCH MOUNTAINS-FLATTOPS- UPPER GUNNISON RIVER VALLEY-UNCOMPAHGRE PLATEAU AND DALLAS DIVIDE- NORTHWEST SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS-SOUTHWEST SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS- PARADOX VALLEY/LOWER DOLORES RIVER- FOUR CORNERS/UPPER DOLORES RIVER-ANIMAS RIVER BASIN- SAN JUAN RIVER BASIN-SOUTHEAST UTAH-EASTERN UINTA MOUNTAINS- EASTERN UINTA BASIN-TAVAPUTS PLATEAU-ARCHES/GRAND FLAT- LA SAL AND ABAJO MOUNTAINS-CANYONLANDS/NATURAL BRIDGES- 545 AM MDT TUE JUL 24 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EASTERN UTAH AND WESTERN COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED AGAIN THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. STORMS WILL FAVOR THE MOUNTAINS INITIALLY BEFORE DRIFTING OVER THE VALLEYS LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND INTO THE EVENING. GUSTY WINDS FROM 25 TO 35 MPH...VERY HEAVY RAIN...AND SMALL HAIL ARE POSSIBLE WITH THE STRONGEST STORMS. AREAS WHICH HAVE RECEIVED CONSIDERABLE RAINFALL OVER THE PAST SEVERAL DAYS ARE AT RISK OF LOCALIZED FLASH FLOODING OR MUD SLIDES AND DEBRIS FLOWS IN STEEPER TERRAIN. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY THUNDERSTORM COVERAGE WILL DECREASE WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY DURING A BRIEF BREAK FROM MONSOONAL FLOW WITH STORMS LARGELY CONFINED TO THE MOUNTAINS OF WESTERN COLORADO. HOWEVER...THE MONSOON RETURNS FRIDAY AND WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE WEEKEND AND INTO MONDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED TODAY OR TONIGHT...HOWEVER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO RELAY RAINFALL AMOUNTS OR ANY OBSERVED FLOODING TO THE GRAND JUNCTION FORECAST OFFICE.
The Grand Junction radar (KGJX), 138 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:58 UTC.
1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The Eagle Mountain automated weather station recorded a 61 mph outflow wind gust.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Colorado in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, July 2012
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: 479524.