A pilot reported a brief funnel cloud below a thunderstorm in the Durango area.
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The episode as NWS GJT wrote it up.
A pilot reported a brief funnel cloud below a thunderstorm in the Durango area.
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 9, 2:25 PM MST, 2 hours 5 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO 325 PM MDT MON JUL 9 2012 .SHORT TERM...(THIS EVENING THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT) ISSUED AT 325 PM MDT MON JUL 9 2012 UPPER HIGH IS NOW ANCHORED OVER THE GREAT BASIN WITH THE ATTENDANT RIDGE AMPLIFIED NORTHWARD WELL INTO THE HIGH LATITUDES DUE TO STRONG TROFS IN GULF OF ALASKA AND OVER THE CANADIAN MARITIMES. NORTHERLY FLOW ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE RIDGE HAS BROUGHT IN SOME DRIER AIR TO THE NORTHERN 2/3 OF THE CWA. HOWEVER GOES DERIVED PWAT PICS AND WATER VAPOR IMAGERY SHOW THE MAIN MOISTURE PLUME DRIFTING ACROSS THE SOUTHERN COLORADO MOUNTAINS WITH A MOIST TONGUE LINGERING ACROSS THE 4 CORNERS REGION. FOR THE MOST PART THE UPPER HIGH WILL REMAIN CENTERED NEAR THE SOUTHERN UTAH/NEVADA BORDER THROUGH WEDNESDAY...THOUGH THE NORTHERN PORTION OF THE RIDGE WILL SLOWLY BE DE-AMPLIFIED THROUGH MID WEEK AS ENERGY SEPARATES FORM THE GULF OF ALASKA LOW AND MOVES INTO THE WESTERN CANADA AND THE NORTHWEST STATES. THIS WILL GENERALLY KEEP DRIER NORTH FLOW IN PLACE AND RE-ORIENT THE THERMAL RIDGE FROM THE WESTERN GREAT BASIN INTO THE THE EASTERN GREAT BASIN AND NORTHERN ROCKIES...ALLOWING FOR A CONTINUED WARM UP. FOR THIS EVENING CONVECTION SHOULD CONTINUE TO DRIFT SOUTHWARD IN THE MEAN FLOW WITHOUT MUCH FORCING IN PLACE EXPECT THE CONVECTION TO TAPER OFF THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS. THE SOUTHERN MOUNTAINS AND ADJACENT FOOTHILLS FROM DRO TO PSO LOOK TO BE FAVORED THROUGH EARLY EVENING AND HAVE THE HIGHEST POPS IN THIS PART OF THE CWA. FARTHER NORTH CONVECTION IS TRYING TO FORM UNDER THE DRIER AIRMASS BUT THE BEST CHANCES MAY REMAIN OVER EASTERN UTAH WHERE THE RESIDUAL MOISTURE AND THE STRONG EML WILL BE COMBINED. FOR TUESDAY INTO TUESDAY NIGHT TEMPERATURES SHOULD BE WARMING SLIGHTLY AS THICKNESS INCREASE UNDER THE EXPANSIVE RIDGE AND THE ATMOSPHERE CONTINUES TO DRY OUT. DYNAMIC TROP FIELDS INDICATES A WEAKER WAVE ROTATING OVER THE MID LEVEL TROF INTO WESTERN COLORADO DURING PEAK HEATING ON TUESDAY. THIS WAVE IS ILL DEFINED ATTM BUT THERE IS SOME ENHANCEMENT OVER FAR EASTERN NEVADA WHICH THE MODELS ARE PICKING UP ON. PWATS DROP BACK TO UNDER 3/4 OF AN INCH SO REALLY NOT EXPECTED MUCH WITH THIS WAVE EXCEPT THE TYPICAL TERRAIN DRIVEN DIURNAL CONVECTION...BUT IT SHOULD BE SLIGHTLY MORE ACTIVE ACROSS THE CENTRAL PLATEAUS AND MOUNTAINS COMPARED TO THIS AFTERNOON. LITTLE CHANCE OF THE VALLEYS SEEING PRECIPITATION AS SHEAR REMAINS WEAK ALOFT. THERE IS ANOTHER WEAK WAVE MOVING THROUGH THE FLOW DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS ON TUESDAY BUT CONFIDENCE LOW THAT THIS WILL PRODUCE MORE THAN SOME PASSING ACCAS AND HAVE KEPT POPS SILENT. .LONG TERM...(WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY) ISSUED AT 325 PM MDT MON JUL 9 2012 A SHORTWAVE RIDES UP AND OVER THE RIDGE ON WEDNESDAY BUT SHOULD HAVE MINIMAL IMPACT AS IT TRACKS WELL NORTH. EXPECT JUST A CONTINUATION OF THE AFTERNOON/EVENING THUNDERSTORMS FROM DAYTIME HEATING. THE GREAT BASIN UPPER RIDGE IS EXPECTED TO SHIFT TO THE 4 CORNERS BY FRIDAY AND THEN BECOME CENTERED OVER NEW MEXICO BY SUNDAY. MODELS SHOW MOISTURE OVER TX AND OLD MEXICO WRAPPING NORTHWARD UP THE WEST SIDE OF THE RIDGE...THEN SPREADING INTO ERN UT/WRN CO LATE IN THE WEEK. UPPER TROUGH FORMING ALONG THE WEST COAST COULD HELP ENHANCE THIS NORTHWARD TRANSPORT OF MONSOONAL MOISTURE. THIS SHOULD LEAD TO AN INCREASE IN SHOWERS/WET THUNDERSTORMS THIS WEEKEND. HOT TEMPERATURES ON THURSDAY WITH HIGHS NEAR 100F FOR THE GRAND VALLEY AND THE VALLEYS OF SOUTHEAST UTAH. AFTERNOON TEMPS WILL SLOWLY LOWER BY THE WEEKEND DUE TO AN INCREASE CLOUD COVER. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z TUESDAY EVENING) ISSUED AT 325 PM MDT MON JUL 9 2012 VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL OVER THE FLIGHT TERMINALS OVERNIGHT INTO TUESDAY MORNING. CONVECTION SEEMS TO BE FAVORING THE SOUTHERN MOUNTAINS...WITH THESE STORMS DRIFTING SOUTHWARD INTO THE ADJACENT FOOTHILLS. BRIEF PERIODS OF MVFR WILL BE POSSIBLE IN THESE HEAVIER RAIN SHOWERS ALONG WITH GUSTY OUTFLOW WINDS. SOME MOUNTAIN TOP AND HIGHER PASS OBSCURATION MAY ALSO OCCUR FROM THE PASSING SHOWERS. MOST OF THE CONVECTION IS EXPECTED TO TAPER OFF BY MIDNIGHT. && .GJT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... CO...NONE. UT...NONE. && SHORT TERM...15 LONG TERM...JAD AVIATION...15
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO 545 AM MDT MON JUL 9 2012 COZ001>014-017>023-UTZ022>025-027>029-101145- 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 MON JUL 9 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EASTERN UTAH AND WESTERN COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE FAVORED OVER THE SAN JUANS AND AREAS SOUTH TODAY. WEAKER STORMS AND SHOWERS ARE EXPECTED FOR AREAS NORTH THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY DIURNALLY DRIVEN SHOWERS AND STORMS WILL OCCUR EACH DAY FAVORING THE SOUTHERN REGIONS OF THE FORECAST AREA. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED.
The Grand Junction radar (KGJX), 197 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:29 UTC.
1 funnel cloud. Local standard time, as filed.
A funnel cloud was photographed by a pilot who was at the Val Air gliderport. The funnel cloud was located to the west of the gliderport over the Rockridge subdivision and appeared to last around 5 minutes. It extended 300 to 400 feet below the cumulonimbus cloud base.
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: 479475.