A historically low snow pack over the Colorado mountains and persistent below normal precipitation through the spring and early summer months allowed the drought to continue strengthen and expand across western Colorado through June. High wildland fire danger, agricultural impacts and water shortages and restrictions were all being realized by the end of this month across many portions of the…
Every event with a place to put it; 20 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.
A historically low snow pack over the Colorado mountains and persistent below normal precipitation through the spring and early summer months allowed the drought to continue strengthen and expand across western Colorado through June. High wildland fire danger, agricultural impacts and water shortages and restrictions were all being realized by the end of this month across many portions of the region.
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 31, 9:44 PM MST, 2 hours 16 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO 1044 PM MDT THU MAY 31 2012 .SHORT TERM...(THIS EVENING THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT) ISSUED AT 157 PM MDT THU MAY 31 2012 WE SAW MID LEVEL MOISTURE INCREASE PER OUR U/A SOUNDING THIS MORNING...BUT MID AND UPPER LEVELS HAVE ALSO WARMED RESULTING IN STABLE AIR ALOFT. SO FAR THIS AFTERNOON CONVECTION IS OFF TO A SLOW START AS EXPECTED. STILL A SLIGHT CHANCE OF A SHOWER OR TSTM...MOST LIKELY OVER THE SRN SAN JUANS. EXPECT CLOUDS OVER THE MTNS TO QUICKLY DISSIPATE AFTER SUNSET WITH ANOTHER CLEAR MILD NIGHT. HEIGHTS WILL RISE A LITTLE FRIDAY AS HIGH PRESSURE AMPLIFIES TO OUR WEST. MSTR LEVELS REMAIN UNCHANGED FOR THE MOST PART...SO NO BIG CHANGES ARE SEEN FRIDAY. LIKE TDY CONVECTIVE BUILDUPS ARE EXPECTED OVER THE MTNS AND MAY BE SLIGHTLY MORE NUMEROUS AND ENERGETIC...BUT REMAIN IN THE ISOLD CATEGORY. ON THE SYNOPTIC SCALE THE RIDGE AXIS WILL SHIFT EWRD FRI NIGHT TO BE OVER UT/CO BORDER BRINGING DRY MILD CONDITIONS. VALLEY LOCATIONS WILL DEVELOP STRONG BUT SHALLOW INVERSIONS ALONG WITH NORMAL DRAINAGE WINDS. .LONG TERM...(SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY) ISSUED AT 252 AM MDT THUR MAY 31 2012 CONTINUED WARM AND DRY CONDITIONS DOMINATE THESE PERIODS ADDING TO THE DROUGHT STRESS FOR THE REGION. TEMPERATURES REMAIN ABOVE NORMAL EACH DAY...CLIMBING TO AROUND 10 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL BY MONDAY. SATURDAY THE RIDGE GETS DEFORMED BY A PASSING WEAK DISTURBANCE THAT IS PROGGED TO WORK INTO EAST-CENTRAL UTAH IN THE AFTERNOON. THIS SEEMS TO BRING JUST A BIT OF COOL AIR ALOFT AND THEREFORE INSTABILITY ALONG WITH SLIGHTLY DEEPER MOISTURE. THEREFORE THE FORECAST IS FOR AN UPTICK IN POPS TO SCATTERED MOUNTAIN SHOWERS. SUNDAY-MONDAY THE RIDGE RE-INFLATES OVER THE REGION THEN SHIFTS ONTO THE EASTERN PLAINS AS THE NEXT PACIFIC TROUGH PUSHES INTO NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. FLOW ALOFT SHIFTS TO SW AND STRENGTHENS. TUESDAY...BREEZY CONDITIONS DEVELOP AHEAD OF THE ASSOCIATED COOL FRONT. THE FORCING AND DEEPER MOISTURE LIFT WELL NORTH OF THIS FORECAST AREA FOR LITTLE CHANCE OF SHOWERS. WEDNESDAY IS PROGGED TO SEE A SLIGHT COOL DOWN IN NW FLOW BUT STILL REMAIN ABOVE NORMAL. MODELS ARE STRUGGLING WITH LARGE SCALE FEATURES FOR LATER IN THE WEEK. THE GFS RE-ENERGIZES THE WESTERN TROUGH FROM ENERGY OUT OF THE GULF OF ALASKA WHILE THE EC BUILDS A RIDGE OVER THE WESTERN STATES. BOTH MODELS BEGIN TO BUILD HIGH PRESSURE OVER NEW MEXICO THAT PROMISES TO KEEP THE FORECAST DRY. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z FRIDAY NIGHT) ISSUED AT 1044 PM MDT THU MAY 31 2012 VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH FRIDAY...ALTHOUGH ISOLATED MOUNTAIN SHOWERS/THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. STORMS MAY BE IN THE VICINITY OF KEGE AND KASE AND COULD EXPERIENCE GUSTY OUTFLOW WINDS. && .GJT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... CO...NONE. UT...NONE. && SHORT TERM...MC LONG TERM...JOE AVIATION...NL/MC
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
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
20 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
Drought conditions increased from moderate to severe across the area.
Drought conditions increased from moderate to severe across the area.
Severe drought conditions spread across the area, with a small western portion of the zone having transitioned to extreme drought conditions by the end of the month.
Drought conditions increased from moderate to severe across the southern Colorado mountains.
Drought conditions increased from moderate to severe across southern Colorado mountains.
Drought conditions increased from severe to extreme across the area.
Drought conditions increased from severe to extreme across the area.
Drought conditions increased from severe to extreme across the area.
Drought conditions increased from severe to extreme across the central Colorado mountains.
Drought conditions increased from severe to extreme across the central Colorado River basin.
Extreme drought conditions persisted across the area.
Drought conditions increased from severe to extreme across the Grand Valley.
Severe to extreme drought conditions expanded across the area in June.
Drought conditions increased from severe to extreme across the area in June.
Extreme drought conditions persisted across the area.
Extreme drought conditions expanded to include the entire geographical zone.
Extreme drought conditions expanded across the majority of the northern Colorado mountains and adjacent plateaus.
Extreme drought conditions persisted over all of the upper Yampa River basin in June.
Extreme drought conditions expanded over all of the lower Yampa River basin in June.
Extreme drought conditions persisted over all of the central Yampa River basin in June.
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, June 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: 394954, 394955, 394956, 394957, 394959, 394960, 394961, 394962, 394963, 394964, 394965, 394966, 394968, 394969, 394974, 394975, 394976, 394978, 394979, 394981.