Thunderstorms with heavy rainfall moved through the northern San Juan Mountains. Flash flooding occurred in Ouray County during the early afternoon hours.
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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 with heavy rainfall moved through the northern San Juan Mountains. Flash flooding occurred in Ouray County during the early afternoon hours.
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 Aug 6, 10:56 AM MST, 34 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO 1156 AM MDT TUE AUG 6 2013 .UPDATE... ISSUED AT 1156 AM MDT TUE AUG 6 2013 MOISTURE PLUME WELL-DEFINED ON SATELLITE IMAGERY THIS MORNING STREAMING FROM MEXICO THROUGH ARIZONA INTO REACHES OF EASTERN UTAH. A FEW SMALL BUT RAPIDLY DEVELOPING STORMS POPPING UP OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN AHEAD OF THE CLOUD SHIELD WITH BIGGEST THREAT BEING SMALL HAIL AND HEAVY RAIN. EXPECTING THIS TO CONTINUE AHEAD OF THE MAIN SYSTEM PUSHING INTO THE AREA TONIGHT. STRATIFORM RAIN IS EXPECTED MAINLY OVER SOUTHERN PARTS OF THE AREA OVERNIGHT. && .SHORT TERM...(TODAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY) 333 AM MDT TUE AUG 6 2013 PIECES OF ENERGY FROM THE ARIZONA SHORTWAVE WILL STREAM NORTH NORTHEAST ACROSS MOST OF THE FORECAST AREA. CONVECTIVE DEBRIS HAS LIFTED INTO SE UTAH EARLY THIS MORNING FOR ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. THIS TREND WILL CONTINUE TODAY WITH THE BEST THREAT FOR STORMS SOUTH OF THE TAVAPUTS-BOOKCLIFFS-FLAT TOP MOUNTAINS. LOCALIZED HEAVY SHOWERS WILL STILL BE POSSIBLE...MOSTLY SRN HALF. LESS AVAILABLE MOISTURE EXISTS TOWARD THE WYOMING BORDER AND STORMS WILL BE LESS ROBUST ACROSS THE UINTA BASIN INTO NW COLORADO. CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY DIMINISHES ACROSS THE NORTH BY LATE THIS EVENING. AFTER A DOWNTURN IN SHOWERS ACROSS THE SOUTH AROUND MIDNIGHT...THE CHANCE OF RAIN THERE SHOULD BE INCREASING PRIOR TO SUNRISE AS A SHORTWAVE DISTURBANCE APPROACHES FROM THE SOUTHWEST. MOISTURE TO REMAIN ACROSS THE AREA WEDNESDAY AS MODELS SHOW THAT SHORTWAVE DISTURBANCE MOVING NORTHEAST ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA. STILL SOME MODEL VARIABILITY IN THE TIMING...BUT THE OVERALL PICTURE REMAINS CONSISTENT. PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES ARE EXPECTED TO REACH 0.9 INCH TO 1.1 INCHES AS THIS SHORTWAVE REACHES THE FOUR CORNERS BY WED MORNING AND THEN MOVES ACROSS WRN CO DURING THE DAY. DYNAMICS WITH THIS DISTURBANCE SHOULD HELP THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT AND OFFSET TO SOME DEGREE THE LIMITED SURFACE HEATING/INSTABILITY DUE TO THE ANTICIPATED EXTENSIVE CLOUD COVER. BELIEVE THUNDERSTORM COVERAGE WILL REMAIN SCATTERED THOUGH SHOWERS COULD BECOME WIDESPREAD OVER THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN MTNS ON WED. WILL HAVE TO WATCH FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF HEAVY RAIN AND SUBSEQUENT RISK OF FLASH FLOODING ESPECIALLY OVER BURN SCARS. PRECIPITATION COVERAGE SHOULD FAVOR THE CENTRAL AND SOUTH WITH NE UT SEEING THE LEAST ABOUT OF ACTIVITY. HIGH TEMPS WED WILL BE SEVERAL DEGREES COOLER DUE TO THE CLOUDS AND PRECIPITATION. .LONG TERM...(WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY) 333 AM MDT TUE AUG 6 2013 THE SHORTWAVE TROUGH APPEARS TO WEAKEN WED NIGHT AS IT WORKS ACROSS CO AND THROUGH THE NORTHWEST EXTENSION OF THE UPPER HIGH CENTERED OVER ERN TX. DRIER AIR IS SHOWN BEING PULLED IN BEHIND IT SO EXPECTED A DECREASE IN SHOWERS AND STORMS WED FROM THE WEST WED EVENING. PERTURBATIONS IN THE FLOW WILL KEEP A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS MAINLY OVER THE MTNS ON THURSDAY. FRIDAY THROUGH MONDAY...NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN THE BIG PICTURE THROUGH THIS PERIOD. MONSOONAL MOISTURE PLUME CONTINUES INTO THE FOUR CORNERS REGION WITH A PREFERENCE ACROSS THE SERN HALF. GUIDANCE POPS SUGGEST THAT CONVECTIVE POTENTIAL WILL BE LOWER BY NEXT MONDAY...BUT NOT FULLY CONFIDENT IN THIS IDEA AS THE GFS SHOW DIURNAL SHOWERS OVER THE SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS EACH DAY. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON) ISSUED AT 1156 AM MDT TUE AUG 6 2013 STORMS BEGINNING TO POP UP OVER HIGHER TERRAIN...SIMILAR TO THE LAST COUPLE OF DAYS. HIGHER COVERAGE IS EXPECTED TODAY WITH MOISTURE AND LIFTING AVAILABLE. LOCAL IFR CIGS/VIS WILL ACCOMPANY THE STRONGEST STORMS...BUT THE PROBABILITY THAT THIS OCCURS OVER A TAF SITE IS SLIM. SHOWERS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE OVERNIGHT...WHICH COULD CREATE POOR VIS AND BRIEF MOUNTAIN OBSCURATIONS. && .GJT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... CO...NONE. UT...NONE. && UPDATE...JAM SHORT TERM...PF/JAD LONG TERM...JAD/PF AVIATION...JAM
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
The Grand Junction radar (KGJX), 121 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:30 UTC.
1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy rainfall along the Canyon Creek drainage area forced water and debris a foot deep over County Road 17 near Ouray.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Colorado in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, August 2013
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: 537239.