Colorado, 2013

Dense Fog in Colorado, December 20 to 21, 2013

December 20 to 21, 2013 · NWS GJT · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

Low level moisture remained trapped under high pressure and caused dense fog to form.

Where it happened

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.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
2

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS GJT wrote it up.

Low level moisture remained trapped under high pressure and caused dense fog to form.

What forecasters said that day

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 20, 9:47 PM MST, 1 hour 28 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 20, 9:47 PM MST, 1 hour 28 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 20, 5:53 AM MST, 17 hours 22 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO
553 AM MST FRI DEC 20 2013

COZ001>014-017>023-UTZ022>025-027>029-211300-
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-
553 AM MST FRI DEC 20 2013

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EASTERN UTAH AND WESTERN
COLORADO.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

UNSETTLED WEATHER TODAY WITH SNOW SHOWERS ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS AND
MAINLY SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS IN THE VALLEYS CAUSING SOME TRAVEL
DIFFICULTIES. SNOW SHOWERS WILL DIMINISH BY EVENING BUT RETURN TO
THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS BY SATURDAY MORNING.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY

SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SNOW SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH SUNDAY.
MONDAY AND BEYOND WILL BE RELATIVELY CALM WITH A CHANCE FOR SOME
LIGHT SNOW UP NORTH WEDNESDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED TODAY OR TONIGHT...HOWEVER
SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SNOWFALL AMOUNTS TO THE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GRAND JUNCTION.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Dec 20, 6:10 PM MST, 5 hours 5 minutes before
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Local storm report, Dec 20, 6:11 PM MST, 5 hours 4 minutes before
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Local storm report, Dec 20, 7:10 PM MST, 4 hours 5 minutes before
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Local storm report, Dec 20, 10:47 PM MST, 28 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO
1047 PM MST FRI DEC 20 2013

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1034 PM     DENSE FOG        CORTEZ                  37.34N 108.59W
12/20/2013  E0.25 MILE       MONTEZUMA          CO   CO-OP OBSERVER

&&

EVENT NUMBER GJT1302337

JAD

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 dense fog. Local standard time, as filed.

Dense Fog, Upper Gunnison River Valley

When
December 20, 11:15 PM MST to December 21, 1:35 AM MST
Where
Upper Gunnison River Valley forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
38.535, -107.650 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dense fog occurred across portions of Gunnison County as visibilities dropped down to a quarter mile or less.

Dense Fog, Grand Valley

When
December 21, 2:31 AM MST to 6:12 AM MST
Where
Grand Valley forecast zone
Reported by
ASOS
Coordinates
39.308, -108.185 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dense fog occurred across the western portions of the Grand Valley as visibilities dropped down to a quarter mile or less.

What these are

Dense Fog
Fog reducing visibility to a quarter mile or less, filed where it caused accidents or disruption.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Colorado in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, December 2013

Sources

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: 515343, 515342.