The early winter season precipitation seemed to favor southwest Colorado in January 2013 with many climate sites reporting above normal precipitation for the month. One storm in particular tapped into sub-tropical moisture and dropped over an inch of rainfall across the lower elevations in southwest Colorado and produced heavy snow in the southern mountains.
Every event with a place to put it; 21 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.
The early winter season precipitation seemed to favor southwest Colorado in January 2013 with many climate sites reporting above normal precipitation for the month. One storm in particular tapped into sub-tropical moisture and dropped over an inch of rainfall across the lower elevations in southwest Colorado and produced heavy snow in the southern mountains. Areas in the north, including the central mountains did not fare as well with most of these sites reporting precipitation deficits of between a tenth to a half of an inch for the month. As a result extreme drought conditions increased in coverage over the month across that region of western Colorado.
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 31, 9:16 PM MST, 2 hours 44 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO 916 PM MST MON DEC 31 2012 .UPDATE... ISSUED AT 904 PM MST MON DEC 31 2012 SNOWFALL HAS DECREASED OVER THE SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS AND PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST COLORADO...AND WILL CONTINUE TO DO SO. THE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY WAS ALLOWED TO EXPIRE. ONLY LOCALLY LIGHT ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED OVERNIGHT...MAINLY ON NORTH AND NORTHWEST FACING SLOPES OF THE SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS. && .SHORT TERM...(THIS EVENING THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT) ISSUED AT 300 PM MST MON DEC 31 2012 IMPROVING CONDITIONS AS THE ACTIVE SHORT WAVE MOVES DOWNSTREAM...EXCEPT FOR SOME ENHANCED CONVECTIVE SNOW SHOWERS OVER THE SAN JUANS. SOME OF THIS ACTIVITY STILL IMPACTING PAGOSA SPRINGS...AND THE HIGHER RESOLUTION RAP MODEL KEEPS SNOW ONGOING INTO THE EVENING HOURS BUT ENDING BY MID EVENING. REFINED THE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR THIS AREA AS CONFIDENCE IS HIGH THAT SNOW WILL HAVE ENDED BY LATE EVENING. WITH PARTIAL CLEARING OVERNIGHT...TEMPERATURES WILL PLUNGE AFTER SUNSET AND THEN LEVEL OUT AROUND MIDNIGHT. UPSTREAM DISTURBANCE OVER MONTANA AND NORTH DAKOTA KEEPS A TROUGH CARVED OUT OVER WESTERN COLORADO ON NEW YEARS DAY. MOISTURE SOURCE FOR THIS SHORT WAVE IS CONTINENTAL AND THEREFORE PRECIPITABLE WATER IS LOW...BUT DOES KEEP THE AIR MASS UNSETTLED DURING THE LATE MORNING AND EARLY AFTERNOON HOURS. EXPECT SHALLOW CONVECTIVE SNOW SHOWERS OR FLURRIES TO FORM ACROSS THE HIGH COUNTRY. AREAL COVERAGE WILL NOT BE WIDESPREAD AND FAVOR NORTH FACING SLOPES. ESSENTIALLY THIS SHORT WAVE KEEPS THE COLD AIR MASS LOCKED IN. 2013 STARTS THE WAY THAT 2012 ENDED...COLD WITH LITTLE CHANGE. THE FOLLOWING UPSTREAM WAVE BRUSHES THE PARK/GORE RANGE LATE ON TUESDAY NIGHT. LIMITED MOISTURE ONCE AGAIN BUT SOME OROGRAPHIC FLURRIES ARE EXPECTED...OTHERWISE MOSTLY CLEAR WITH STRONG RADIATIONAL COOLING AS SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE COVERS THE REGION. .LONG TERM...(WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY) ISSUED AT 300 PM MST MON DEC 31 2012 IN GENERAL...LOOKS LIKE A MOSTLY DRY LAST HALF OF THE WEEK AS A BLOCKING RIDGE DEVELOPS OVER THE INTERMOUNTAIN WEST WED AND THU. AS THIS OCCURS...A SHORTWAVE IN NORTHERLY FLOW CLIPS OUR AREA WED AS IT DROPS FROM CENTRAL CANADA THROUGH THE PLAINS. LITTLE MOISTURE ASSOCIATED WITH IT OVER CO...SO WILL CONTINUE WITH JUST A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SNOW MAINLY NEAR THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE. LATE IN THE WEEK...A PACIFIC SHORTWAVE FIGHTS THROUGH/OVER THE RIDGE CROSSING THE NORTHERN ROCKIES EARLY ON FRIDAY AND BRUSHING BY OUR AREA ON SATURDAY. AGAIN...LITTLE MOISTURE ASSOCIATED WITH IT IN THE MODELS. RIDGE REBOUNDS OVER UT/CO BY SUNDAY. ECMWF THEN BRINGS A PROGRESSIVE PACIFIC TROUGH ACROSS OUR AREA ON MONDAY...WHILE THE GFS INSTEAD CLOSES OFF A LOW ALONG THE WEST. THE MAIN CHALLENGE FOR THIS FORECAST PERIOD MAY BE THE VALLEY TEMPERATURES...WHICH WILL BE SLOW TO WARM. SNOW COVER AND TRAPPED COLD AIR WITH HIGH PRESSURE AT THE SURFACE WILL PROMOTE SURFACE INVERSIONS WED-FRI THAT WILL BE DIFFICULT TO DISLODGE. THE WEAK DISTURBANCES WED AND SAT DON/T LOOK STRONG ENOUGH TO SCOUR OUT MANY VALLEYS...AND AREAS LIKE THE GRAND VALLEY AND I-70 CORRIDOR WILL SEE AIR QUALITY SLOWLY DECLINE. HAVE UNDERCUT MOS AND CONSENSUS GUIDANCE FOR THE VALLEYS AS A RESULT. HIGHER ELEVATIONS... HOWEVER...SHOULD SEE A SLOW MODERATION IN TEMPS BY THE WEEKEND. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z TUESDAY NIGHT) ISSUED AT 904 PM MST MON DEC 31 2012 LOCAL MOUNTAIN OBSCURATIONS WILL CONTINUE OVERNIGHT ACROSS THE COLORADO MOUNTAINS...MAINLY NEAR THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE. KASE... KEGE AND KMTJ WILL CONTINUE TO EXPERIENCE INTERMITTENT LIGHT SNOW AND THIN FOG WITH MVFR CIGS AND VSBYS. AFTER 09Z...AREAS OF IFR CIGS AND VSBYS WILL DEVELOP IN VALLEY BOTTOMS...ESPECIALLY NEAR RIVERS...AS LOW STRATUS AND FOG DEVELOPS. THESE CONDITIONS WILL DIMINISH AFTER ABOUT 16Z TUESDAY. && .GJT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... CO...NONE. UT...NONE. && UPDATE...CC SHORT TERM...PF LONG TERM...JAD AVIATION...CC
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO 545 AM MST MON DEC 31 2012 COZ001>014-017>023-UTZ022>025-027>029-011300- 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 MST MON DEC 31 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EASTERN UTAH AND WESTERN COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SNOW WILL CONTINUE ACROSS MUCH OF THE REGION TODAY...THEN DECREASES OVERNIGHT. EXPECT STORM TOTAL ACCUMULATIONS RANGING FROM 5 TO 10 INCHES TO THE SAN JUAN...LA SAL...AND ABAJO MOUNTAINS AND FROM 4 TO 8 INCHES ACROSS THE UNCOMPAHGRE PLATEAU...THE FLAT TOPS AND MOST CENTRAL COLORADO MOUNTAINS. THE FOUR CORNERS REGION IS EXPECTED TO RECEIVE FROM 3 TO 6 INCHES OF NEW SNOW. ACCUMULATING SNOWFALL OVER SOUTHEAST UTAH AND SOUTHWEST AND CENTRAL COLORADO WILL RESULT IN TRAVEL DIFFICULTIES. PLEASE VISIT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION WEBSITE AT WEATHER.GOV/GJT FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION ON THIS WINTER STORM. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY A COUPLE OF WEAK DISTURBANCES WILL BRING LIGHT SNOW TO THE MOUNTAINS ALONG THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE NEW YEARS DAY AND AGAIN WEDNESDAY. ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE LIGHT. DRY CONDITIONS PREVAIL DURING THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEK. .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.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
21 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
Extreme drought conditions remained unchanged across the area through the month of January.
Extreme drought conditions remained unchanged across the area through the month of January.
Extreme drought conditions remained unchanged across the high plateau region of west central Colorado through the month of January.
Extreme drought conditions remained unchanged across the upper Yampa River basin in northwest Colorado through the month of January.
Extreme drought conditions remained unchanged across the Elkhead and Park Mountains, while severe conditions stayed in place across the northern Gore Range through the month of January.
Extreme drought conditions expanded eastward and engulfed the entire Flat Tops mountain range through the month of January.
Severe drought conditions at the beginning of the month deterioriated to the extreme drought category by the end of the month across the entire zone.
Severe drought conditions at the beginning of the month deteriorated to the extreme drought category across the entire area by the end of the month.
Extreme drought conditions persisted across the area through the month of January.
Extreme drought conditions remained unchanged across the area through the month of January.
Severe drought conditions remained unchanged across the Grand and Battlement Mesas through the month of January.
Severe drought conditions remained unchanged across the area through the month of January.
Extreme to severe drought conditions remained unchanged across the area through the month of January.
Extreme to severe drought conditions remained unchanged across the area through the month of January.
Severe to extreme drought conditions remained unchanged across the Uncompahgre Plateau through the month of January.
Severe to extreme drought conditions remained unchanged across the area through the month of January.
Severe drought conditions remained unchanged across the southwest corner of Colorado through the month of January.
Severe drought conditions remained unchanged across the northwest San Juan Mountains through the month of January.
Severe drought conditions remained unchanged across the southwest San Juan Mountains through the month of January.
Severe drought conditions remained unchanged across the lower elevations of La Plata County through the month of January.
Severe drought conditions remained unchanged across the lower elevations of Archuleta County through the month of January.
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, January 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: 423789, 423790, 423791, 423792, 423795, 423797, 423798, 423799, 423800, 423801, 423810, 423812, 423814, 423815, 423816, 423818, 423819, 423820, 423821, 423822, 423823.