June 2013 proved to be a very dry and warm month across western Colorado. These conditions had some impact on agricultural interests, though the spring snow pack run off temporarily aided hydrologic interests.
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.
June 2013 proved to be a very dry and warm month across western Colorado. These conditions had some impact on agricultural interests, though the spring snow pack run off temporarily aided hydrologic interests. The biggest impact however was a noticeable increase in wildfire activity, with several large fires reported across the western part of the state through the month. All climate stations in Western Colorado received less than a tenth of an inch of rainfall for the month, with half of these recording only a trace. This allowed extreme drought conditions to move back into portions of southwest Colorado by the end of the month.
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, 9:38 PM MST, 2 hours 22 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO 1038 PM MDT FRI MAY 31 2013 UPDATE... ISSUED AT 804 PM MDT FRI MAY 31 2013 ALLOWED THE RED FLAG WARNING TO EXPIRE AT 8PM AS WINDS WILL SLOWLY DIE DOWN AND HUMIDITIES START TO INCREASE. IN FACT...THIS WILL BE THE CASE ACROSS THE ENTIRE FORECAST AREA THIS EVENING SO NO UPDATE TO GOING FORECAST NEEDED. FORECAST SKEW-T'S SHOW A MID-LEVEL INVERSION SETTING UP TOMORROW AFTERNOON FOR MOST AREAS HINDERING THE DEEP MIXING SEEN OVER THE LAST FEW DAYS KEEPING WINDY CONDITIONS TO A MINIMUM. SOME LATE AFTERNOON GUSTS ARE POSSIBLE BUT NOT NEAR AS STRONG AS SEEN THIS PAST WEEK. && .SHORT TERM...(THIS EVENING THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT) ISSUED AT 255 PM MDT FRI MAY 31 2013 TAIL END OF EXITING JET WILL BE DEPARTING THE FORECAST AREA THIS EVENING WITH LIGHT SHOWERS DIMINISHING BY SUNSET. ACTIVITY WILL REMAIN VERY SPOTTY AND GENERALLY CONFINED TO AREAS ALONG AND NORTH OF INTERSTATE 70 FROM GLENWOOD SPRINGS ESE TO LEADVILLE. WINDS WILL ALSO BE SHUTTING DOWN BY MID EVENING AS WE DECOUPLE WITH CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS EASING AS WE MOVE INTO THE WEEKEND. FLAT RIDGING BUILDS IN SATURDAY WITH DRY CONDITIONS EXPECTED. TEMPERATURES CLIMB BY 2 TO 4 DEGREES FOR MAX VALUES WITH SFC GRADIENT RELAXED RESULTING IN MUCH LIGHTER WINDS. MIN TEMPS WILL REMAIN A FEW DEGREES BELOW NORMAL THROUGH THE SHORT TERM PERIOD. .LONG TERM...(SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY) ISSUED AT 255 PM MDT FRI MAY 31 2013 SEVERAL SMALL DISTURBANCES IN WESTERLY FLOW WILL CROSS THE 4 CORNERS SUNDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY AND MAY SPARK A FEW MOUNTAIN THUNDERSTORMS AS THEY PASS. MOISTURE WILL BE MAINLY IN THE MID-LEVELS FOR HIGH-BASED THUNDERSTORMS CAPABLE OF GUSTY OUTFLOW WINDS BUT LIMITED RAINFALL. A LARGER TROUGH IS FORECAST TO SKIRT ACROSS THE NORTHERN ROCKIES EARLY NEXT WEEK WITH A TRAILING COLD FRONT SINKING INTO NE UT/NW CO MONDAY-TUESDAY. THIS FRONT AND THE PASSAGE OF THE TROUGH TO OUR NORTH WILL SERVE TO STRENGTHEN WINDS MONDAY...AFTER A RESPITE THIS WEEKEND...AND MAY TRIGGER A FEW SHOWERS OR THUNDERSTORMS AS WELL. HOWEVER...MOST LOCATIONS ARE LOOKING AT A MOSTLY DRY WEEK NEXT WEEK. TEMPERATURES WILL BE ON AN UPWARD TREND SUNDAY AND MONDAY. HIGH TEMPS ON SUNDAY WILL AS MUCH AS 10-15 DEGREES WARMER THAN ON SATURDAY ACROSS THE CENTRAL AND NORTH...WITH NOT QUITE THE WARM-UP ACROSS THE SOUTH. HIGH TEMPS COULD REACH 90 DEGREES IN THE GRAND JCT AND MONTROSE AREAS ON MONDAY FOR THE FIRST TIME THIS YEAR. TEMPS COOL A BIT FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK BUT SHOULD STILL REMAIN NEAR OR A TAD ABOVE NORMAL. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z SATURDAY NIGHT) ISSUED AT 1036 PM MDT FRI MAY 31 2013 CLEAR SKIES EXPECTED OVERNIGHT WITH FEW TO SCT SKIES EXPECTED TOMORROW AFTERNOON FAVORING HIGHER ELEVATIONS. WINDS WILL ALSO BE LIGHTER FOR ALL TAF SITES. VFR WILL CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS. && .FIRE WEATHER... ISSUED AT 255 PM MDT FRI MAY 31 2013 LESS WIND WILL PROVIDE A REPRIEVE FROM CRITICAL FIRE WX CONDITIONS THIS WEEKEND. ISOLATED STORMS ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE SAN JUANS ON SUNDAY AND WITH THE MOISTURE MAINLY IN THE MID- LEVELS...STORMS WILL BE HIGH-BASED WITH SOME STORMS DRY. GUSTY WINDS STRENGTHEN AGAIN ON MONDAY ESPECIALLY ACROSS NE UT AND NW CO. WIND GUSTS 30-35 MPH ARE POSSIBLE MONDAY ACROSS THE NORTH. && .GJT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... CO...NONE. UT...NONE. && UPDATE...TGR SHORT TERM...JDC LONG TERM...JAD AVIATION...TGR FIRE WEATHER...JAD
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO 615 AM MDT FRI MAY 31 2013 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- 615 AM MDT FRI MAY 31 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EASTERN UTAH AND WESTERN COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED FOR SOUTHWEST COLORADO FOR ELEVATIONS BELOW 9000 FEET WHERE DRY FUELS EXIST. ANOTHER AFTERNOON OF LOW HUMIDITY AND GUSTY WINDS WILL OCCUR. NOT AS WINDY THIS AFTERNOON...BUT FROM THE WEST AT 15 TO 25 MPH WITH OCCASIONAL GUSTS TO 35 MPH. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY EXPECT RISING TEMPERATURES THIS WEEKEND WITH MANY DESERT VALLEYS REACHING THE 90S. THESE WARM AND DRY CONDITIONS WILL PERSIST INTO NEXT WEEK. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
20 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
Severe drought conditions remained in place across the Yampa River basin through the month of June.
Severe drought conditions remained in place across the Yampa River basin through the month of June.
Severe to moderate drought conditions remained unchanged across the northern Colorado Elkhead and Park mountains in June.
Severe to moderate drought conditions remained unchanged across the high plateaus of northwest Colorado in June.
Moderate drought conditions remained unchanged across the Flat Top mountains through the month of June.
Severe drought conditions remained unchanged across the Grand Valley of the Colorado River basin through the month of June.
Severe drought conditions remained unchanged across the middle section of the Colorado River basin through the month of June.
Severe drought conditions remained unchanged across the upper section of the central Colorado River basin through the month of June.
Moderate drought conditions remained unchanged across the high mesas in western Colorado through the month of June.
Moderate drought conditions remained unchanged across the central Colorado Gore and Elk mountain ranges through the month of June.
Moderate drought conditions remained unchanged across the central Colorado West Elk and Sawatch mountain ranges through the month of June.
Severe to moderate drought conditions remained unchanged across delta region of the Gunnison and Uncompahgre River basins through the month of June.
Severe to moderate drought conditions remained unchanged across the upper Gunnison River valley in the month of June.
Severe drought conditions remained unchanged across the southwest Colorado high plateau region during the month of June.
Extreme drought conditions pushed into the southern portion of the San Juan mountains, pushing out the moderate conditions by the end of the month.
Severe drought conditions were pushed out of the southwestern San Juan mountains by extreme conditions by the end of the month.
Severe drought conditions were joined by extreme conditions across the southern Paradox valley by the end of June.
Severe drought conditions were replaced by extreme conditions across Four Corners region by the end of June.
Severe drought conditions were replaced by extreme conditions across the southern foothills and adjacent valleys of the San Juan mountains by the end of June.
Severe drought conditions were replaced by extreme conditions across the southern foothills and adjacent valleys of the San Juan mountains by the end of June.
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, June 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: 456852, 456853, 456854, 456855, 456856, 456858, 456859, 456860, 456861, 456862, 456864, 456866, 456872, 456877, 456878, 456880, 456882, 456883, 456884, 456885.