A closed low formed over Nebraska allowing northwesterly flow to set up over western Colorado and cause snowfall over most northern and central mountain areas of western Colorado.
Every event with a place to put it; 3 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 closed low formed over Nebraska allowing northwesterly flow to set up over western Colorado and cause snowfall over most northern and central mountain areas 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 May 19, 2:09 AM MST, 4 hours 51 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO 309 AM MDT SUN MAY 19 2013 .SHORT TERM...(TODAY THROUGH MONDAY) ISSUED AT 309 AM MDT SUN MAY 19 2013 ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE MORNING AHEAD OF NEXT INCOMING SHRTWV. CONVECTION WILL BE ON THE INCREASE BY MID MORNING WITH FAIRLY WIDESPREAD ACTIVITY ANTICIPATED FOR THE HIGH COUNTRY. VALLEY SHOWERS DO NOT APPEAR AS ROBUST IN COVERAGE TODAY...BUT A FEW WILL SNEAK IN THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING. WILL KEEP ACTIVITY MORE IN THE SCATTERED RANGE FOR TODAY...WITH LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL POSSIBLE. SNOW LEVELS WILL BE RUNNING NEAR 9000 FT TODAY...WITH CONVECTION DRIVING SOME SNOW DOWN LOWER. HOWEVER...NO SIGNIFICANT ACCUMULATIONS EXPECTED DURING THE DAYTIME HOURS. TEMPS WILL BE RUNNING A GOOD 10 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL TODAY WITH GUIDANCE VALUES IN THE BALLPARK. THE MUCH ADVERTISED REINFORCING WAVE DROPS INTO THE AREA TONIGHT INTO EARLY MON. MOISTURE DEEPENS OVERNIGHT UNDER A NORTH-NORTHWEST FLOW WRAPPING AROUND THE LOW THAT WILL HAVE STRENGTHENED OVER WESTERN NE/SD. THIS FLOW AND THE DEEP MOISTURE WILL RESULT IN FAVORABLE OROGRAPHICS FOR THE NORTHERN PORTION OF THE FORECAST AREA. SO EXPECT AN UPTICK IN SHOWER ACTIVITY OVERNIGHT...ESPECIALLY NORTH. 700MB TEMPERATURES WILL DROP BELOW ZERO C BY MIDNIGHT ACROSS ALL BUT THE FAR SOUTH. THEREFORE SNOW WILL BE POSSIBLE ABOVE 8500-9000 FT. ACCUMULATIONS WILL MAINLY OCCUR ABOVE 9500 FT WITH 1-2 INCHES POSSIBLE BY LATE MON MORNING. BY MON AFTERNOON...ANY ASSOCIATED DYNAMICS WILL HAVE ALREADY PEAKED AS THE WAVE EXITS THE AREA. DAYTIME HEATING WILL TAKE OVER FOR A MORE CONVECTIVE ENVIRONMENT. THEREFORE GOOD COVERAGE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE...DIMINISHING AFTER MAX HEATING. TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN COOLER THAN NORMAL WITH HIGHS 8-10 DEGREES BELOW SEASONAL NORMS. LOWS WILL ONLY DEVIATE FROM NORMAL A COUPLE DEGREES MOST LOCATIONS. .LONG TERM...(MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY) ISSUED AT 309 AM MDT SUN MAY 19 2013 MONDAY NIGHT-TUESDAY...SHOWERS WILL DIMINISH THROUGH MON EVENING AND OVERNIGHT AS A RIDGE APPROACHES FROM THE WEST. THE RIDGE WILL USHER IN A DRYING AND WARMING TREND AS THE RIDGE AXIS REACHES CENTRAL UT BY TUE AFTERNOON. A FEW CONVECTIVE SHOWERS WILL REMAIN POSSIBLE THROUGH THE DAY OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN. TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY...DRY SOUTHWEST FLOW WILL BE IN PLACE THROUGH THE PERIOD WITH TEMPERATURES CLIMBING TO WELL ABOVE SEASONAL NORMS. A FEW DIURNALLY DRIVEN STORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE NEAR THE DIVIDE WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING...OTHERWISE THE FORECAST WILL LEAN TOWARD ZERO POPS THROUGH THE PERIOD. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z MONDAY MORNING) ISSUED AT 309 AM MDT SUN MAY 19 2013 ISOLATED SHOWERS WILL LINGER ACROSS THE REGION THROUGH 18Z. AFTER 18Z...SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE INCREASING ACROSS THE AREA...WITH LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL AND SMALL HAIL WILL BE POSSIBLE NEAR THE STRONGEST STORMS. SNOW LEVELS WILL BE RUNNING BETWEEN 8500 AND 9000 FT MSL...WITH MOUNTAINS BECOMING OBSCURED AT TIMES AS CIGS LOWER IN THE VICINITY OF SHOWERS WITH AREAS OF MVFR AND EVEN IFR CONDS EXPECTED. AT THE TAF SITES...VFR CONDITIONS SHOULD BE THE RULE THOUGH A BRIEF PERIOD OF MVFR CIGS IS POSSIBLE IN A THUNDERSTORM. SHOWERS WILL DISSIPATED AFTER 00Z MONDAY...BUT WILL BE ON THE INCREASE AGAIN AFTER 06Z AS ANOTHER STORM DROPS INTO THE REGION FROM THE NORTH. && .FIRE WEATHER... ISSUED AT 309 AM MDT SUN MAY 19 2013 A COOLER AND MORE MOIST PATTERN WILL LAST THROUGH MONDAY WITH NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND AFTERNOON THUNDERSTORMS...ESPECIALLY OVER THE HIGH COUNTRY. SOUTHWEST FLOW WILL THEN BRING VERY DRY AIR BACK INTO EASTERN UTAH AND WESTERN COLORADO BY MIDWEEK...BUT WINDS AT THIS TIME DO NOT APPEAR TO BE STRONG ENOUGH FOR CONCERN. && .GJT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... CO...NONE. UT...NONE. && SHORT TERM...JDC/EH LONG TERM...EH/JDC AVIATION...JDC FIRE WEATHER...JAM/JDC
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
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO
731 AM MDT SUN MAY 19 2013
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0700 AM SNOW GOTHIC 38.96N 106.99W
05/19/2013 M3.0 INCH GUNNISON CO CAIC
24 HOUR SNOWFALL.
&&
EVENT NUMBER GJT1301134
DCThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
Snowfall amounts of 2 to 7 inches were measured across the zone. Locally higher amounts included 10 inches at the Tower SNOTEL site and 9 inches on Rabbit Ears Pass.
Snowfall amounts of 1 to 5 inches were measured across the zone.
Snowfall amounts of 1 to 5 inches were measured across the zone.
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, May 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: 507498, 507499, 507500.