Monsoonal moisture from the southwest resulted in thunderstorms across portions of western Colorado with heavy rainfall that caused some flash flooding and mud slides.
Every event with a place to put it. 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.
Monsoonal moisture from the southwest resulted in thunderstorms across portions of western Colorado with heavy rainfall that caused some flash flooding and mud slides.
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 Jul 24, 9:58 AM MST, 3 hours 32 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO 1058 AM MDT THU JUL 24 2014 UPDATED AVIATION SECTION .UPDATE... ISSUED AT 753 AM MDT THU JUL 24 2014 MADE A QUICK UPDATE TO INCREASE COVERAGE OF PRECIPITATION THIS MORNING OVER EASTERN UTAH. A DISTURBANCE AT 500MB IS MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST OVER NORTHEAST UTAH AND NORTHWEST COLORADO THIS MORNING. IR SATELLITE INDICATES A WIDE SWATH OF CLOUD COVER OVER THE REGION WITH RADAR RETURNS MAINTAINING AS THEY DRIFT TO THE EAST NORTHEAST. && .SHORT TERM...(TODAY THROUGH FRIDAY) ISSUED AT 422 AM MDT THU JUL 24 2014 MONSOONAL MOISTURE STREAM HAS SPREAD FROM THE SOUTHWEST TO NORTHEAST AND COVERS THE FORECAST AREA TODAY. PRECIPITABLE WATER EASILY EXCEED AN INCH /MAX VALUES AROUND 1.40 INCHES/ FOR THE DESERT VALUES...ALTHOUGH THEY DO TREND DOWNWARD THIS AFTERNOON BUT MANAGE TO STAY WELL ABOVE THE SEASONAL AVERAGE. HIGH PRESSURE WILL BE SUPRESSED TODAY AS STRONG PACIFIC NORTHWEST WAVE MOVES EAST ACROSS THE CANADIAN/NRN ROCKIES. STEERING WINDS BECOME WESTERLY LATE IN THE DAY...WHICH ACCOUNTS FOR SOME DRIER AIR BEGINNING TO SEEP INTO THE REGION FROM THE WEST. THIS INFLUX OF MOISTURE WILL BOOST CAPE VALUES THAT EXCEED 1000+ J/KG BY LATE MORNING ACROSS PARTS OF ERN UTAH. HIGH RESOLUTION MODELS SHOW HIGHEST QPF VALUES ANCHORED TO THE MOUNTAINS WITH MUCH LOWER VALUES IN THE SURROUNDING VALLEYS. WHILE PWATS AND 700 MB SPECIFIC HUMIDITIES SUPPORT HEAVY RAINERS...SURFACE DEW POINTS RANGE FROM THE MID 40S TO LOWER 50S. WOULD PREFER TO SEE HIGHER DEW POINT VALUES TO GET THE SOAKING RAINS. OTHER FACTORS THAT LIMIT QPF INCLUDE A VEERING WINDS WITH TIME (TRAINING CELLS MAY BE LIMITED IN THIS ENVIRONMENT) AND THAT STORMS WILL NOT BE SLOW MOVERS. ISOLATED HEAVY RAINS (MOSTLY BRIEF AS CELLS QUICKLY MOVE DOWNWIND) WILL OCCUR WITH GOOD PORTION OF THE FORECAST AREA EXPECTED TO OBSERVE SOME RAINFALL. A CANADIAN LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM MOVING ACROSS ALBERTA AND SASKATCHEWAN THIS EVENING WILL DRAG A SHORTWAVE THROUGH THE HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE CENTERED OVER THE TEXAS PANHANDLE. THIS WILL ACT ON THE PREVALENT MOISTURE IN PLACE AND LEAD TO AN INCREASE IN STORM ACTIVITY THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS. SOME STORMS MAY LAST INTO THE OVERNIGHT AS THIS WAVE...WHICH IS EVIDENT BASED ON FRONTOGENESIS FIELDS AND UPPER LEVEL DIVERGENCE...MOVES THROUGH. THIS LOW WILL ALSO ACT TO FLATTEN THE RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE ON FRIDAY...ALLOWING MOISTURE TO LAY OVER COLORADO AND SE UTAH. PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES ARE STILL AROUND AN INCH FOR AREAS SOUTH OF I-70 WHERE THE BETTER STORMS ARE EXPECTED. EXPECT ANOTHER ROUND OF CONVECTION FIRING OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN IN THE AFTERNOON WITH OUTFLOW BOUNDARY INTERACTIONS ALLOWING STORMS TO DRIFT OVER OR FORM OVER VALLEYS LATER IN THE DAY. .LONG TERM...(FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY) ISSUED AT 422 AM MDT THU JUL 24 2014 EXPECT MOST CONVECTION TO DIE DOWN BY MIDNIGHT FRIDAY NIGHT WITH A FEW LINGERING INTO THE OVERNIGHT AS MOISTURE REMAINS WITH PW VALUES IN THE 0.75 TO 1.0 INCH RANGE THROUGH EARLY SATURDAY MORNING. THE CANADIAN LOW DIVES SOUTHEAST THROUGH THE GREAT LAKES REGION AND GETS ABSORBED BY A LARGE AREA OF LOW PRESSURE OVER THE EASTERN U.S. THIS LOW PRESSURE TROUGH DEEPENS OVER THE EAST WHICH CAUSES THE HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE OVER THE TEXAS PANHANDLE TO NEGATIVELY TILT AND PUSH WESTWARD TOWARDS THE FOUR CORNERS REGION. THIS ALSO PUSHES THE BEST MOISTURE WESTWARD AND ALLOWS DRIER AIR TO INFILTRATE FROM THE NORTH ON SATURDAY. PW VALUES OF 0.5 TO 0.6 INCHES SHOW UP NORTH OF I-70 WITH 0.75 INCHES SOUTH OF I-70 AND SLIGHTLY HIGHER VALUES NEAR THE FOUR CORNERS. THE DRIER AIR ON SATURDAY COMBINED WITH NO DISTINCT DISTURBANCES MOVING THROUGH WILL RESULT IN A DOWNTURN IN STORM ACTIVITY. ENOUGH MOISTURE WILL BE AROUND FOR STORMS TO FORM OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN IN THE AFTERNOON BUT WILL MOST LIKELY REMAIN ANCHORED HERE AS STEERING FLOW REMAINS FAIRLY LIGHT. SUNDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY...STRONG FOUR CORNERS RIDGE WILL AMPLIFY OVER THE WRN CONUS THROUGH THIS TIME PERIOD. MONSOONAL MOISTURE TAKES A ROUNDABOUT WAY TO GET INTO UTAH AND WRN COLORADO RATHER THAN A MOISTURE PLUME FROM OLD MEXICO. DIURNALLY DRIVEN STORMS WILL OCCUR EACH DAY WITH SOME STORMS LINGER THROUGH NIGHTTIME. BUT DIFFICULT TO SAY AT THIS TIME IF ANY DAY WILL BE WETTER THAN ANOTHER DAY. FORECAST IS FAIRLY BROADBRUSH WITH THE HIGHEST POP VALUES OVER SOUTHWEST COLORADO. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z FRIDAY AFTERNOON) ISSUED AT 1034 AM MDT THU JUL 24 2014 ALL TAF SITES CAN EXPECT SHOWERS AND/OR THUNDERSTORMS IN THE VICINITY THROUGH 04Z TONIGHT. THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO BE STRONGEST BETWEEN 18Z AND 00Z TODAY. BRIEF +TSRA WITH WIND G30KTS MAY ACCOMPANY THE STRONGEST STORMS. MVFR CIGS AND MOUNTAIN OBSCURATIONS FROM PASSING +SHRA/+TSRA. DECREASING -SHRA/-TSRA IS EXPECTED AFTER 04Z TONIGHT. && .GJT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... CO...NONE. UT...NONE. && UPDATE...JAM SHORT TERM...PF/MDA LONG TERM...MDA/PF AVIATION...TGJT
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO 613 AM MDT THU JUL 24 2014 COZ001>014-017>023-UTZ022>025-027>029-251215- 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- 613 AM MDT THU JUL 24 2014 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL COLORADO...NORTHWEST COLORADO...SOUTH CENTRAL COLORADO... SOUTHWEST COLORADO...WEST CENTRAL COLORADO...EAST CENTRAL UTAH... NORTHEAST UTAH AND SOUTHEAST UTAH. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL QUICKLY DEVELOP AND EXPAND THIS MORNING...BECOMING NUMEROUS IN THE WESTERN COLORADO HIGH COUNTRY. WETTING RAINS IS EXPECTED FOR MOST MOUNTAIN SPOTS. IN THE VALLEYS...BRIEF HEAVY SHOWERS WILL ACCOMPANY THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS WITH LOCALIZED GUSTS OF 30 TO 40 MPH. FREQUENT AND DEADLY CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING STRIKES WILL ACCOMPANY THUNDERSTORMS. LOCALIZED MUD DEBRIS FLOWS OR FALLING ROCKS WILL BE POSSIBLE IN THOSE AREAS PRONE TO SUCH ACTIVITY...LIKE STEEP TERRAIN. MOST STORM ACTIVITY WILL DIE DOWN BY MIDNIGHT WITH SOME LINGERING INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY EXPECT STORMS TO DEVELOP OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN ON FRIDAY WITH SOME DRIFTING OVER VALLEY LOCATIONS THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS. DRIER AIR MOVES IN FOR THE WEEKEND WITH A DOWNTURN IN STORM ACTIVITY. STORMS WILL STILL DEVELOP EACH AFTERNOON BUT MAINLY BE ANCHORED TO THE HIGHER TERRAIN. SUNDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY...EXPECT SCATTERED AFTERNOON AND EVENING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...PRIMARILY OVER THE MOUNTAINS...EACH DAY. A FEW STORMS WILL DRIFT OFF THE MOUNTAINS LATE IN THE DAY AND PRODUCE GUSTY WINDS AND BRIEF SHOWERS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... A SLIGHT POSSIBILITY THAT SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON...BUT NOT LIKELY.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO 937 AM MDT THU JUL 24 2014 COZ001>014-017>023-UTZ022>025-027>029-242100- 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- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...RANGELY...DINOSAUR...CRAIG...HAYDEN... MEEKER...RIO BLANCO...COLUMBINE...TOPONAS... STEAMBOAT SPRINGS AND VICINITY...GRAND JUNCTION...FRUITA... PALISADE...RIFLE...SILT...PARACHUTE...MESA...GLENWOOD SPRINGS... EAGLE...CARBONDALE...SKYWAY...ASPEN...VAIL...SNOWMASS... CEDAREDGE...DELTA...HOTCHKISS...MONTROSE...CRESTED BUTTE... TAYLOR PARK...MARBLE...BUFORD...TRAPPERS LAKE...GUNNISON... CIMARRON...RIDGWAY...GLADE PARK...OURAY...TELLURIDE...LAKE CITY... SILVERTON...RICO...HESPERUS...GATEWAY...NUCLA...CORTEZ... DOVE CREEK...MANCOS...DURANGO...BAYFIELD...IGNACIO... PAGOSA SPRINGS AND VICINITY...BLANDING...BLUFF...MEXICAN HAT... MANILA...DUTCH JOHN...VERNAL...JENSEN...BALLARD...FORT DUCHESNE... RANDLETT...MOAB...CASTLE VALLEY...THOMPSON SPRINGS... MONTICELLO AND VICINITY 937 AM MDT THU JUL 24 2014 ...HEAVY RAIN FROM SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE TODAY... THERE IS THE POTENTIAL OF HEAVY RAINFALL ACROSS EASTERN UTAH AND WESTERN COLORADO TODAY DUE TO SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...ESPECIALLY BETWEEN THE HOURS OF NOON AND 6 PM. MONSOONAL MOISTURE IS ENHANCED TODAY...SO STORMS THAT DEVELOP ARE MORE LIKELY TO PRODUCE HEAVY RAIN. NORMALLY DRY WASHES AND CREEK BEDS COULD FLOW AND CREATE RUNNING WATER ACROSS LOW- LYING ROADS. LOCALIZED MUD DEBRIS FLOWS OR FALLING ROCKS WILL BE POSSIBLE IN STEEP TERRAIN AREAS SUSCEPTIBLE TO RUNOFF PROBLEMS. PLEASE REPORT ANY HEAVY RAIN...FLOODING ISSUES...OR SEVERE WEATHER ISSUES TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GRAND JUNCTION.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO 112 PM MDT THU JUL 24 2014 COZ017-020-UTZ028-241945- PARADOX VALLEY/LITTLE DOLORES RIVER CO- UNCOMPAHGRE PLATEAU/DALLAS DIVIDE CO-LA SAL AND ABAJO MOUNTAINS UT- 112 PM MDT THU JUL 24 2014 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SOUTHWESTERN MESA AND SOUTHEASTERN GRAND COUNTIES UNTIL 145 PM MDT... AT 109 PM MDT...DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR GATEWAY...MOVING EAST AT 10 MPH. THIS STORM WILL IMPACT HIGHWAY 145 NEAR GATEWAY AS WELL AS CANYONS SURROUNDING GATEWAY. HALF INCH HAIL...WIND GUSTS OF 40 MPH...AND HEAVY RAINFALL WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM. LAT...LON 3856 10902 3871 10910 3877 10884 3861 10876 TIME...MOT...LOC 1909Z 248DEG 7KT 3865 10898
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO 120 PM MDT THU JUL 24 2014 COZ002-004-005-241945- ELKHEAD AND PARK MOUNTAINS-CENTRAL YAMPA RIVER BASIN-UPPER YAMPA RIVER BASIN- 120 PM MDT THU JUL 24 2014 ...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT ELKHEAD AND PARK MOUNTAINS... CENTRAL YAMPA RIVER BASIN...UPPER YAMPA RIVER BASIN... AT 119 PM MDT...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS 4 MILES WEST OF HAYDEN...OR 10 MILES EAST OF CRAIG...MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH. WINDS IN EXCESS OF 40 MPH ARE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM. LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE... HAYDEN. FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING IS OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM. LIGHTNING CAN STRIKE 15 MILES AWAY FROM A THUNDERSTORM. SEEK A SAFE SHELTER INSIDE A BUILDING OR VEHICLE. LAT...LON 4040 10740 4058 10749 4077 10701 4052 10688 TIME...MOT...LOC 1919Z 248DEG 29KT 4053 10735 JAM
The Grand Junction radar (KGJX), 195 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:29 UTC.
1 heavy rain, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
A half inch of rain within a half hour produced minor flooding and mudslides onto County Road 204 below the Junction Creek Campground. Culverts under the road became clogged with a large amount of debris.
Numerous mud slides up to a foot deep were reported north of Redstone due to heavy rainfall and runoff. Southbound lanes of Highway 133 were blocked for several hours as road crews removed the debris.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Colorado in 2014Every state in 2014This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, July 2014
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: 522324, 545314.