Colorado, 2015

Dense Fog in Colorado, December 31, 2015

December 31, 2015 · NWS GJT · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

Low level moisture trapped under an inversion resulted in areas of dense fog.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

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 trapped under an inversion resulted in areas of dense fog.

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 31, 7:41 AM MST, 19 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 31, 7:41 AM MST, 19 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 31, 3:25 AM MST, 4 hours 35 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO
325 AM MST THU DEC 31 2015

COZ001>014-017>023-UTZ022>025-027>029-011030-
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-FLAT TOPS-
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-
325 AM MST THU DEC 31 2015

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

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SNOW SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE THIS MORNING OVER
PORTIONS OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST COLORADO AND EASTERN UTAH. NEW
SNOW ACCUMULATIONS BY NOON TODAY SHOULD BE GENERALLY LESS THAN 2
INCHES...BUT THE LA SAL AND ABAJO MOUNTAINS...UNCOMPAHGRE
PLATEAU...GRAND MESA...AND CERRO SUMMIT AREAS COULD SEE 4 TO 8
INCHES OF SNOW. SEE THE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FOR
THESE AREAS DETAILS.

SNOWFALL SHOULD DECREASE THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AND END IN THE
EVENING.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY

VERY COLD CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED THIS WEEKEND THROUGH EARLY NEXT
WEEK. A SERIES OF STORMS WILL AFFECT THE AREA MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH
MIDWEEK BRINGING AND INCREASING CHANCE OF SNOW TO THE AREA.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Dec 31, 7:53 AM MST, 7 minutes before
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Local storm report, Dec 31, 8:00 AM MST, 0 minutes before
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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, Grand Valley

When
December 31, 8:00 AM MST to 11:00 AM MST
Where
Grand Valley forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
39.308, -108.185 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dense fog occurred in some areas of Grand Junction. The visibility dropped to less than a quarter mile at the Grand Junction Regional Airport.

Dense Fog, Central Yampa River Basin

When
December 31, 8:00 AM MST to 12:30 PM MST
Where
Central Yampa River Basin forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
40.361, -107.805 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dense fog occurred in the Craig area. The visibility dropped to a quarter mile at times at the Craig-Moffat County Airport.

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 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, December 2015

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 611148, 611149.