A funnel cloud developed from thunderstorms in the Gunnison Basin during the late morning hours of May 23rd.
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The episode as NWS GJT wrote it up.
A funnel cloud developed from thunderstorms in the Gunnison Basin during the late morning hours of May 23rd.
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 23, 4:50 AM MST, 4 hours 40 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...CORRECTED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO 550 AM MDT SAT MAY 23 2015 .SHORT TERM...(TODAY THROUGH SUNDAY) ISSUED AT 355 AM MDT SAT MAY 23 2015 ...CORRECTED SPELLING IN THE FIRST LINE... A RATHER WET WEEKEND IS IN STORE FOR MUCH OF THE AREA. AS HAPPENED FRIDAY THE CLOSED LOW APPROACHING FROM THE SW WILL CONTINUE ITS SLOW MOVEMENT. A FEW SIGNIFICANT VORT LOBES WILL ROTATE AROUND THE LOW CENTER AND BE THE MAIN FOCUS FOR STRONGER CONVECTIVE DEVELOPMENT. FCST SOUNDINGS SHOW SOME MID-LEVEL WARMING LAST NIGHT AND TODAY...AND THIS DECREASES THE PROJECTED CAPE FROM THE 600+ J/KG ON YESTERDAY'S 00Z SOUNDING TO A PROJECTED CAPE OF ABOUT 430 J/KG LATE THIS AFTERNOON. SO THE ENVIRONMENT WILL NOT BE QUITE AS CONDUCIVE TO DEEP CONVECTION AS ON FRIDAY. STILL...THE PVA ASSOCIATED WITH THOSE VORT MAXES SHOULD CARRY ENOUGH LIFT TO HELP GENERATE BETTER THAN GARDEN VARIETY THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE FIRST VORT MAX SHOWS ITSELF IN THE MODELS WITH INCREASING PRECIP OVER THE EASTERN PORTION OF THE SAN JUAN MTS WHICH ROTATES NORTH AND OVER KGUC...KASE TO KSBS THRU EARLY AFTERNOON. THE NEXT LOBE APPEARS MORE DISTINCT. AS THE MAIN LOW CENTER REACHES THE CO/UT BORDER THIS AFTERNOON...THIS DISTURBANCE MOVES THROUGH THE BASE OF THE LOW OVER THE FOUR CORNERS AND INTO THE SAN JUAN MTS FROM MID- AFTERNOON THROUGH THE EVENING. AS THE LOW CENTER MOVES THROUGH SW CO LATE TONIGHT AN EVEN STRONGER TROUGH DIVES DOWN ITS WESTERN SIDE AND HELPS KICK THE MAIN LOW NE INTO EASTERN WY BY SUNRISE SUNDAY. THE CWA FINALLY IS UNDER THE WESTERN HALF OF THE STORM WITH WINDS ALOFT SHIFTING TO THE NW SUNDAY MORNING...AS THE MAIN TROUGH CONTINUES TO DRAG THROUGH THE AREA THROUGHOUT THE DAY...WHICH KEEP BROAD AREAS OF PRECIP OVER THE CWA AND MOVING WITH IT. .LONG TERM...(SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY) ISSUED AT 355 AM MDT SAT MAY 23 2015 WRAPAROUND MOISTURE ON THE BACK SIDE OF CLOSED LOW WILL CONTINUE TO BRING ADDITIONAL SHOWERS/STORMS SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MEMORIAL DAY. ASSOCIATED WITH THE MOISTURE WILL BE AN EMBEDDED DISTURBANCE THAT ENHANCES THE CONVECTIVE SHOWERS. THE WET BULB ZERO LINE AND THE 700 MB TEMP SUGGEST THIS LEADS TO SNOW FOR THE MOUNTAIN PASSES OVER THE PARK/GORE RANGES TOWARD MONARCH PASS. SOME OF THE SNOW WILL BE MELTING AS IT FALLS...SO FORECASTING AMOUNTS WILL BE CHALLENGING. POTENTIAL IMPACTS INCLUDE SLUSH OR SNOW COVERED ROADS ABOVE 9K FEET. A FLAT RIDGE MOVES ACROSS THE CENTRAL ROCKIES ON TUESDAY AHEAD OF ANOTHER TROUGH OVER THE WEST COAST STATES. AREAL COVERAGE OF SHOWERS/STORMS WILL BE LESS PROMINENT AND MAINLY TERRAIN DRIVEN. THE WEST COAST TROUGH SLOWLY APPROACHES THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN STATES AND COULD BE OVER COLORADO BY NEXT FRIDAY. UNLIKE PREVIOUS TROUGH THAT ADVECTED MOISTURE INTO COLORADO...THE MEDIUM RANGE MODELS SEEM TO AGREE THAT THE DRY SLOT WILL BE POSITIONED OVER UTAH AND WRN COLORADO. CONVECTIVE POTENTIAL WOULD BE LOWER WITH LESS SHOWER ACTIVITY IF THIS DOES VERIFY. NOT FULLY CONFIDENT IN THIS SOLUTION...BUT THE PATTERN DOES HAVE A DISORGANIZED APPEARANCE AND DYNAMICAL LIFT FROM ANY "FEATURE" WILL BE WEAK. WITH RESPECT TO TEMPS...WARMING TREND IS EXPECTED WITH VALUES RETURNING TO NEAR NORMAL FOR LATE MAY. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z SUNDAY MORNING) ISSUED AT 550 AM MDT SAT MAY 23 2015 WITH THE UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM DIRECTLY OVER WRN COLORADO TODAY...NUMEROUS SHOWERS/STORMS WILL EXIST. PASSING SHOWERS/STORMS WILL LOWER CIGS TO BELOW ILS BREAKPOINTS FOR THE MOUNTAIN SKI COUNTRY TAF SITES. IN ADDITION...LOCALIZED AND BRIEF +TSRA COULD LOWER VIS INTO THE 3-5SM RANGE. MOUNTAIN TOPS WILL BE OBSCURED AT TIMES. SHOWERS/STORMS WILL DECREASE IN AREAL COVERAGE AFTER 03Z...BUT EXPECT SCATTERED COVERAGE TO PERSIST. && .GJT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... CO...NONE. UT...NONE. && SHORT TERM...CC LONG TERM...PF AVIATION...PF
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
The Grand Junction radar (KGJX), 128 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 16:29 UTC.
1 funnel cloud. Local standard time, as filed.
A funnel cloud was photographed and reported by several people near the Hartman Rocks Recreation Area.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Colorado in 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, May 2015
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: 612526.