Heavy rain fell during the evening of May 6th over the Leroux Creek and Cow Creek basins in Delta County, as well as in portions of Mesa County.
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.
Heavy rain fell during the evening of May 6th over the Leroux Creek and Cow Creek basins in Delta County, as well as in portions of Mesa County.
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 6, 9:53 AM MST, 2 hours 7 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO 1053 AM MDT WED MAY 6 2015 .SHORT TERM...(TODAY THROUGH THURSDAY) ISSUED AT 433 AM MDT WED MAY 6 2015 WIDESPREAD RAIN...WITH SOME SNOW FOR THE HIGHEST ELEVATIONS... CONTINUES THIS MORNING AS THE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH CONTINUED TO DRIFT EWRD. WHILE THE AXIS OF SAID TROUGH IS NOW OVER THE COLORADO PLAINS...ANOTHER SHOT OF ENERGY IS MOVING ACROSS THE CWA AND WILL KEEP PRECIP GOING FOR MUCH OF THE OVERNIGHT. THIS IS BEING BORNE OUT BY LOCAL OBS REPORTING -RA FROM PAGOSA SPRINGS AND DURANGO UP INTO TELLURIDE AND FARTHER NORTH INTO ASPEN...RIFLE AND AS FAR NORTH AND WEST AS VERNAL UT. MODELS WERE SHOWING LITTLE CHANGE TO COVERAGE FROM NOW THROUGH DAYBREAK TODAY WHEN THE BULK OF PRECIP WILL LIFT NORTH OF THE SRN VALLEYS AND SAN JUANS AND SERN UT. ONCE THAT HAPPENS THOUGH...SOME DAYTIME HEATING WILL THEN WORK ON THE ATMOSPHERE ALLOWING SOME STORMS AND SHOWERS TO FORM AS INSTABILITY INCREASES. PLENTY OF MOISTURE REMAINS SO A RETURN TO THE MORE HIGHER TERRAIN...DIURNALLY DRIVEN CONVECTION LOOKS A SAFE BET THROUGH SUNSET. BY LATE TONIGHT...MOST PRECIP WILL END THOUGH A FEW VERY ISOLATED SHOWERS MAY HUG THE MTNS. FOR THURSDAY...A DEEP AREA OF LOW PRESSURE WILL BE DROPPING DOWN OVER CALIFORNIA WHILE MUCH OF EASTERN UTAH AND WESTERN COLORADO REMAINS IN A DRY SLOT. MODELS HINTING AT SOME SHOWERS OVER THE FLAT TOPS AND NRN MTNS GENERALLY WITH LITTLE ELSE ELSEWHERE. TEMPS WEDNESDAY WILL REMAIN COOLER THAN USUAL BUT RETURN TO NORMAL BY THURSDAY. .LONG TERM...(THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY) ISSUED AT 433 AM MDT WED MAY 6 2015 THE CLOSED LOW OVER SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA WILL CONTINUE TO FEED DRIER AIR ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA FRIDAY. HOWEVER...SUFFICIENT MOISTURE REMAINS TO FUEL SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE MOUNTAINS FRIDAY AFTERNOON/EVENING. MODELS WERE IN BETTER AGREEMENT THIS WEEKEND THAN 24 HOURS PRIOR...AND BOTH INDICATED THE LOW WILL LIFT NORTHEASTWARD TO THE FOUR CORNERS BY MIDDAY SATURDAY BRINGING AN UPTICK IN SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY ALONG WITH COOLER TEMPERATURES. UNSETTLED WEATHER WILL CONTINUE INTO SUNDAY AS THE MOISTURE WRAPPED SYSTEM DRIFTS TO THE NORTHERN HIGH PLAINS. A SHORTWAVE RIDGE IS PROGGED TO BUILD OVER THE FORECAST AREA MONDAY HERALDING A RETURN TO MORE SEASONABLE TEMPERATURES AND LESS SHOWER/THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY. WARMING CONTINUES INTO TUESDAY BRINGING NEAR NORMAL AFTERNOON HIGHS AS FLOW AGAIN SHIFTS TO THE SOUTHWEST AHEAD OF A CLOSED LOW SYSTEM ALONG THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z THURSDAY AFTERNOON) ISSUED AT 1055 AM MDT WED MAY 6 2015 MOISTURE CONTINUES TO WRAP INTO EASTERN UTAH AND WESTERN COLORADO BEHIND A SYSTEM RETREATING INTO THE HIGH PLAINS. THIS IS KEEPING WIDESPREAD RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS OVER THE COLORADO MOUNTAINS ALONG WITH OBSCURATION OF MUCH OF THE RIDGELINES AND PEAKS. SUNSHINE IN EASTERN UTAH HAS HELPED DESTABILIZE THE ATMOSPHERE ENOUGH TO BEGIN TO PRODUCE ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS. THESE WILL BECOME MORE SCATTERED OVER CENTRAL AND NORTHERN PORTIONS OF COLORADO THIS AFTERNOON. MVFR CONDITIONS ARE BEING IN PLACE OVER THE MOUNTAIN FORECAST TERMINALS OF WESTERN COLORADO AND THIS WILL CONTINUE TO BE POSSIBLE THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE AFTERNOON. IN THE LOWER ELEVATIONS VFR WILL DOMINATE...BUT MAY TEMPORARILY DROP DOWN TO MVFR IF A HEAVIER SHOWER IS IN THE VCNTY. DRIER AIR INVADES THROUGH THE NIGHT AND OVERALL IMPROVEMENT IS EXPECTED. HOWEVER VALLEY FOG MAY BECOME MORE OF A PROBLEM AND WILL BE MONITORING THIS THREAT FOR FUTURE FORECAST ISSUANCES. && .GJT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... CO...NONE. UT...NONE. && SHORT TERM...TGR LONG TERM...NL AVIATION...TGJT
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
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO
1226 PM MDT WED MAY 06 2015
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1215 PM HAIL CORTEZ 37.34N 108.59W
05/06/2015 E0.25 INCH MONTEZUMA CO CO-OP OBSERVER
PEA SIZE HAIL WITH LITTLE RAIN.
&&
EVENT NUMBER GJT1500681
MALEKSAPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO
100 PM MDT WED MAY 06 2015
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0805 AM HEAVY RAIN COLLBRAN 39.24N 107.96W
05/06/2015 M0.76 INCH MESA CO TRAINED SPOTTER
24 HOUR RAINFALL
&&
EVENT NUMBER GJT1500682
MALEKSAThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.
A blocked culvert and increased water flow due to recent rainfall near the confluence of Cow Creek and Leroux Creek caused a portion of County Road 3100 to wash out with localized flooding near Leroux Creek.
A thunderstorm tracked across Mesa County and dropped heavy rainfall in some locations, including 0.84 of an inch at a location 4.5 miles north-northeast of Fruita and about three-quarters of an inch from 3 miles east-northeast of Palisade to Collbran. Minor flooding was reporting in some locations.
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: 638478, 641307.