Low level moisture trapped under an inversion resulted in areas of dense fog as high pressure persisted.
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The episode as NWS GJT wrote it up.
Low level moisture trapped under an inversion resulted in areas of dense fog as high pressure persisted.
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 Jan 17, 5:35 PM MST, 2 hours 55 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO 535 PM MST SAT JAN 17 2015 .UPDATE... ISSUED AT 535 PM MST SAT JAN 17 2015 FOG DEVELOPED VERY QUICKLY IN AND AROUND THE CORTEZ AREA AS THE SUN BEGAN TO SET. THEREFORE...WENT AHEAD AND MOVED UP THE START TIME OF THE DENSE FOG ADVISORY TO THE PRESENT. EXPECT OTHER AREAS WITHIN THE FOG ADVISORY AREA WILL SEE FOG BEFORE TOO LONG. && .SHORT TERM...(TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT) ISSUED AT 258 PM MST SAT JAN 17 2015 STRATUS QUICKLY ERODING AWAY OVER MONUMENT VALLEY AND SAN JUAN RIVER BASIN THIS AFTERNOON WITH IMPROVING CONDITIONS. NOT SO FAST IN THE UINTA BASIN BUT VERNAL IS ON THE EDGE AND SOME IMPROVEMENT HAS BEEN NOTED AT THE AIRPORT SITE. THE MODELS DO HINT THAT NORMAL LIGHT DRAINAGE WIND WILL FORM OVER SW COLORADO...OR FROM THE NE TO ENE THIS EVENING. THIS MAY BE SUFFICIENT TO KEEP FOG OUT OF CORTEZ AND DURANGO (BY NO MEANS IS THIS A SURE THING)...BUT PUSHES THE FOG INTO THE LOWER PORTION OF THE SAN JUAN RIVER BASIN AND MONUMENT VALLEY. AGREED WITH THE ABQ WFO OFFICE DECISION THAT FOG IS EXPECTED ONCE AGAIN TONIGHT...WILL ISSUE ANOTHER DENSE FOG ADVISORY. HIGH CLOUDS MOVING ACROSS NE UTAH MAY HELP VERNALS CAUSE...BUT THIS SPOT NEEDS TO BE MONITORED AS WELL. SUNDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT...WEAK WAVES BRUSH THE FAR NORTHERN MOUNTAINS AND LIGHT SNOW (MORE LIKE FLURRIES) IS POSSIBLE OVER THE ELKHEADS AND PARK RANGE. MAIN WESTERLIES STAY NORTH OF THE STATE WITH LIGHTER GRADIENT FARTHER SOUTH. AFTERNOON TEMPS SHOULD BE SIMILAR ON SUNDAY AS TODAY. FORECAST CONCERN REMAINS THE STRATUS SITUATION OVER SERN UTAH AND THE UINTA BASIN. .LONG TERM...(MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY) ISSUED AT 258 PM MST SAT JAN 17 2015 A STRONGER PIECE OF PACIFIC ENERGY...WITH SUPPORT OF AN UPPER JET CORE...PUSHES ACROSS THE NORTHERN ROCKIES TO THE HIGH PLAINS ON MONDAY. AGAIN THE ASCENT WITH THIS SYSTEM CRUMBLES AS IT PLOWS EASTWARD AND QG FORCING OVER OUR CWA CAN MAINLY BE ATTRIBUTED TO JET DYNAMICS. THE LEAD PORTION OF THE JET MONDAY MORNING WILL MOST LIKELY JUST LEAD TO CLOUDS AND SOME COOLING OF THE MID LEVEL ATMOSPHERE FROM VIRGA. HOWEVER THROUGH THE LATE MORNING HOURS INTO THE AFTERNOON THE BACK PORTION OF THE JET ALONG WITH A SURFACE FRONT WILL BE MOVING THROUGH OUR CWA. MOISTURE STILL APPEAR QUITE LIMITED WITH OROGRAPHICS FOCUSING THE BULK OF THE SNOWFALL FROM THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS DOWN TO THE RIDGELINE OF THE ELK MOUNTAIN RANGE. CONCERNS FOR SIGNIFICANT SNOW IS STILL LOW WITH THIS SYSTEM. THE COLD FRONT MAKES IT TO OUR SOUTHERN BORDER BY LATE EVENING AND WILL BE THE FOCUS FOR ADDITIONAL PRECIPITATION BREAKING OUT BY THE MID-WEEK TIME FRAME. THE MODELS ARE IN MUCH BETTER AGREEMENT COME MID-WEEK AS A WEAKNESS IN THE FLOW PUSHES UP FROM THE SUBTROPICS TO NEAR 25N/135W TUESDAY AFTERNOON. IT APPEARS THIS IS HELPING KEEP A MORE SPLIT FLOW PATTERN IN PLACE WITH A MORE DEFINED TROUGH FORMING OVER THE WESTERN DESERTS WHILE THE NORTHERN STREAM STAYS TO OUR NORTHEAST. AS SUCH PRECIPITATION CHANCES ARE LOOKING MEAGER AND FOCUSED MAINLY ACROSS NORTHERN ARIZONA/NEW MEXICO WHERE MOISTURE WILL BE POOLING NEAR THE STALLED SURFACE BOUNDARY. THERE WILL BE COOL DOWN BEHIND THE FRONT TUESDAY THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE FORECAST. HOWEVER EVEN GUIDANCE NUMBERS HERE HAVE BEEN MODERATING AND HAVE SETTLED NEAR NORMAL FOR MID TO LATE JANUARY. THERE ARE NO ROBUST CHANCES FOR PRECIPITATION SHOWING UP THROUGH THE EARLY NEXT WEEK. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z SUNDAY EVENING) ISSUED AT 504 PM MST SAT JAN 17 2015 STAGNANT INVERTED AIR TRAPPED IN VALLEYS ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA WILL CONTINUE TO BE AN ISSUE FOR A COUPLE OF TAF SITES OVERNIGHT AND SUNDAY MORNING. KVEL WILL LIKELY SEE IFR CIGS RESULTING FROM LOW STRATUS THIS EVENING AS COOLING TEMPERATURES ALLOW THE CLOUD DECK TO EXPAND. MVFR VSBY IN FOG FOR A TIME THIS EVENING IS ALSO POSSIBLE. HOWEVER...EXPECT A WEAK TRANSIENT SHORT WAVE TROUGH WILL CAUSE THE STRATUS TO DISBURSE DURING THE LATTER PART OF THE EVENING AND OVERNIGHT AS A MID-CLOUD DECK SETTLES OVER THE UINTA BASIN. ISOLATED LIGHT SNOW SHOWERS ASSOCIATED WITH THE SHORT WAVE TROUGH WILL BRING LOCALIZED MOUNTAIN OBSCURATIONS TO THE EASTERN UINTA...ELKHEAD...PARK... AND FLAT TOP MOUNTAINS FROM LATE THIS EVENING THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING. LOW STRATUS AND FOG WILL LIKELY ALSO IMPACT KDRO OVERNIGHT AND THEREFORE HAVE INCLUDED LIFR CIGS AND VSBY FOR A TIME. IN FACT... STRATUS AND FOG WILL BE FAIRLY WIDESPREAD ACROSS SOUTHEAST UTAH AND SOUTHWEST COLORADO THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING. ELSEWHERE...VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL THROUGH THE NEXT 24 HOURS. && .GJT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... CO...DENSE FOG ADVISORY UNTIL NOON MST SUNDAY FOR COZ021-022. UT...DENSE FOG ADVISORY UNTIL NOON MST SUNDAY FOR UTZ022. && UPDATE...NL SHORT TERM...PF LONG TERM...15 AVIATION...NL
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO 332 AM MST SAT JAN 17 2015 COZ001>014-017>023-UTZ022>025-027>029-181045- 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- 332 AM MST SAT JAN 17 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EASTERN UTAH AND WESTERN COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS WILL PRODUCE LIGHT ACCUMULATIONS TODAY IN THE COLORADO NORTHERN MOUNTAINS AND PORTIONS OF THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS NEAR THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE. PATCHY DENSE FOG AND AREAS OF LOW CLOUDS WILL PERSIST THIS MORNING IN THE LOWER ELEVATIONS OF THE FOUR CORNERS...AND ACROSS THE EASTERN UINTA BASIN. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY THERE IS A CHANCE OF SNOW OVER THE NORTHERN AND CENTRAL MOUNTAINS AND THE COLORADO NORTHWEST PLATEAU MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT...THEN ANOTHER SLIGHT CHANCE WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED. CJC
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO
520 PM MST SAT JAN 17 2015
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0518 PM DENSE FOG CORTEZ 37.34N 108.59W
01/17/2015 E0.25 MILE MONTEZUMA CO CO-OP OBSERVER
DOWN TO A QUARTER MILE IN FOG.
&&
EVENT NUMBER GJT1500113
MALEKSAThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 dense fog. Local standard time, as filed.
Dense fog occurred in some lower elevation areas of Uintah County. The visibility occasionally dropped down to a quarter mile at the Vernal Regional Airport, and dense fog was reported on Highway 40 near the Colorado-Utah state line.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Utah in 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings in Utah, January 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: 607125.