A weakening Pacific trough brought some snow to portions of the Four Corners region.
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The episode as NWS GJT wrote it up.
A weakening Pacific trough brought some snow to portions of the Four Corners region.
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 30, 10:35 PM MST, 5 hours 25 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Grand Junction CO 1035 PM MST Fri Dec 30 2016 .UPDATE... Issued at 1035 PM MST Fri Dec 30 2016 Made some minor updates to the grids for temps tonight and for onset of precipitation across southeastern Utah and southwestern Colorado. Radar indicates deeper moisture just reaching San Juan County Utah as of 10pm and plenty of precip across central Arizona. Snowfall across southwestern Colorado should begin toward daybreak as this weather system brushes the Four Corners. && .SHORT TERM...(Tonight through Saturday night) Issued at 258 PM MST Fri Dec 30 2016 The weak cutoff low that was spinning over southern California this morning will transition to an open wave as it moves further inland. At the moment, the only influence we are seeing from this system is the increase in cloud cover over our area as moisture is pulled in from down south. The wave has continued to shift further south each new run which is evident from the latest short-range models. Showers will be on the doorstep of our southeastern Utah counties by midnight but hold off on crossing the border until a few hours later. The extent and coverage of showers looks to be unimpressive and should generally be confined to the Abajos, San Juans, and southern valleys. As previous shifts have mentioned, this system remains quite mild with snow levels dropping from 7000 ft to only around 5500 ft, keeping a chance for some mixed precipitation throughout the event for some of the lower elevations. Snow accumulations in the mountains do not warrant any advisories though the public should stay apprised of road conditions before travelling over any mountain passes. Activity will dissipate from west to east after noon on Saturday as the wave lifts into the Texas Panhandle, resulting in a generally dry New Year's Eve. Overnight lows down south will be several degrees warmer than last night as a result of increased cloud cover. Elsewhere, expect another chilly night with just minor warming temperature-wise. Daytime highs will continue to be slightly above normal for this time of year. .LONG TERM...(Sunday through Friday) Issued at 258 PM MST Fri Dec 30 2016 A second cutoff low will be ushered south of the Four Corners on Sunday by a broad upper level low dropping into the northwestern CONUS. This will result in a moist southwesterly flow and the beginning of an extended period of unsettled weather. Showers will begin down south early Sunday before spreading northeast along the Colorado Divide by Sunday night. Warm air advection under the southwesterly flow will keep snow levels above 5500 ft. Activity will become more widespread for Monday under the influence of an upper level jet moving overhead. Available moisture and upper level support will generate light to moderate snow showers for the mountains with some significant accumulations possible. The chance for showers, with periodic breaks, looks to continue through at least midweek as a series of embedded waves move across the area. A strong cold front will push through on Thursday and leave an arctic airmass in its wake. More on that below. Behind the front, models show dry northwesterly flow setting up. Temperatures for the extended forecast ended up being one of the bigger challenges today. While the first push of arctic air looks to arrive by Tuesday, the extent of its reach depends heavily on how far south the upper level trough drops. A second, more potent, shot of cold air will move in by Thursday as the axis of the trough and associated cold front treks across the CWA. Temperatures behind the front will drop well below normal for the latter half of the work week - some 15 to 20 degrees. Latest model guidance goes so far as to drop high temperatures for the lower valleys into the low to mid teens on Thursday with lows dropping near or below zero. Not completely sold on these numbers yet given how far out into the extended this is, so went more conservative on temperatures through the end of the forecast period. Regardless, a transition to much colder days looks to be on track for the first week of the new year. && .AVIATION...(For the 06Z TAFS through 06Z Saturday night) Issued at 1035 PM MST Fri Dec 30 2016 Shortwave moving into the Four Corners will impact KDRO and KTEX around daybreak between 12z-15z. Expecting cigs to drop hard at KDRO in the morning hours and not improve after 18z. Other TAF sites are expected to remain VFR as this weather system brushes the Four Corners. && .GJT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... CO...None. UT...None. && UPDATE...JAM SHORT TERM...MMS LONG TERM...MMS AVIATION...JAM
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO 443 AM MST FRI DEC 30 2016 COZ001>014-017>023-UTZ022>025-027>029-311145- 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- 443 AM MST FRI DEC 30 2016 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EASTERN UTAH AND WESTERN COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SNOW WILL DEVELOP OVER THE ABAJO AND SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS THIS EVENING...THEN INCREASE OVERNIGHT AS A STORM SYSTEM APPROACHES FROM THE SOUTHWEST. SNOW ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE RELATIVELY LIGHT AND CONFINED TO ELEVATIONS NEAR 7000 FEET AND ABOVE. THERE IS A CHANCE THAT SOME VALLEY LOCATIONS FROM THE VICINITY OF BLANDING TO CORTEZ WILL EXPERIENCE BRIEF FREEZING RAIN. SHOULD THIS OCCUR, ICE ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED TO BE LIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY SNOW WILL CONTINUE TO IMPACT THE SOUTH SATURDAY. SNOW IS EXPECTED TO SPREAD INTO ALL MOUNTAINS AND SOME ADJACENT VALLEYS SUNDAY AS THE NEXT STORM DRAWS DOWN ON THE AREA. PERIODS OF SNOW WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THURSDAY AS A DEEP ARCTIC SYSTEM LINGERS OVER THE REGION. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED. NL
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
Snowfall amounts of 2 to 3 inches were measured across much of the area. A locally higher amount was 6 inches in the Yellow Jacket area.
Snowfall amounts of 2 to 3 inches were measured across the area.
Snowfall amounts of 2 to 3 inches were measured across the area.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Colorado in 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, December 2016
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: 680274, 702140, 702141.