Colorado, 2018

Dense Fog in Colorado, December 24 to 25, 2018

December 24 to 25, 2018 · NWS GJT · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

Clearing skies and very moist air near the surface from new snowfall produced dense fog in some west-central Colorado valleys.

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.

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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.

Clearing skies and very moist air near the surface from new snowfall produced dense fog in some west-central Colorado valleys.

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 24, 6:11 PM MST, 49 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 24, 6:11 PM MST, 49 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 24, 2:53 PM MST, 4 hours 7 minutes before
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In the hours before

Special weather statement, Dec 24, 2:46 PM MST, 4 hours 14 minutes before
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Local storm report, Dec 24, 3:01 PM MST, 3 hours 59 minutes before
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Local storm report, Dec 24, 3:14 PM MST, 3 hours 46 minutes before
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Local storm report, Dec 24, 5:08 PM MST, 1 hour 52 minutes before
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Local storm report, Dec 24, 5:12 PM MST, 1 hour 48 minutes before
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Local storm report, Dec 24, 6:41 PM MST, 19 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, Central Gunnison and Uncompahgre River Basin

When
December 24, 7:00 PM MST to December 25, 1:00 AM MST
Where
Central Gunnison and Uncompahgre River Basin forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
38.737, -107.907 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dense fog occurred across portions of the Central Gunnison and Uncompahgre River Basins as visibilities dropped below a quarter mile, including at the Blake Field Airport in Delta.

Dense Fog, Grand Valley

When
December 24, 9:30 PM MST to December 25, 1:00 AM MST
Where
Grand Valley forecast zone
Reported by
NWS Employee
Coordinates
39.308, -108.185 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Dense fog occurred across portions of the Grand Valley, especially in Fruita along the Colorado River. NWS employees estimated visibilities dropped to less than a quarter mile.

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 2018Every state in 2018This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, December 2018

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: 790623, 790622.