A period of cold temperatures caused an ice jam to form on the Roaring Fork River in portions of Pitkin County. Minor flooding occurred along the river with elevated river flows peaking during the early to mid afternoon hours.
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.
A period of cold temperatures caused an ice jam to form on the Roaring Fork River in portions of Pitkin County. Minor flooding occurred along the river with elevated river flows peaking during the early to mid afternoon hours.
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 13, 2:00 PM MST, 1 hour 20 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Grand Junction CO 200 PM MST Thu Jan 13 2022 .SHORT TERM...(Tonight through Friday night) Issued at 200 PM MST Thu Jan 13 2022 A closed low over the Pacific Northwest will slowly weaken as it drops southeast across the western states overnight. Warm advection and an increasing westerly gradient is expected ahead of this trough. High clouds will increase this afternoon with a lowering cloud deck expected across the north overnight as this trough approaches. Some shower activity may develop across the north late tonight, however the best focus will be during the day tomorrow with the strongest lift across the northern and central mountains of western Colorado. The current forecast of 1-3" across the northern mountains continues to be the consensus, with locally higher amounts possible above 9000 feet along the Continental Divide north of Interstate 70. Some snow shower activity can be expected over the northern valleys tomorrow with light accumulations possible. Conditions will improve by tomorrow evening as this trough and associated front move southeast of the forecast area. Expect clearing skies and seasonably cool temperatures by Friday night. .LONG TERM...(Saturday through Thursday) Issued at 200 PM MST Thu Jan 13 2022 A ridge of high pressure over the western US will result in a dry northerly flow pattern over the forecast area on Saturday and Sunday. Expect periods of high clouds with an isolated snow shower over the Continental Divide. Slightly cooler temperatures will occur behind the trough on Saturday with warmer temperatures expected on Sunday. The northerly flow will relax as the ridge of high pressure flattens over the western states to start the work week as a closed low off of the California coast weakens and slowly moves east across the southern states. This disorganized system is expected to move across the Four Corners region by late Tuesday with increasing clouds and light shower activity possible across the south. Confidence in this pattern decreases by midweek with the consensus showing northwest flow developing over the region with a weak, quick-moving shortwave dropping across the area late Wednesday into Thursday. Temperatures will continue to run seasonably warm through the extended period with potentially cooler temperatures across valley locations due to inversions. && .AVIATION...(For the 18Z TAFS through 18Z Friday afternoon) Issued at 1055 AM MST Thu Jan 13 2022 Mid and high level clouds will gradually increase from west to east through the day today as a disturbance dropping out of the Pacific Northwest approaches. Any ceilings during the daylight hours will stay well above ILS breakpoints. Clouds will then thicken and lower overnight with ILS breakpoints likely being reached at KRIL, KEGE, KASE and KHDN by 12Z. Isolated to scattered snow showers will be possible at KHDN and possibly KEGE, but are a bit more likely after 18Z. Thus, handled with VCSH for this TAF cycle. Otherwise, VFR conditions are expected to prevail for the next 24 hours with light, terrain-driven winds. && .GJT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... CO...None. UT...None. && SHORT TERM...MPM LONG TERM...MPM AVIATION...MDM
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Grand Junction CO 302 AM MST Thu Jan 13 2022 COZ001>014-017>023-UTZ022>025-027>029-141015- 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- 302 AM MST Thu Jan 13 2022 This hazardous weather outlook is for eastern Utah and western Colorado. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Friday through Wednesday Snow is expected in mountains through the daytime hours tomorrow. The snowfall totals will be in the 1 to 3 inch range mainly above 9000 feet, so some mountain passes could be impacted. The snow showers will come to an end shortly after sunset. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation will not be needed.
The Grand Junction radar (KGJX), 103 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:24 UTC.
1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Emergency Manager in Pitkin County reported an Ice Jam that was breaking up along the Roaring Fork River with large debris and chunks of ice flow downstream.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Colorado in 2022Every state in 2022This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, January 2022
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: 992661.