Dense Fog — Animas River Basin, Colorado

2023-12-23 · Animas River Basin, Colorado

Event narrative

Dense fog was observed across the Animas River Basin, including at the Durango - La Plata County Airport where visibility was reduced to less than one quarter of a mile for several hours. In addition, several Colorado Department of Transportation road cameras were used to determine the extent of dense fog along the US Highway 160 corridor.

Wider weather episode

On the night before the event, a winter storm brough rain and snow to the southwest Colorado valleys. Following this, a dry slot moved overhead during the early morning hours. The combination of increased valley moisture and clearing skies led to the development of areas of dense fog across the southwest Colorado valleys which lasted until precipitation returned again in the afternoon.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1149397. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.