Thunderstorm Wind in Montezuma County, Colorado

With the increased monsoonal moisture at midlevels, scattered showers and thunderstorms built on the higher terrain near Cortez. Dry surface levels acted to enhance outflow winds as storms moved overhead. These storms eventually moved over Cortez, they produced gusts to 58 mph at the KCEZ ASOS at Cortez-Montezuma Airport in Cortez. Gusts to 58 mph were recorded twice, once at 1:02 PM MDT and again at 1:09 PM MDT.

A trough of low pressure tracking east over California nudged the subtropical high eastward into the Southern Plains in the days leading up to this event. This allowed some monsoonal moisture to trickle into the Four Corners region. On the day of the event, the low crossed the Four Corners, adding some extra lift and instability. The most widespread coverage was south of the I-70 corridor, although that didn't stop a few showers and storms from firing off the higher terrain along and north of I-70. Dry surface levels kept the main threats to being gusty winds and maybe some small hail.