Dense Fog — Lower Yampa River Basin, Colorado

2026-01-02 · Lower Yampa River Basin, Colorado

Event narrative

Patchy dense fog developed within the Lower Yampa River Basin early on the morning of January 2. The K4V0 AWOS at the Rangely Airport reported brief 1/4-mile visibility from freezing fog before sunrise. No reports of injuries, damages, or fatalities were received.

Wider weather episode

A deep Pacific trough brought moist southwesterly flow to much of the western CONUS on January 1. A weak upper-level jet streak arrived in coincidence with the surge of moisture, prompting widespread precipitation in western Colorado throughout the morning of the 1st. Strong cold air advection behind the storms rapidly saturated valleys, and areas of dense fog developed during throughout the night and into the morning of January 2.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1309213. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.