Dense Fog — Central Gunnison and Uncompahgre River Basin, Colorado

2026-01-08 · Central Gunnison and Uncompahgre River Basin, Colorado

Event narrative

Localized dense fog developed within the lower valleys along US-50 on the morning of January 8. The KMTJ ASOS at the Montrose Regional Airport reported about a half an hour of 1/4-mile visibility due to dense fog occurring between two snow showers shortly after sunrise. No reports of injuries, damages, or fatalities were received.

Wider weather episode

Weak southwesterly flow around a deepening trough brought mid-level moisture over Colorado, prompting snow showers to portions of the region overnight from January 7 to 8. Some weak moisture from previous days' precipitation lingered in some valleys still, and brief breaks in cloud cover enabled enough radiational cooling to saturate some locations. Localized dense fog was able to develop as a result, though lingering cloud cover over central Colorado in the hours around sunrise kept fog development primarily to the lower valleys of western Colorado.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1310241. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.