Weather Alert in Colorado
Air Quality Alert issued August 13 at 9:10AM MDT by NWS Grand Junction CO
AREAS AFFECTED: Routt, CO; Rio Blanco, CO; Montrose, CO; Gunnison, CO; Garfield, CO; Delta, CO; Mesa, CO; Eagle, CO
DESCRIPTION: The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has issued the following... WHAT...Air Quality Health Advisory for Wildfire Smoke. WHERE...Rio Blanco, Garfield, Mesa, Delta, Gunnison, Montrose, Grand, Eagle, Summit, and southern parts of Routt and Jackson Counties. Locations include, but are not limited to Meeker, Glenwood Springs, Grand Junction, Delta, Gunnison, Montrose, Nucla, Granby, Hot Sulphur Springs, Kremmling, Eagle, Vail and Breckenridge. WHEN...900 AM Wednesday August 13 to 900 AM Thursday August 14 IMPACTS...Widespread moderate to heavy smoke has been observed across the advisory area Wednesday morning. Additional heavy smoke is possible Wednesday afternoon for areas downwind of the wildfires in Rio Blanco County, possibly impacting along and north of Interstate 70 within the advisory area. HEALTH INFORMATION...If smoke is thick or becomes thick in yourneighborhood you may want to remain indoors. This is especially true for those with heart disease, respiratory illnesses, the very young, and older adults. Consider limiting outdoor activity when moderate to heavy smoke is present. Consider relocating temporarily if smoke is present indoors and is making you ill. If visibility is less than 5 miles in smoke in your neighborhood, smoke has reached levels that are unhealthy.
INSTRUCTION: N/A
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Weather Topic: What is Rain?
Home - Education - Precipitation - Rain
Next Topic: Shelf Clouds
Precipitation in the form of water droplets is called rain.
Rain generally has a tendency to fall with less intensity over a greater period
of time, and when rainfall is more severe it is usually less sustained.
Rain is the most common form of precipitation and happens with greater frequency
depending on the season and regional influences. Cities have been shown to have
an observable effect on rainfall, due to an effect called the urban heat island.
Compared to upwind, monthly rainfall between twenty and forty miles downwind of
cities is 30% greater.
Next Topic: Shelf Clouds
Weather Topic: What is Sleet?
Home - Education - Precipitation - Sleet
Next Topic: Snow
Sleet is a form of precipitation in which small ice pellets are the primary
components. These ice pellets are smaller and more translucent than hailstones,
and harder than graupel. Sleet is caused by specific atmospheric conditions and
therefore typically doesn't last for extended periods of time.
The condition which leads to sleet formation requires a warmer body of air to be
wedged in between two sub-freezing bodies of air. When snow falls through a warmer
layer of air it melts, and as it falls through the next sub-freezing body of air
it freezes again, forming ice pellets known as sleet. In some cases, water
droplets don't have time to freeze before reaching the surface and the result is
freezing rain.
Next Topic: Snow
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