Tropical storm Alberto made landfall in northern Mexico early Thursday. The first named storm of the season, Alberto pushed heavy rain and hail into Southwest Colorado as it moved inland. The storms will persist through Friday.
There have been reports of large hailstones across the area.
The weather patterns are similar to the monsoon weather pattern that the region is accustomed to during mid-summer. However, Tom Renwick, a forecaster at the National Weather Service in Grand Junction, said the unusual June moisture is simply a product of Alberto.
The NWS has issued a severe thunderstorm warning for parts of Montezuma and La Plata counties, as well as much of eastern Utah. Severe thunderstorm warnings have been issued for the Vallecito and Pagosa Springs areas.
The storm is expected to “stratiform out” overnight, creating a low drizzle, rather than the erratic and dramatic thunderstorms the region experienced Thursday.
