Fall 2023 Seasonal Climate Summary

Fall 2023 Seasonal Climate Summary —------------------------------ For a written Fall 2023 climate summary, please visit our website at https://www.weather.gov/media/gjt/Fal... --------------------------------- December 1st marked the beginning of Meteorological Winter and the end of Meteorological Fall. Meteorological Fall runs from September 1st through November 30th. Fall 2023 was characterized by short but intense periods of below normal temperatures and precipitation up against a background trend of above normal temperatures and benign weather. While snow started flying early, the sporadic nature of the systems during the season and the above normal temperatures in between each system have somewhat hampered snowpack development in the mountains. As a season, Fall 2023 was overall warmer than normal, with nine of the ten automated reporting stations across eastern Utah and western Colorado rounding out the season with above normal mean temperatures. Only Meeker Airport was consistently below normal. Mean temperatures ranged from 1.5F below normal to 2.2F above normal. The season was also overall drier than normal, with all ten automated observation stations ending the season with below normal precipitation totals. Just enough precipitation has fallen to hold drought degradation beyond Severe (D2) Drought at bay, but barely, as Extreme (D3) Drought is nudging into the region from the southeast. --------------------------------- Please note that all data mentioned is collected from our automated observing stations from 10 different airports across eastern Utah and western Colorado. Some of our cooperative observers in more remote areas may have measured warmer or colder temperatures, or more or less precipitation than what was mentioned in this summary. --------------------------------- National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office Grand Junction, CO