Author: Ben Castellani (Page 281 of 358)

Ben grew up in southwestern Pennsylvania and holds both a bachelor's and a master's degree in Meteorology, the latter being from CU Boulder. His hometown received nearly three feet of snow from the Storm of the Century back in March of 1993, sparking his initial interest in impactful weather. Ben currently works on remote sensing and data analysis software at NV5 Geospatial Software in Boulder.

Tracking the arrival of the summer monsoon

July 6, 2017 / Ben Castellani

With the first full-week of July coming to a close, monsoon season is right around the corner for northeast Colorado. However, its arrival is not something you can mark on the calendar as there is no set date for its commencement. It fluctuates substantially from year to year, depending greatly on the weather patterns of Mexico, the southeast USA, and the tropical eastern Pacific Ocean. We discuss the current state of the atmosphere and when we expect the monsoon to finally arrive. It’s already running a tad late.

DayCAST: Thu 07/06/17

July 6, 2017 / Ben Castellani

The mid-level ridge remains strong once again today with continued heat across the Front Range. We expect slightly more instability today to lead to isolated storms developing this afternoon and evening. The surface layer remains quite dry, so storms will have trouble surviving as they move eastward from the Foothills after 3PM. Impacts from any storms will be minor, likely …

DayCAST: Wed 07/05/17

July 5, 2017 / Ben Castellani

A large ridge of high pressure has developed right on cue across the Four Corners region overnight. With this, dry and hot conditions will take hold across Colorado today. Expect morning sun and a few afternoon clouds. Isolated storms across the mountains will be possible. However, the steering flow today is weak and northerly (see below). This should keep any …

DayCAST: Tue 07/04/17

July 4, 2017 / Ben Castellani

The weather today should cooperate for those with outdoor BBQ's or fireworks planned. Expect abundant morning sunshine to give way to partly cloudy skies this afternoon. A few isolated storms could form, especially across the higher elevations, mainly between 2PM and 7PM. Skies clearing thereafter. Fireworks forecast (tonight at 9:30PM): Mostly clear skies and calm winds. No chance of precipitation. Temperatures …

DayCAST: Thu 06/29/17

June 29, 2017 / Ben Castellani

Only a few lucky locations across the Metro area have cashed on rain this week. Today will continue the trend as another round of isolated storms are headed our way. We don't see any reason to believe rain chances are any higher today compared to the rest of the week. Expect highs in the mid 80's this afternoon with increasing …

DayCAST: Wed 06/28/17

June 28, 2017 / Ben Castellani

Today's weather will be similar to yesterday, albeit slightly cooler. The 500 mb map below valid for this afternoon shows due-westerly downslope flow in place across Colorado. The tiny amount of moisture embedded in the flow will combine with solar heating this afternoon to fire off a few isolated thunderstorms. Unlike yesterday where most of the action was east of …

Forecast for Bike to Work Day 2017!

June 27, 2017 / Ben Castellani

The last Wednesday in June has arrived, the day when thousands of hard-working citizens take to the bike paths for their morning and evening commutes. Yes, it’s Bike to Work Day 2017 tomorrow! Five out of the last ten Bike to Work Days have seen measurable precipitation in Boulder. How does tomorrow’s forecast look for the Metro area? Read on to find out if the bikers will be getting wet this year….