Category: Climatology (Page 43 of 63)

These posts contain information about the long-term weather patterns of Boulder County. Potential topics may include 30-day weather outlooks, El Nino/La Nina, and seasonal forecasts. You will find less about the day-to-day weather, with more focus on longer trends and patterns.

August 2021 Weather Review: A month headlined by poor air quality and relentless smoke

September 2, 2021 / BoulderCAST Team

August 2021 across the Front Range was defined by its poor air quality and tenacious smoky skies which were mostly caused by out-of-state wildfires. Other weather highlights during the month included a rotating thunderstorm which prompted tornado sirens, lots of red smoky sunsets, a sprinkle of summertime snow in the Mountains, and the landfall of Category 4 Hurricane Ida sixteen years to the day after Hurricane Katrina. Here’s a quick and colorful recap of our weather during August and how it relates to climatology.

This week in Colorado weather: August 23, 2021

August 23, 2021 / Ben Castellani

It has been fairly dry most of the summer with the monsoon moisture plume largely staying to our west. Over the last eight weeks, Denver has officially reported less than a half inch of rainfall which is far below normal. Not surprisingly, drought has now returned to portions of northeast Colorado. The week ahead will offer little reprieve from this dry pattern as temperatures remain above normal in the 90’s with just one day of decent rain chances to look forward to. Wildfire smoke will be fairly bearable, however, as a northward storm track and resulting atmospheric flow will keep the worst of it away from the Front Range.

July 2021 Weather Review: Boulder somehow squeaked out a wet month as the monsoon largely avoided the Denver area

August 3, 2021 / Ben Castellani

During July 2021, the summer monsoon pattern tended to favor areas further west with persistent high pressure holding over Colorado. Despite this, with a little luck involved, Boulder managed to notch a Top 20 wettest July, while most of the Front Range was very dry. Other weather highlights during the month included persistent smoke from new fires burning in the Pacific Northwest, multiple bouts of triple-digit heat, highly localized flooding in portions of Boulder, and frequent mudslides across the Mountains which has left Interstate 70 indefinitely closed near Glenwood Springs. Here’s a quick and colorful recap of our weather during July and how it relates to climatology.

Watch Out: The threat of flash flooding is elevated the next few days!

July 30, 2021 / BoulderCAST Team

After more than two consecutive weeks of hot weather, the pattern is set to shift following the passage of a welcomed cold front Friday evening! While not directly tied to the monsoon, storm chances will ramp up considerably in the near-term. Unfortunately, at the same time weak winds aloft under high pressure will introduce a real risk of flash flooding over the next few days with recent wildfire burn scars at the highest risk (Calwood, Cameron Peak, etc.). We discuss some historical context for July’s weather so far, when the cold front will arrive, how chilly it will be the next few days, and expected rainfall totals by the end of the weekend across the Front Range.

This week in Colorado weather: July 12, 2021

July 12, 2021 / Ben Castellani

As of Monday morning, thick smoke from numerous large wildfires blankets the Front Range and this will remain the case through much of the week ahead. There will be some improvement in the smoke as monsoonal moisture returns in the coming days alongside late-day storm chances. Let’s run through the weather of the next ten days or so for the Denver Metro area.

Despite the heatwave, Boulder failed to reach 100 degrees on Thursday and will likely come up short again today

July 9, 2021 / Ben Castellani

Denver’s temperature soared past the century mark on Thursday for the fourth time this summer, but Boulder came up short again. Near-record hot temperatures will again be possible on Friday ahead of a cold front which will set the stage for a pleasant weekend ahead. We discuss the cause of this heatwave, which cities will again be challenging records on Friday, and why we should consider ourselves lucky it wasn’t hotter this week.

June 2021 Weather Recap: Mostly hot & smoky with a unique, highly visible landspout tornado

July 4, 2021 / BoulderCAST Team

June 2021 began as one of the hottest and driest on record for the area, but ended on a cool and rainy note! Other weather highlights during the month included a slew of new wildfires across the Western Slope, a highly photogenic landspout tornado, multiple heatwaves, and poor air quality from near and distant wildfires. Here’s a quick and colorful recap of our weather during June and how it relates to climatology.

It’s Lightning Awareness Week! Find out why Colorado is one of the most deadly states for lightning

June 22, 2021 / Ben Castellani

As you know, thunderstorms are usually a staple of summer in Colorado! Almost every day, monsoon moisture boils up into dark early afternoon clouds, some of which produce deadly cloud-to-ground lightning. We briefly review a few statistics and remind you that Colorado is ranked near the top of the list for lightning-related fatalities for a reason.