Category: Fire Weather (Page 1 of 38)

Premium BoulderCAST Daily – Fri 08/07/26 | Smoke‑Soaked Heat Dome Intensifies Heading Into the Weekend

August 7, 2026 / Ben Castellani

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July 2026 Graphical Weather Review: In Some Respects, Boulder’s All-Time Hottest Month on Record

August 6, 2026 / BoulderCAST Team / 0 Comments

July 2026 along the Front Range was relentlessly hot, dry, and devoid of storms, dominated by stubborn upper‑level ridging that fueled long, punishing heatwaves and pushed Denver and Boulder into one of their hottest months on record. Occasional pulses of monsoonal moisture did break through, producing slow‑moving thunderstorms and localized flash flooding near vulnerable burn scars, while wildfire smoke from the West periodically dimmed skies and degraded air quality early in the month. With meaningful rainfall largely absent, Colorado’s severe drought deepened, cementing a July defined far more by heat and haze than by the usual rhythm of afternoon thunderstorms.

Here’s a graphical look at how July 2026 unfolded across Boulder, Denver, and the Front Range — and how it compared to climatology.

This Week in Colorado Weather: August 3, 2026

August 3, 2026 / Ben Castellani / 0 Comments

A blistering heat wave will end with one of the more dynamic forecast days we’ve seen all summer. From potentially record‑setting triple‑digit heat to a late‑day cold front, gusty virga showers, and a thick wall of wildfire smoke set to drop into the Front Range tonight, Monday packs an unusually busy mix of weather hazards and changes. We’ll walk you through the timing, the impacts, and the brief but welcome multi-day cooldown ahead — plus why the heat dome isn’t done with us yet. We also look ahead to when the monsoon could return.

Colorado Forecast Update: Triple Digits & Wildfire Smoke Loom as the Monsoon Temporarily Shuts Down

July 30, 2026 / BoulderCAST Team / 0 Comments

After a lively stretch of monsoon storms and even some flooding across the state, the atmosphere is shifting in a way that favors heat, haze, and a temporary shutdown of our storm pipeline for the Front Range. A stout Southwest heat dome is about to take center stage, triple‑digit temperatures are lining up for Boulder and Denver, and wildfire smoke is poised to make an unwelcome return. We break down the ridge, the records, the smoke, and the eventual cooldown.

This Week in Colorado Weather: July 27, 2026

July 27, 2026 / Ben Castellani / 0 Comments

Eastern Colorado just came off a truly blistering weekend, with Denver and Boulder both shattering daily records as temperatures surged past 100°F on back‑to‑back days. Now the pattern is shifting, at least temporarily. An unusually juiced monsoon plume will set the stage for more robust afternoon storms through mid‑week, including a legitimate threat for locally heavy rainfall and burn‑scar flooding. But the faucet will shut off quickly. A rapidly intensifying Southwest heat dome will retrograde into Arizona late‑week, cutting off monsoon flow, drying out northern Colorado, and potentially steering wildfire smoke from the Pacific Northwest into the state as winds shift. By the weekend, the Front Range will sit on the fringe of that expanding heat dome, meaning another round of hot, dry weather and potential triple-digit readings again. Read on for all the details.

This Week in Colorado Weather: July 20, 2026

July 20, 2026 / Andy

After more than a week of relentless heat, the Front Range is finally heading into a pattern change — but not before we break a few records and squeeze out one more day near 100°. This week will bring a notable shift: true monsoon moisture is poised to surge over the Continental Divide, storm chances finally return and temperatures finally ease… at least for a moment. We break down what’s driving this stubborn heat, when the storms arrive, and why flash-flood concerns may quickly replace heat and fire danger as Colorado’s primary weather story.

This Week in Colorado Weather: July 13, 2026

July 13, 2026 / Andy

Summer isn’t just knocking, it’s kicking the door wide open across the Front Range this week. An unusually stubborn ridge of high pressure is staying put overhead, sending temperatures soaring across the Denver Metro area for days to come with barely a cloud in the sky. Fire danger, air quality, and even the long‑awaited monsoon will all play a role eventually this week. We break down what this pattern means for heat records, fire concerns, and when rain chances might finally return to the area.

Colorado’s “Almost” Extreme Heatwave: Here’s What May Save Us (Updated)

July 9, 2026 / BoulderCAST Team

A powerhouse heat dome is about to sprawl across the entire country, and while Colorado’s Front Range won’t sit dead-center in the bullseye, we’re still in for a long, stubborn stretch of serious heat. Daytime temperatures will soar into the middle 90s to low 100s, with warm nights that barely cool off, and skies so clear you might just forget what a cloud looks like.

A subtle shift in the ridge’s position will save Denver and Boulder from the truly unprecedented temperatures that some weather apps and models were flashing earlier this week — but the stage will be set for a scorching Western Slope, lingering fire concerns, and a delayed monsoon that is just now trying to claw its way north. We break down what’s coming, where the heat will hit hardest, and when relief might finally show up.