The Front Range will unfortunately see a continuation of unseasonably warm and bone dry weather this week. With a strong ridge of high pressure parked over the region, temperatures will remain summer-like in the lower 80s for the most part. While a couple of weak cold fronts may bring slight temperature drops, there will not be any precipitation. Wildfire smoke from neighboring states will intermittently affect our air quality. We also look ahead to a pattern shift next week which should bring welcomed changes. Read on for all the details.
The Front Range is experiencing an exceptionally quiet and warm early autumn weather pattern that is expected to persist through the weekend and into next week. This prolonged dry spell is due to a stubborn ridge of high pressure over the southwestern United States, preventing any significant weather systems from reaching Colorado. Despite a couple of weak cold fronts, temperatures will remain well above normal throughout the extended, with record highs possible on Saturday. Unfortunately, there is no significant rain or snow in the pipeline, exacerbating the ongoing drought and increasing fire danger across the region. Here’s the latest on what is becoming a dire situation.
Between the extreme heat, thick smoke and new wildfire ignitions, this week has been quite the disaster in the Front Range! Our fuels have been primed for weeks now and our team has been vocal regarding this inevitable outcome, but things unravelled much quicker than even we expected this week with something like ten wildland fires in the Front Range just since Monday, in total burning more than 9,000 acres of forest! The weekend unfortunately won’t offer much reprieve from the heat, fire or drought, but we are tracking a potential shift next week towards wetter and cooler conditions. We provide an update on the local fires, the ongoing heatwave, the widespread smoke, and when actual raindrops may return to the forecast.
An impending pattern shift is expected to bring record-breaking triple-digit temperatures to the Front Range this weekend. This latest round of extreme heat is due to a superheated airmass moving into Colorado from the Desert, an airmass which has already produced all-time record highs in other western states. We review the climatology for rare triple digit heat, discuss why Denver is often several degrees warmer than Boulder during the summer, go over the forecast for just how hot it will get this weekend and look ahead to when we may finally cool off.
The North American Monsoon is responsible for pumping subtropical moisture into the southwestern United States every summer, moisture which ultimately supplies the fuel for Colorado’s daily summertime thunderstorms — rain we desperately need in the Front Range right now following months scarce precipitation and worsening drought. However, the arrival and intensity of the summer monsoon varies substantially from year to year, especially in our area. In this long-range outlook, we discuss the developing dire drought situation, the current state of the monsoon, what’s happening with El Niño, and what to expect for weather in the coming months across Front Range Colorado.
After our second snowy weekend in a row, things will stay quiet across the Front Range for much of the upcoming week with seasonal temperatures and lots of sunshine. However, that will change late-week as a quick-hitting Arctic cold front will surge south across the area. This front will likely be accompanied by at least a little bit of wintry precipitation, but the cold won’t stick around long at all. We also look ahead to several more devastating atmospheric river events set to slam California — their remnant moisture will likely spread into our Mountains to further bolster statewide snowpack. Read on for all the details.
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