After three months with barely any rainfall, our parched vegetation unfortunately ignited at the end of July with several large wildfires taking off in the Front Range burning more than 12,000 acres combined. Unsurprisingly, drought further expanded in July and numerous jurisdictions enacting fire bans. Overall temperatures during the month were close to normal following several periods of ups and downs. Here’s a quick and colorful graphical recap of our weather during July and how it relates to climatology.
July 2024 Recap Graphics:
How does July 2024 fit into the last 74 years?
How does July 2024 fit into the last 12 months?
Seasonal Monsoon Graphs (updated August 6th)
Latest Drought Tracker (as of August 6th)
Our top posts of July 2024
July 2024 retold via our Twitter X timeline
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❄️ A bit of fresh July snow accumulation above treeline this morning in Rocky Mountain National Park. These showers will be moving through the northern Metro area (as rain) the next couple hours #COWx pic.twitter.com/rTC4oHJzdQ
— BoulderCAST Weather 🏔️❄️ (@BoulderCAST) July 2, 2024
#Boulder County has just enacted a Stage 1 fire ban. No open fires, fireworks, or shooting west of Broadway or US-36! 🚫🔥🎆
We called it of course, but it doesn't take multiple weather degrees to know this was coming days before July 4th…
More: https://t.co/6DLTvtq45j #COwx pic.twitter.com/tgGwvzLvuD
— BoulderCAST Weather 🏔️❄️ (@BoulderCAST) July 1, 2024
Interesting article. In the past we analyzed how accurate temperature forecasts were for #Boulder. NWS gridded forecasts were the worst contender back then. Of course, we found that our team was the best 🙂
You can find our analysis here: https://t.co/ZnNOEQSOAf #COWx #Boulderwx https://t.co/9t6GQU0EsQ pic.twitter.com/vLxGmxnZNY
— BoulderCAST Weather 🏔️❄️ (@BoulderCAST) July 3, 2024
Not much change in air quality from the fireworks in #Boulder where a fire ban is in effect #cowx pic.twitter.com/FEQYK8L5dH
— BoulderCAST Weather 🏔️❄️ (@BoulderCAST) July 5, 2024
Colorado blue near Vail ☀️ #cowx pic.twitter.com/NzgIluDIbh
— BoulderCAST Weather 🏔️❄️ (@BoulderCAST) July 6, 2024
Happy Sunday, #Colorado! #cowx pic.twitter.com/pxaPjq0Esb
— BoulderCAST Weather 🏔️❄️ (@BoulderCAST) July 7, 2024
*NEW POST* This Week in Colorado Weather: A developing heatwave could bring the hottest temperatures since 2012 to the Front Range! 🥵🌡️
When does the heat arrive and just how hot will it get over the weekend? Let's discuss –> https://t.co/MvMjSfZhwj#COwx #Denver #Boulder pic.twitter.com/QlIOYDMKFq
— BoulderCAST Weather 🏔️❄️ (@BoulderCAST) July 8, 2024
The last of the moisture from our wet/snowy spring is drying up & mountain snowpack is dwindling fast under the summer heat. Given the extended dry outlook, drought in Colorado will be spreading further in the coming weeks –> https://t.co/dTp4nAplvE #COwx #Drought #Colorado pic.twitter.com/JPpC8R63cp
— BoulderCAST Weather 🏔️❄️ (@BoulderCAST) July 8, 2024
Only 90 degrees today. The true heatwave begins tomorrow! #boulder #cowx pic.twitter.com/BHsWsvXHc8
— BoulderCAST Weather 🏔️❄️ (@BoulderCAST) July 10, 2024
🍥 Let's see where the extremely hot airmass coming towards Colorado has been the last 10 days. It's been trapped under a stalled high pressure center along the West Coast, spinning clockwise since late June. With minimal clouds under the ridge, this airmass has gotten HOT! #COWx pic.twitter.com/u1RY1qmOsk
— BoulderCAST Weather 🏔️❄️ (@BoulderCAST) July 11, 2024
🏜️ BREAKING NEWS: Boulder County was just updated to Severe Drought today by the USDM. Very bad news as we stare down at least 5 days in a row with basically no rain and temperatures reaching near or above 100°… #COWX #Boulder #Boulderwx #Drought #Colorado pic.twitter.com/lTHWFJVeEB
— BoulderCAST Weather 🏔️❄️ (@BoulderCAST) July 11, 2024
🥶 Currently about 40 degrees colder than Denver at 13,000 feet. 25 MPH winds. No clouds. Light smoke #cowx #Colorado #heatwave pic.twitter.com/dIj0ooTVm8
— BoulderCAST Weather 🏔️❄️ (@BoulderCAST) July 12, 2024
Flatirons are shrouded in smoke as a new fire ignited this morning. Being called the #DinosaurFire. Idiots can't help themselves… #boulder #cofire #cowx pic.twitter.com/SF69AkUBZr
— BoulderCAST Weather 🏔️❄️ (@BoulderCAST) July 12, 2024
Here is a video I took of the Sky Crane helicopter dropping water on the #dinosaurfire in #boulder. This helicopter can drop ~2500 gallons of water. Big thanks to the aerial and ground crews battling this fire. @boulder_fire pic.twitter.com/Vo5GjqOw8e
— Matt Benjamin (@MBforBoulder) July 12, 2024
Should an IQ test and basic fire safety certification be required to enter Boulder Open Space? #NCARFire #DinosaurFire pic.twitter.com/SQMvh4yMON
— BoulderCAST Weather 🏔️❄️ (@BoulderCAST) July 13, 2024
*NEW POST* This Week in Colorado Weather: July 15-21, 2024
We review the ongoing heatwave, the recent Dinosaur Fire, why the pattern is now shifting & look ahead to which days will offer the best chance of monsoon rains –> https://t.co/yzEgftXhI9 #COwx #Monsoon #Denver #Boulder pic.twitter.com/ZhYo0Ot0Oz
— BoulderCAST Weather 🏔️❄️ (@BoulderCAST) July 15, 2024
Quite the scene as the strong thunderstorm crosses I-25 in Westminster #COWX pic.twitter.com/smus16NVpV
— BoulderCAST Weather 🏔️❄️ (@BoulderCAST) July 15, 2024
Well, that's a wrap on the heatwave! Five days in a row at or above 95°F in Boulder and above 98°F in Denver. Two new daily record highs in Denver.
We now drop back into the 80s for a few days with monsoon rains! 🥳 #COwx #Drought #Denver #Boulder #monsoon #Heatwave pic.twitter.com/aKpTx4rPqX
— BoulderCAST Weather 🏔️❄️ (@BoulderCAST) July 16, 2024
0.25" of rain on Monday, perhaps a bit less if you subtract the beetle corpse… #COWx pic.twitter.com/g8VxJl84Fx
— BoulderCAST Weather 🏔️❄️ (@BoulderCAST) July 16, 2024
Day 2 delivers as well pic.twitter.com/MptCUs0iSK
— BoulderCAST Weather 🏔️❄️ (@BoulderCAST) July 16, 2024
Sadly no chance of snow in the next 10 days #COWX pic.twitter.com/6W4sYS0xmK
— BoulderCAST Weather 🏔️❄️ (@BoulderCAST) July 18, 2024
🔥💨 If you thought the western US had enough fires/smoke already, wait until you see what is coming south out of Canada & into the Front Range late in the upcoming weekend!
Check the latest smoke forecast for Colorado –> https://t.co/UEXwpfD3DL #COwx #Smoke #Denver #Colorado pic.twitter.com/4qYHg6l0Gn
— BoulderCAST Weather 🏔️❄️ (@BoulderCAST) July 19, 2024
Heads up! Get outside to enjoy the cool weather the rest of the day. The highly advertised & minimally desired Canadian wildfire smoke arrives into the Denver Metro area Sunday night. Significant mix down to the surface will occur on Monday with poor air quality expected #COWX pic.twitter.com/zisFRbozLi
— BoulderCAST Weather 🏔️❄️ (@BoulderCAST) July 21, 2024
Model representation of the dense Canadian smoke layer aloft mixing down to the surface today in the Front Range area… #COWx #Smoke #Denver #Boulder pic.twitter.com/J9HRWsWaha
— BoulderCAST Weather 🏔️❄️ (@BoulderCAST) July 22, 2024
Unlike stratospheric ozone, surface ozone only forms because of human pollution. Here's a short 10-slide presentation about how low-level ozone negatively impacts soybeans in the Midwest, part of research we did in collaboration with the Univ of Illinois: https://t.co/C6hoFDJdN4 https://t.co/aq4Tzs0Iu0 pic.twitter.com/PdiP8nHlAQ
— BoulderCAST Weather 🏔️❄️ (@BoulderCAST) July 24, 2024
The tropical eastern Pacific Ocean continues to struggle this summer in shifting over to the anticipated La Niña pattern. The longer it takes the better off Colorado will be for monsoon precipitation #COWx #LaNina #Monsoon pic.twitter.com/scO6zMjZ5F
— BoulderCAST Weather 🏔️❄️ (@BoulderCAST) July 23, 2024
It's as if Canada is vomiting wildfire smoke directly into Colorado… 🤮 #COwx #smoke pic.twitter.com/j9ynEt3k65
— BoulderCAST Weather 🏔️❄️ (@BoulderCAST) July 24, 2024
The smoke has cleared and those Colorado views we all egregiously overpay for have returned! #cowx pic.twitter.com/VlRoK7iYhB
— BoulderCAST Weather 🏔️❄️ (@BoulderCAST) July 27, 2024
Happy 🌞-day, Colorado! Despite a forecast high of 95F today, we recommend getting out to enjoy the beautiful weather this morning when temps are not bad. Today will be the coldest day in the extended, plus some smoke returns later this week, mainly from California #COWX pic.twitter.com/zliPizeX2K
— BoulderCAST Weather 🏔️❄️ (@BoulderCAST) July 28, 2024
Takeaways from our 2024 Colorado Monsoon Outlook posted about three weeks go.
If you missed it –> https://t.co/dTp4nAoNG6#COwx #Denver #Monsoon #Colorado #Boulder #Drought #LaNina pic.twitter.com/kdofyDoJ4H
— BoulderCAST Weather 🏔️❄️ (@BoulderCAST) July 28, 2024
This Week in Colorado Weather: Staying in the 90s all week as wildfire smoke eventually makes a return 😟🥵💨
Scorching near-record highs, expanding drought, the missing monsoon, and the return of wildfire smoke. There's lots to cover this week –> https://t.co/HCiJY7BA3J #COwx pic.twitter.com/KXuecdQDUg
— BoulderCAST Weather 🏔️❄️ (@BoulderCAST) July 29, 2024
View of the #AlexanderMountainFire from Gunbarrel #COWx pic.twitter.com/2mOh4c1R84
— BoulderCAST Weather 🏔️❄️ (@BoulderCAST) July 29, 2024
Scary scene from Estes, but those are some nice PyroCu #cowx https://t.co/xdqbkJcras
— BoulderCAST Weather 🏔️❄️ (@BoulderCAST) July 29, 2024
PM2.5 levels directly downwind (east) of the #AlexanderMountainFire are above 400 (!) this morning in Loveland. Elsewhere, the air is wonderful in the rest of Front Range! #COWx #smoke pic.twitter.com/3F9Mkb6B25
— BoulderCAST Weather 🏔️❄️ (@BoulderCAST) July 30, 2024
Boulder set a new daily record high temperature on Tuesday reaching 99°F. The previous temperature record for July 30th was 98°F last set in 2006. #COWx #Boulderwx #Heatwave pic.twitter.com/g66ofhKtlv
— BoulderCAST Weather 🏔️❄️ (@BoulderCAST) July 31, 2024
📈The heatwave rages for at least another week as more wildfires ignite in the Front Range and smoke piles up. Storms return to the forecast on Thursday, but they'll do more harm than good with dry lightning possibly igniting more fires *Premium* –> https://t.co/yDmIqBgrsf #COWX pic.twitter.com/4WEStPKa1X
— BoulderCAST Weather 🏔️❄️ (@BoulderCAST) July 31, 2024
Smoke plume from the #QuarryFire making for a smoky morning in Ken Caryl & Littleton #COWX #COfire https://t.co/HNZA5paCCk pic.twitter.com/5cGWME2tRC
— BoulderCAST Weather 🏔️❄️ (@BoulderCAST) July 31, 2024
Is it winter yet? #COWx https://t.co/uotS94e7CO
— BoulderCAST Weather 🏔️❄️ (@BoulderCAST) July 31, 2024
⚠️ FRONT RANGE FIRE SUMMARY 🔥#AlexanderMountainFire: Monday, 6800 acres#StoneCanyonFire: Tuesday, 1500 acres#QuarryFire: Wednesday, 138 acres (likely larger now, out of date)#LakeshoreFire: Wednesday, just started, unknown#COwx #COfire #Boulder #Denver #ColoradoOnFire pic.twitter.com/5RejAAxe2g
— BoulderCAST Weather 🏔️❄️ (@BoulderCAST) July 31, 2024
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