Follow along with us as we provide forecasts leading up to the total solar eclipse on Monday, August 21st for Colorado, Wyoming, and Nebraska. We’re here to help you decide where the best drive-able viewing will be.
*Forecast updates will be included in this post, as needed*
Our cool and wet prediction for the month of August has held true thus far. The city of Boulder is currently riding a streak of 17 consecutive days of below normal temperatures. Furthermore, the last 90-degree afternoon was nearly three weeks ago. Will the upcoming week continue the trend? Read on to find out!
As we begin a first full week of August, we detail the forecast which calls for a rather wet start to our week. Temperatures will be below seasonal averages thanks to cloud cover and precipitation, although a warming trend looks to take hold by the end of the week. Read on for our full weekly outlook.
Historical warmth and persistently dry conditions have spawned numerous wildfires across the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia over the past few weeks. With a change in our synoptic flow direction yesterday, thick smoke has pushed into the Denver Metro area creating reduced visibility and air quality. We examine how the smoke got here and how the forecast for the weekend is shaping up.
It’s hard to believe that August is now upon us! Summer is almost half over. The month of July produced below normal precipitation and had a temperature nearly two degrees above average in Boulder. Should we expect more of the same in August? Read on as we examine Boulder’s climatology and consider the current state of the atmosphere to give our outlook for the next month.
As we close out the month of July and move into the fourth week of monsoon season, somewhat drier air will take hold across Colorado and make for less storm activity overall this week. However, a significant cool-down is likely towards the latter part of the week ahead. Read on for details.
How about that slow-moving monsoon storm last night in Boulder….definitely our most intense rainfall since late last summer. Between 7and 9 PM, 0.5 to 1.0″ of rain was recorded as torrential rain pounded the city. The radar image from 7:42 PM is below, with the storm that affected Boulder circled in pink.
Radar image from Wednesday night at 7:42 PM. Monsoon storms!
Yesterday had a lot of solid meteorology working together to produce the heavier rainfall. Today we will not see quite as favorable of conditions. Moisture has dropped and the frontal boundary has pushed well south and east.
After morning sun, expect partly cloudy skies in the afternoon and storms forming after 2PM, first across the higher elevations. We expect storm coverage to be isolated across the Metro area, with scattered activity in the Foothills (especially south and west of Denver). Highs will remain cool in the lower 80’s.
Unsettled conditions will remain through the upcoming weekend, with at least isolated chances of storms each day.
Fujiwhara Effect!
While checking the health of our monsoon flow for this forecast, I noticed a rare phenomenon in the models that is expected to happen between two tropical systems off the western coast of Mexico in the coming days. It is known as the Fujiwhara Effect and it happens when two nearby low pressure systems (normally tropical cyclones) orbit each other and spiral closer together. You can see this happening in the animation below between Tropical Storm Irwin (left) and Hurricane Hilary (right). Here is some additional reading from Wikipedia on this rare effect if you are interested.
Animation showing a likely Fujiwara interaction between two tropical cyclones off the western coast of Mexico this weekend.
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Much of our region has missed out on the monsoon thunderstorms so far. As we move into the last week of July, Boulder’s monthly rainfall total rests at just 0.32″. Normal for the month of July is right around 2″, so this is well below average. The week ahead will offer a resurgence of monsoon moisture to northeast Colorado. However, as always, not everyone will see the much needed soaking rains.
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