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Sat Update: The Front Range Forecast: Warm now, wet/snow Wed/Thur

In Brief:

Warm weather again, a mid-week storm on tap.

Saturday Update:

We received a bit of snow and very little rain from our week-end storm (Figure 1 update). Longmont saw about 1/2 inch of snow. Boulder picked up around an inch.

We rocket to the upper 60's for the first part of the week until the next storm system approaches (Figure 2 update).  We cool only to the lower 40's for highs with rain and a couple of inches of snow possible Thursday.  This is still fairly far out and temperatures are, again, marginal.

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Figure 1 update: the snowfall reports from CoCoRaHS for Boulder county.
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Figure 2 update: the 10 day graphical forecast for Longmont from weatherunderground.com

End Saturday update.

Forecast Discussion:

We reach temperatures near 60F on Wednesday before a cold front arrives late Wednesday night/Thursday morning (Figure 1). Rain chances slowly rise on Thursday becoming a good chance of showers by late afternoon changing to snow overnight (green and blue boxes).

This storm is powered by an approaching trough that will sweep by quickly (Figure 2). By Thursday night into Friday morning, there are snow chances across much of the state (Figure 3).

I'll return tomorrow for a snowfall roundup if things vary much from the forecast below, but the GFS shows a strong gradient of almost no snow along I-25 and eastward and healthy totals in thee nearby foothills (Figure 4).  Much of the precipitation that falls along the interstate will come down earlier as rain (Figure 5) with 0.25-0.75 inch of liquid in Longomont.

There IS some uncertainty in the forecast still. The NAM has much less snow around I-25 and into the Foothills. The big snow winners are out in the NE corner of the state and in the OK/TX panhandles. 

More later!

figure1_03062024
Figure 1: the 10-day graphical forecast for Longmont from weatherunderground.com
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Figure 2: the 500mb upper air map Thursday noon from the GFS and tropicaltidbits.com

 

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Figure 3: the Friday surface forecast from the NWS.
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Figure 4: the 10:1 snowfall ratio forecast for the week-end storm from the GFS and weather5280.com
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Figure 5: the precipitation forecast for the week-end storm from the GFS and weather5280.com
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Figure 6: the 10:1 snowfall ratio forecast for the week-end storm from the NAM and weather5280.com

The Longer Range Forecast:

We pop back to the 50's then 60's by the weekend and into next week and remain dry until another Wednesday/Thursday storm arrives. At least we are getting some water back into the region!

 


About the Author: John Ensworth

John Ensworth used to work from Longmont as the PI for the NASA through the IGES (The Institute for Global Environmental Strategies). He now teaches technology, algebra, astronomy, meteorology, film school, and Lego robotics to middle/high school.
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Current Weather

Light rain

Light rain

45°F

UV Index
0 Low
Pressure
29.78 Falling
Visibility
8 miles
Dewpoint
41 °F
Humidity
88%
Wind
NW 2.2 mph
Gust
4.5 mph
Wind Chill
45 °F

Hourly Forecast

Today
4 AM
44°F
Cloudy
Today
5 AM
44°F
Rain
Today
6 AM
44°F
Rain
Today
7 AM
44°F
Rain
Today
8 AM
42°F
Cloudy
Today
9 AM
42°F
Rain
Today
10 AM
41°F
Rain
Today
11 AM
41°F
Cloudy
Today
12 PM
40°F
Rain
Today
1 PM
41°F
Rain
Today
2 PM
41°F
Cloudy
Today
3 PM
41°F
Rain

7 Day Forecast

Mostly cloudy w/ t-storms

Friday

69 °F

Variable cloudiness with a couple of thundershowers in the afternoon; gusty winds and small hail can accompany any downpour


Thunderstorms

Friday Night

41 °F

Cloudy; showers and thunderstorms in the evening, then late-night rain; gusty winds and small hail can accompany any downpour


Rain

Saturday

42 °F

Chilly with periods of rain and a thunderstorm; travel in the foothills and mountains will be slippery due to snow


Rain and snow

Saturday Night

37 °F

Cloudy with rain, mixed with a little snow late; travel in the foothills and mountains will be slippery due to snow


Mostly cloudy

Sunday

61 °F

Mostly cloudy and warmer


Partly cloudy w/ t-storms

Sunday Night

36 °F

A thunderstorm in spots in the evening; otherwise, partly cloudy


Partly sunny

Monday

71 °F

Partly sunny, pleasant and warmer


Partly cloudy

Monday Night

42 °F

Partly cloudy


Mostly sunny

Tuesday

73 °F

Mostly sunny and windy; pleasant in the afternoon


Mostly cloudy

Tuesday Night

40 °F

Mostly cloudy


Sunrise and Sunset

Sunrise
6:06 AM
Sunset
7:51 PM

Based on AccuWeather data