After showers on Tuesday, pattern change threatens the weekend and beyond
Monday, October 10, 2016
The sharp and unstable ridge along the Canadian coast has materialized as advertised in the last forecast, forcing cool air from western Canada southward into the Pacific Northwest. Additionally, some Pacific energy will undercut the ridge and allow several shallow waves to moves across the area and threaten rain showers as soon as late this afternoon and overnight.
Increasing moisture and instability ahead of the advancing Pacific Northwest storm and additional disturbances undercutting the ridge brings a good chance of rain showers to the Steamboat Springs area on Tuesday, especially later in the day, with high snow levels.
Wednesday is forecast to be cooler and dry before another Pacific wave undercuts the rapidly disappearing ridge off the Canadian coast. Models have trended weaker and further south with the undercutting energy likely keeping showers to our south on Thursday.
While Friday currently looks dry and breezy, the breakdown of that unstable ridge allows more substantial Pacific energy to impinge on the West Coast and cool western Canadian air to pour into the Gulf of Alaska, ushering in a likely long-lasting and more active weather regime for the West. Models are now more aggressive in bringing another relatively warm wave across our area early in the weekend, with some forecasting breezy conditions and showers with high snow levels on Saturday.
Sunday looks to be an in-between day before a much colder and stronger wave threatens precipitation with snow levels approaching the valley bottom early in the next work week.
