Pleasant weather for the Independence Day weekend
Thursday, July 1, 2021
While this Thursday morning started sunny in Steamboat Springs, there have already been a few drops of rain around noon as showers moved around our area. We’ll see chances for a couple more rounds of showers today before the pattern repeats through the long Independence Day weekend, though with warming temperatures and reduced chances for afternoon and evening showers. Even warmer weather turns drier for the following work week.
The current weather pattern across the U.S. is dominated by a strong ridge of high pressure over the northern Rockies and an area of low pressure over the Northeast. An eddy left over from the previous weekend’s wet weather is being forced eastward by incoming Pacific energy crossing the British Columbia coast near and north of Vancouver and is currently crossing southwestern Wyoming. Expect cool temperatures around five or so degrees below our average of 79 F today and more shower chances for this afternoon and evening as the eddy moves past.
The Vancouver storm is forecast to continue moving east while also weakening and dislodging the ridge of high pressure over the northern Rockies. Light southerly winds behind the high pressure will keep the moisture over our area around for tomorrow, though shower chances will be less than today and temperatures warmer, perhaps rising towards five degrees above average.
More of the same pleasant weather is expected through the long holiday weekend with shower chances continuing to diminish and temperatures warming a bit through Sunday. However, those shower chances may increase on Monday as moisture is carried northward by the southerly flow on the backside of a rebuilding ridge of high pressure over the West.
The weather for the rest of the work week looks to warm even further as the dry air within the ridge of high pressure moves overhead and eliminates the chances of showers, with high temperatures returning to the mid and upper eighties. These warm temperatures look to stick around into the following weekend, though we may see the chance of showers return if some southerly flow develops within the ridge.
I’ll be back with another regularly scheduled weather narrative on Sunday afternoon, the Fourth of July, when I’ll have a better idea of the shower chances for the last day of the long holiday weekend.
