Hot and dry for the weekend
Thursday, July 20, 2023
After a shower passed through Steamboat Springs just after this Thursday noon, mostly sunny skies with comfortable temperatures in the mid seventies and relatively high humidities are over our area this mid afternoon. Another quick shower later today cannot be ruled out before drier air invades our area starting on Friday with temperatures rising back toward ninety degrees for the weekend.
A ridge of high pressure is currently over the northern Rockies while a weak wave to its south is over northern Colorado and southern Wyoming, and our area. This wave was responsible for about the tenth of an inch of rain we received just after midnight last night and the couple of hundredths we received just after noon.
Southerly flow ahead of a storm currently in the Gulf of Alaska will force the ridge of high pressure to amplify over the West through the weekend, bringing dry air and warming temperatures to our area. Temperatures will rise to right around our average of 84 F on Friday, with continued sunny skies allowing temperatures to rise into the upper eighties on Saturday and once again breach ninety degrees on Sunday and Monday. The high temperature record for Sunday is 93 F, which will be close to being threatened, but the record of 96 F for Monday appears safe.
There is a chance for some moisture to return to our area around midweek as it circulates around the periphery of a high pressure cell centered over the Four Corners states. This would be similar to the weather regime this midweek, with only modest chances for precipitation, but continued hot temperatures in the upper eighties.
Enjoy the beautiful summer weekend, and I’ll be back Sunday afternoon to discuss more details about the possible moisture for the following work week.
