Gorgeous weekend ahead

Thursday, December 14, 2023

After the fog layer dissipated this morning, temperatures are in the mid twenties under brilliant blue skies in Steamboat Springs this Thursday noon. Warming daytime temperatures and continued sunny skies will last through the weekend and into the following work week.

A storm currently crossing into New Mexico from Arizona in the form of an eddy has brought snow to southern Colorado and New Mexico, but is too far south for anything but some cool air over our area. Temperatures should approach the mid thirties today in town, which is around five degrees above our average of 30 F under sunny skies.

The skies will remain clear through the weekend as a ridge of high pressure builds over the West behind the departing eddy that will eventually bring misery to the East Coast starting late in the weekend and ahead of a strong storm currently developing in the Gulf of Alaska.

Clear skies under the ridge of high pressure will allow nighttime temperatures to fall into the low teens through the weekend, around five degrees above our average of 6 F. Interestingly, mountain top low temperatures might be several degrees warmer as cold air pools in the valleys, leading to a morning temperature inversion where temperatures increase with elevation.

Continued sunny skies will battle the cold air mass brought overhead by the eddy to our south through tomorrow for another day similar to today. And eventually, the sunny skies will allow high temperatures to rise another five degrees for Saturday and Sunday with another degree or two added for the beginning of the work week.

Meanwhile, that Gulf of Alaska storm is forecast to elongate to the south and split, with the southern end forming a large eddy that is forecast to briefly loiter off the coast of California. The bulk of this eddy is forecast to eventually eject across the Pacific Northwest next week, with only clouds likely affecting our area around next Tuesday.

Otherwise, quiet weather looks to persist into Christmas weekend when the long range weather forecast models offer some hope of snowfall. So while we all enjoy the gorgeous weather ahead, I’ll be monitoring the long term periods and have more to say about a possible pattern change in my next regularly scheduled weather narrative on Sunday afternoon.