Rains likely through Friday ahead of a pleasant summertime weekend
Thursday, June 20, 2024
After reaching the high temperature of 82 F early this Thursday afternoon in Steamboat Springs, thunderstorms have dropped temperatures into the sixties by 3 pm. Showers will continue through this evening before re-emerging possibly stronger on Friday as a weak cool front moves through our area. Pleasant weather returns for the weekend with the usual summertime afternoon showers and high temperatures in the mid-eighties by Sunday.
An eastward-moving trough of low pressure is currently over the West Coast while a westward-moving ridge of high pressure is over the Southeast. Additionally, the remnants of Tropical Storm Alberto are moving west across central Mexico.
The current rains are due to the clockwise circulation around the westward-moving high pressure cell over the Southeast carrying moisture from the Gulf of Mexico northward over our area, with a possible moisture contribution from Alberto, the first named tropical storm of the season.
This continues on Friday with showers possible through the day before the eastward-moving West Coast trough carries a cool front through north-central Colorado by early Friday evening. The interaction between the trough of low pressure, the associated cool front and existing moisture means strong rotating thunderstorms are possible Friday afternoon and evening, replete with heavy rainfall and hail, and maybe even a funnel cloud, especially if there are periods of sun in the afternoon, making the storms stronger.
Much quieter weather is in store for the weekend, with high temperatures on Saturday around our average of 78 F as the trough of eastward-moving low pressure exits our area and the eastward-moving high pressure cell approaches our area. There will be a chance of the usual passing summertime afternoon and evening storms on both days thanks to moisture left behind from the current weather pattern, along with temperatures climbing toward the mid-eighties on Sunday.
Even warmer temperatures are forecast for next week, so enjoy our first official summertime weekend of the year, as the solstice occurred today at 2:50 pm, and check back to my next regularly scheduled weather narrative on Sunday afternoon.
