Wintry cold front to start the workweek
Sunday, May 17, 2026
The skies over Steamboat Springs have turned threatening on this Sunday mid-afternoon as a wintry storm affects our area through Monday. After ejecting energy brought high-elevation snowfall and town rainfall last night, thunderstorm chances for the rest of today and tonight will be followed by a cold front on Monday, bringing another round of significant precipitation to our area, including snowflakes in town.
A wintry storm over Nevada is forecast to move across Utah tonight and our area on Monday. An ejecting wave of energy from the storm last night brought 4” of snowfall to the top of the Steamboat Ski Resort, 3” to mid-mountain, and 0.4” of rain to town in the 3 hours between 2 am and 5 am.
The storm is strong, already producing a radar-indicated tornado warning around the Meeker area early this afternoon, and some pellets of soft hail from a thunderstorm near the base of the ski area. Continued thunderstorm chances with locally heavy precipitation, small hail, and strong gusty winds ahead of the main storm are likely for the rest of today and tonight, before it passes almost directly overhead around noon on Monday, bringing a strong mid-morning cold front and moderate-to-heavy precipitation rates.
In fact, while writing this weather narrative, that cell from Meeker just passed overhead with the above hazards, including half-inch soft hail and a temperature drop from 55 degrees at 3 pm to 42 degrees in 20 minutes!
We’ll see rain and snowflakes in town on Monday, with temperatures in the forties, well below our average of 66 degrees, and around another 6” of snowfall on the hill by Monday evening as precipitation tapers off during the afternoon.
The storm will shear apart as it passes over the Rocky Mountains, leaving some energy to our southwest that will form a broad trough of low pressure over the West through midweek as additional Pacific energy moves over the top of a Gulf of Alaska ridge and down its eastern side.
Tuesday will be a much drier, but still-cool day with high temperatures only reaching the low-fifties, with a chance of afternoon showers as energy moves through the trough to our southwest. Afternoon storm chances will persist on a warmer Wednesday, with high temperatures closer to 60 degrees, as a stronger wave of Pacific energy dislodges the trough to our southwest.
This stronger wave moves over our area later Thursday, bringing increasing shower chances, with trailing energy following on Friday for a similar forecast. I am not sure the temperature guidance has factored in these end-of-week waves, but it is predicting mid-60s for Thursday and upper-sixties on Friday.
My next weather narrative may not be in its usual Thursday afternoon time slot, as I’ll be traveling through the long Memorial Day weekend. So if not, then please check back on Friday, or sign up to have this twice-weekly weather narrative delivered to your inbox for free.
Weekend to turn unsettled ahead of an approaching wintry storm
Thursday, May 14, 2026
After a weak cool front passed through Steamboat Springs last evening, temperatures are around 70 degrees under sunny skies this Thursday mid-afternoon. Temperatures will rise into the mid-seventies under mostly sunny skies to start the weekend, with increasing clouds, winds, and eventual shower chances by later Saturday ahead of a wintry storm approaching from the northwest. The storm will move overhead in pieces through the early workweek, leaving much colder temperatures and significant precipitation by Monday night, with some snow possible in town.
A flat ridge of high pressure ahead of an advancing storm in the Gulf of Alaska will bring mostly sunny skies to our area on Friday and Saturday morning, with afternoon breezes and temperatures rising into the mid-70s, around 10 degrees above our 64-degree average. The storm is forecast to cross the Pacific Northwest around Friday night, ingesting cold air from western Canada as it moves into the Great Basin on Saturday.
Winds and clouds will increase by Saturday afternoon, and additional Pacific energy slingshotting around the storm will bring an increasing chance of late-day showers that may continue into the overnight. Cooler temperatures in the mid-60s will follow on Sunday, with uncertain shower chances, as they depend upon the eventual strength, track, and timing of the evolving storm to our west.
But a strong cold front should be arriving Monday morning, with much colder temperatures likely struggling to reach 50 degrees, accompanied by possible snowfall at all elevations. I’ll have more to say about that in my next regularly scheduled weather narrative on Sunday afternoon, so until then, enjoy the beautiful start to the weekend, and look forward to another round of precipitation.
Temperatures to warm into the eighties by midweek
Sunday, May 10, 2026
Cloudless skies and temperatures approaching the mid-sixties are over Steamboat Springs at mid-afternoon on this gorgeous Mother’s Day. After a cool and wintry couple of days last week, summery weather will grace our area this week, with record-high temperatures possible for the days around midweek. An approaching end-of-workweek storm will bring increasing breezes by later Wednesday through Thursday with periods of clouds, but uncertain precipitation chances for Friday.
A ridge of high pressure, downstream of a compact storm moving eastward south of the Aleutian Islands, dominates the West. A weak wave moving across Vancouver will temporarily flatten the ridge of high pressure on Monday, keeping our high temperatures in the upper sixties, around five degrees above our 64-degree average, with continued mostly sunny skies.
The ridge rebounds behind the wave and ahead of the advancing Aleutian storm on Tuesday, allowing temperatures to approach the record high temperature of 81 degrees, set in 1894. We’ve not seen temperatures with an 8-handle since the monthly record 81-degree temperatures on Saturday, March 21, and Wednesday, March 25.
If not on Tuesday, the Wednesday record of 81 degrees set in 1996 will likely fall as the strong ridge of high pressure moves directly over the Rockies, with high temperatures forecast to rise into the mid-eighties.
Meanwhile, the Aleutian storm should be crossing the California-Oregon coast, bringing increasing breezes and clouds by Wednesday afternoon. The storm is forecast to cross the Great Basin on Thursday and bring a cool front through our area on Friday, but not before the 83-degree high temperature record from 1894 is challenged.
While our temperatures will cool into the seventies on Friday behind the front, with uncertain precipitation chances, the high temperature for the day is 85 degrees, also set in 1894. In fact, May 1894 was extraordinarily warm, with 9 high-temperature records set in the 11 days between May 7th and May 17th! That was the warmest May recorded, with an average high temperature of 79.9 degrees, followed by 1897 at 77.9 degrees and 1895 at 76.5 degrees.
Note that record-keeping at the Steamboat Springs did not begin until February 1893; imagine a new settler experiencing what they must have thought was an average May in 1894, reinforced by the next two warmest in 1897 and 1895. Would they have been duped into planning for the continued warmth, or was there enough knowledge passed down in the 20 years since James Crawford first staked his homestead claim to convince them that those warm months were outliers?
In any event, relish the summery week, and I’ll have more details on what we may expect from the advancing Aleutian storm in my next regularly scheduled weather narrative on Thursday afternoon.
Pleasant weekend ahead
Thursday, May 7, 2026
Temperatures are near 60 degrees with a mix of sun and clouds on a breezy Thursday mid-afternoon in Steamboat Springs. After a cool and wet start to the workweek, which left significant and very welcome precipitation at all elevations, a chance of showers later today will be followed this weekend by mostly sunny skies and temperatures warming to the mid- to upper-sixties. Even warmer, record-challenging temperatures are forecast for next week.
Steamboat Springs is drying out after receiving 1.5” of rainfall in town on Monday night and Tuesday, with the 16” of snow near the top of the Steamboat Ski Resort, shown in the accompanying time-lapse from 1 am - 7 pm Tuesday, containing nearly twice that.
The storm, a product of a West Coast eddy moving inland and interacting with cold air from western Canada moving southward, was more productive than advertised, as the stationary front produced intense storm cells, the strongest of which left 3.5” of snow in a single hour between 9 am and 10 am Tuesday!
That’s the second double-digit snowfall the ski area received since closing early on 5 April, and the third in the last month. As impressive as that sounds, it has only increased the water content in the remaining snowpack to just above the lowest amount recorded in the Yampa-White-Little Snake drainage basin in the last 30 years, as shown in the accompanying chart.
Now, a ridge of high pressure over the West Coast is sandwiched between a storm extending south of the Aleutian Islands and a deep vortex of cold air still extending south from Hudson Bay. Energy from the Aleutian storm moving over the top of the ridge and down its eastern side will graze our area later today, bringing a chance of showers through this evening.
Any leftover clouds should clear by Friday morning, bringing mostly sunny skies and temperatures warming into the mid-to-upper sixties, above our average of 63 degrees.
Another wave overtopping the ridge may increase clouds by Saturday afternoon after a mostly sunny morning, with the clouds dissipating by Sunday morning for a mostly sunny Mother’s Day. High temperatures will be similar all three days before the ridge moves eastward, bringing mid-seventies on Monday and possibly around 80 degrees by Tuesday, possibly challenging the record of 81 degres set in 1894.
Enjoy your Mother’s Day weekend, and I’ll have more details on how hot it may be next week in my next regularly scheduled weather narrative on Sunday afternoon.
Wet and cool weather from Monday night into Wednesday
Sunday, May 3, 2026
The mostly sunny skies from this Sunday morning in Steamboat Springs have given way to some clouds in advance of our next storm, with temperatures in the mid-sixties this mid-afternoon. Shower chances emerge Monday afternoon, with likely precipitation from Monday night into Wednesday morning, leaving significant snowfall at high elevations. Town will not escape the frozen precipitation, with some snowflakes on Tuesday and minor accumulations by Wednesday morning.
An eddy of low pressure currently off the coast of central California, downstream of a ridge of high pressure over the Gulf of Alaska, will be forced eastward by a wave of cold air and energy rounding the top of the ridge. This wave is ingesting cold air from the almost ever-present this-winter Hudson Bay vortex of low pressure as it moves southward across western Canada today, Montana tonight, and Wyoming on Monday.
Meanwhile, the California eddy will first stretch eastward on Monday as a wave of energy ejects from the storm and moves across the Great Basin, beginning shower chances by Monday afternoon when it reaches our area. Additionally, cool air from the northern storm will seep into our area Monday night, interacting with energy ejecting from the eddy and bringing likely precipitation, with snow levels lowering from 10,000′ Monday afternoon to 8,500′ by Tuesday morning. Storm cells may be strong enough to allow snowflakes to reach the Yampa Valley floor.
Precipitation will continue on Tuesday, similar to the storm last week, with high temperatures only reaching the low fifties, almost 10 degrees below our average of 61 degrees. The main cold front is forecast to pass through Tuesday night, crashing snow levels to under 6,000′ and allowing several inches of snow to accumulate in town by Wednesday morning.
All told, we could see around three-quarters of an inch of liquid-equivalent precipitation in town by noon on Wednesday, with twice that at the top ot the Steamboat Ski Resort and as much as 10” of snow. And, similar to the last storm, expect clearing skies by Wednesday afternoon, with temperatures in town struggling to reach 50 degrees.
By Thursday, the ridge over the Gulf of Alaska is forecast to weaken and move over the West Coast, allowing temperatures to rebound to around average. However, more Pacific energy moving over the top of the ridge may bring a chance of showers by Thursday afternoon, with another wave possibly bringing similar weather on Friday.
So take advantage of the rapidly drying hiking and biking trails for today and at least part of tomorrow, look forward to another round of significant precipitation, and I’ll have more details on a weekend that may or may not be dry in my next regularly scheduled weather narrative on Thursday afternoon.
