Summer heat arrives just in time for the Summer Solstice
Monday, June 19, 2017
It is appropriate that a blast of summer heat will arrive by the Summer Solstice, which will occur on Tuesday, 20 June 2017 at 10:24pm. A ridge of high pressure is currently centered over the desert southwest, and this will move towards the Steamboat Springs area on Tuesday bringing very warm summertime temperatures.
Concurrently, a storm in the Gulf of Alaska will move eastward and mix with some cool air from the western Canadian plains. While the bulk of the storm will stay well to our north, the cool air moving southward will battle the warm air under the ridge, suppressing the ridge southward and bringing some cooling, clouds and winds for Wednesday. There is a small chance of some afternoon storms that would likely bring more wind than rain due to the dry lower atmosphere, especially at the higher elevations.
Thursday will be similar to Wednesday before disagreement between the numerical forecast models appears for Friday and the weekend. While both the American GFS and the European ECMWF have another wave of cool air traveling mostly north of us, the American GFS brings this through on Friday with most of the cool-down experienced on the Front Range, while the European ECMWF keeps Friday warm and brings the cooler air and breezy conditions further west through the mountains on Saturday.
After that, both models agree on a building ridge of high pressure over the Intermountain West by the second half of the weekend, which will bring a return to hot and dry conditions heading into the next work week.
Quiet weather for this week
Thursday, June 15, 2017
The jet stream will stay mostly north of the Steamboat Springs area for the next week leading to mostly warm and dry days. However, embedded waves in the predominantly westerly flow will force the jet to sag south on Saturday and again near the end of the next work week, leading to some slight cooling, some clouds and the possibility of afternoon showers and breezy to windy westerly winds.
Between Saturday and Thursday, a growing ridge of high pressure over the western states will lead to very summery weather heading into and around the Summer Solstice on Tuesday, 20 June 2017 at 10:24pm.
Around Thursday, the jet stream is forecast to again sag to the south, and this will re-introduce some cooling and clouds with breezy westerly afternoon winds and the chance of afternoon thunderstorms for the remainder of the work week.
Cold front this evening followed by average temperatures and decreasing winds by midweek
Monday, June 12, 2017
A strong winter-like storm currently in the Great Basin has brought 4” of snow to the Alpine Meadows ski area near Lake Tahoe, California! While the dry southern end of the storm will preclude any precipitation for the Steamboat Springs area, temperatures will drop when the cold front blasts through our area around or a few hours before sunset with windy conditions.
Winds will diminish overnight leading to quite chilly Tuesday morning temperatures, with frost possible, so cover your tender, just-planted vegetation. Winds will become breezy again as the cool day wears on, with temperatures over twenty degrees cooler than today.
As the storm moves across first Wyoming early tomorrow and then Montana later Tuesday into Wednesday, temperatures will rebound by Wednesday, though stay around average. Flat westerly flow will keep the comfortable temperatures and breezy afternoon winds around for the rest of the work week.
By the weekend, the American GFS has a shallow ridge of high pressure building over the West Coast, with the European ECMWF recently trending to that solution as well. The American model advertises a couple of waves embedded in the west-northwesterly flow moving over our area during Saturday, and these will bring breezier conditions with even some showers possible later in the day and overnight.
After that, models disagree in the strength of the West Coast ridge and whether any additional waves in northwest flow will move over our area for the end of the weekend and the beginning of next week.
Some pictures from Spring 2017
Saturday, June 10, 2017
I wanted to get some pictures posted before the current summer-like weather progresses any further! This sunset was taken on 13 March 2017
Another one taken on 13 March 2017.
A sunset from a few days later on 18 March 2017.
Taken on April Fools Day 2017 - No joke!
After 2 months with hardly any snowfall, winter returned during the week after the Steamboat Ski Area closed for the season. A trip to Winter Park after a couple of feet of snow was followed the following week by a hike on 3 May starting at the base of the Thunderhead lift. Conditions were ‘grassy’ and ‘muddy’ at the bottom! I had to take off my skis about a half-dozen times to navigate around the unskiable areas.
I hiked to the top of Four Points and took the following photo from Flat Out. Two weeks later later, after about 10 days of mountain biking, we received a foot of snow in town on 18 May and I did my last hike of the spring the next day. I would have taken some pictures, but skied down in a raging snow squall. Turns were difficult as we had another freezing rain event and there was a crust on the snow, so best that day was not documented. And skiing down Vagabond was treacherous as the foot of snow fell on bare ground - I probably should have just skipped that last outing!
Quintessential Colorado summer days ahead
Thursday, June 8, 2017
Plenty of sunshine will be on tap for the next week as the current summer-like weather continues through the weekend. Currently, a ridge of high pressure over the Rocky Mountains has brought above normal temperatures and dry air to the Steamboat Springs area, eliminating the chances for our typical afternoon thunderstorms.
A strong and cold storm is bringing precipitation to the Pacific Northwest coast, and some energy will eject from this storm and travel well to our north over the weekend. However, the Rocky Mountain ridge will be flattened and moved eastward by the strengthening southwest flow around the storm, bringing breezy southwest winds and more dry air from the desert southwest over our region.
The Rocky Mountain ridge rebuilds for a short time around Sunday ahead of the slowly moving Pacific storm moving eastward across the Great Basin. Even though the ridge will serve to deflect the parent storm north of us towards Montana, keeping precipitation to our north, the storm is potent enough to bring an unseasonably strong cold front through the area around Monday. If the southern end of the storm had any appreciable moisture, we would see snow below 8000′ by Tuesday morning! But just much cooler temperatures will be noted for the beginning of the work week under continued breezy conditions as the front barrels through the region and backs the winds from the southwest to the west.
Winds will slacken and temperatures will warm back to normal on Wednesday, and stay that way for the rest of the work week, with any chances of precipitation confined to the end of this forecast period.
