Pleasant fall weather through early next week
Thursday, October 16, 2014
Beautiful fall weather will continue through early next week. A small circulation currently off the northern Baja coast will pass over southern Colorado tomorrow, perhaps bringing some high cloudiness into our area for Friday.
Then, early in the weekend, a Pacific storm crosses the California coast and strongly splits, with the southern portion drawing some moisture from the southwest over our area by Sunday. Southern Colorado may see some showers, but we should remain dry.
A stronger storm is forecast to cross the California coast early in the workweek and again strongly splits. This storm is currently forecast to be strong enough so that the northern branch will bring a cool front through our area sometime on Wednesday, and this cool air should phase with a surge of moisture brought over our area from the southern branch.
Current longer term models have beautiful fall weather returning soon after the system departs by Thursday and possibly lasting through most of the rest of October.
Roller-coaster weather through Columbus Day
Thursday, October 9, 2014
We will have quite the interesting mix of weather over the next week as we will be influenced first from the south by former hurricane Simon today and tonight and then by a cold storm from the northwest for Sunday through Sunday night.
Periods of light to moderate rain should occur this afternoon and evening as former hurricane Simon travels over southern Colorado today, with snow confined to the highest elevations. Most of the precipitation should fall south of us as the easterly flow north of the closed circulation dries and stabilizes as it moves down the slopes of the Continental Divide.
Conditions will rapidly improve tomorrow, though some afternoon showers are possible as the flow turns to the northwest behind the departing storm. Saturday will also be pleasant, though there may be some clouds and a small chance of afternoon showers as a very weak wave traverses the area late in the day.
However, a seasonably cold storm from the northwest will move over the area early in the day Sunday, bringing snow to the mountain and first rain and then possibly some snow to the valley. The storm is forecast to be quick moving, and precipitation should end by midnight, leaving a dry but brisk Monday.
Some more spectacular fall weather is forecast to continue through at least midweek as a transient ridge moves over the area and brings warming temperatures through Wednesday. A weak wave from the Pacific is forecast to clip our area Thursday or Friday and bring slightly cooler temperatures, though precipitation looks to stay well to our north.
Temperatures rebound behind this glancing wave for at least part of the weekend before some models forecast another storm sometime around mid-weekend.
Some more fall pictures from the last week
Sunday, October 5, 2014
I’ve fallen a little behind in posting some of the pictures I’ve taken in the last few weeks, and following are some of them taken in the last week.
Here’s one heading up ZigZag last weekend just before the Creekside trail.
The aspen grove just uphill from the base of Pony Express lift.
Sun-splashed aspen at the base of Pony Express
Another nice sunset from my deck.
Looking towards Twilight trees from Rendezvous saddle with Duster in the foreground.
Moonrise over the lower mountain, taken from just above the base of Thunderhead lift.
Dry and seasonable weather for the next week
Thursday, October 2, 2014
The storm that brought the season’s first snowfall to the Steamboat ski area and snowflakes to town has moved east of the area leaving cool temperatures and some clouds in its wake. A trailing wave will graze our area late tonight into early tomorrow morning, reinforcing our cool temperatures and keeping some clouds around early in the morning.
Temperatures should rebound into and through the weekend, especially at higher elevations. The warmup will be tempered, however, as the storm that just passed deepens and becomes a strong closed low just north of the upper Midwest border with Canada. This will bring unseasonably cold temperatures to the Great Plains and will leave us susceptible to cool air surges on Sunday and Monday as waves of energy rotate around this feature.
Dry and pleasant weather should persist through the rest of the workweek as a flat ridge builds in the Gulf of Alaska. However, waves of energy from the Pacific rounding this ridge are forecast to eventually break the ridge down, allowing cool air and precipitation to move over our area from the north. Timing is uncertain this far in advance, but current model forecasts bring a change to more stormy weather sometime next weekend.
Steamboat ski area receives first snow
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
First snowfall for the Steamboat ski area arrived yesterday afternoon as the upper low advertised in last Thursdays forecast moved over our area about 12 hours slower than I thought. This picture was taken around 8:15 am Tuesday morning 30 September 2014 and is from the Four Points Lodge Mountain Cam. Unsettled weather will continue today and tomorrow with the last and coldest part of the storm pushing through tomorrow afternoon, bringing accumulating snow to the mountain tomorrow afternoon and likely snowflakes to the valley floor by Wednesday night.
