Overall, we are getting into a weather pattern where much of the coldest air will be focused on the Mid West and Northeastern United States while a warm, dry ridge becomes anchored over the Western US. Colorado will be stuck in between this western ridge and eastern trough. We will receive a few glancing blows of colder air as cold fronts sweep across northeastern Colorado, but it should remain mostly dry.
The next several days appear to be dry and seasonable along the Colorado Front Range Mountains and adjacent Foothills. Daytime temperatures will generally be in the 40s F with lows in the 25 – 30 F range. This is just about normal for this time of year. It appears to be dry at least through the beginning of next week. We still have snow on the ground, and we have had measurable snow on the ground for almost 2 weeks now, which is exceptional for this time of year! Of course, our home is on a northern facing slope, i.e. we have a northern exposure (not to be confused with the 90’s TV show). Snow melts slower on the north facing sides of the Foothills since these areas receive less sunlight. The forest also tends to be denser on the northern slopes owing in part to there being more moisture in the soils.
A couple of cold fronts will affect our weather over the next week, but aside from slightly cooling temperatures down, little or no snow is expected. The first front will sweep across northeastern Colorado on Wednesday evening, bringing a quick shot of cooler air to areas east of the Continental Divide. This will be short lived, and milder temperatures should return just in time for the holiday weekend.
The second cold front will pass through Sunday night and Monday. This one looks a bit stronger and colder, and it could result in some freezing drizzle or flurries, particularly on the Northeast Plains, but the cold air associated with it will not stick around very long.
The latest 6-10 day temperature forecast from the Climate Prediction Center shows Colorado sandwiched between the cold in the East and the warm in the West:
We went skiing at Winter Park on Sunday. They have a few runs open, and the skiing was fun! Patterns like this can sometimes surprise us particularly if a storm system in the northwest flow tracks a bit further west. Keep your fingers crossed and pray for snow!