Yes, it is already August here in the Front Range Mountains and Foothills, and at least over the next several days temperatures will remain near seasonal levels with the typical chance of afternoon and evening thunderstorms. What is “seasonal”? It basically means “normal” with highs in the mid to upper 70s F and lows 45 to 50 F. August tends to be our warmest month, partly because the monsoonal moisture which brings beneficial rains in July begins to wane. This results in less cloud cover, less precipitation, and more insolation, or sunshine, to heat things up during the day. By the end of August, it often begins to feel like we are in the doldrums with warm dry days and cool nights. This year, we are remaining particularly dry from a less-than-stellar monsoon, and August and September can be nail biters in terms of fire danger.
On Friday, a piece of energy called a shortwave will pass across Nederland and the surrounding foothills communities during the afternoon and early evening hours. This will likely produce enough lift to set off some scattered showers and thunderstorms. Given the westerly wind flow in the middle and upper levels of the atmosphere, these storms should be fast movers minimizing the threat of flooding.
After Friday, the weekend is setting up to be warm and mostly dry. A cold front will sag southward across Colorado early Monday, producing another round of showers and cooler temperatures. By the end of August and early September we will be seeing more of these cold frontal passages which by then will bring a taste of fall to the air.
The good news is that it will not be excessively warm over the next several days here in the mountains. The weather will be conducive for outdoor activities and work around the house.