After a rather warm July in the Colorado Front Range Foothills, August has so far been much more comfortable. Highs have generally been in the 60s and 70s with lows in the 40s. Suddenly, we do not regret not having air conditioning. The nights are plenty cool enough for comfortable sleeping. Despite the cool temperatures, we are still dry. There has been plenty of rain to our south and east, but as has been the case for the past few summers, we have not had many days where the wind direction is favorable for good rains in the foothills east of the Continental Divide.
The cool weather will continue over the next several days with temperatures at or below seasonal normals. The winds in the mid and upper levels of the atmosphere do look more favorable for slower moving showers and thunderstorms in Nederland and the nearby foothills communities, but the question now is how unstable will the atmosphere to support afternoon and evening convection. The short range models show a decent amount of moisture and instability Wednesday, Thursday,and Friday afternoons, enough to support at least the possibility of some rain, and the low level upslope flow should help to create the lift needed to produce thunderstorms. We’ll keep our fingers crossed for some much needed moisture. In the meantime, enjoy the cooler weather!