All that glitters is not always gold, and in the Central Rockies and the southwestern United States there is something that is arguably more valuable than the rare metal. It is water that makes life in this part of the country possible, and when the rain falls, people take notice. The added moisture in the air and the ground also reduces fire danger and turns grasses and shrubs green in land of seeming perpetual brown.
Things were starting to look pretty grim in the Northern Front Range Foots after a lack luster winter of below normal snowfall and a general absence of significant storm systems. However, May has brought a significant turn around with cool, wet, and humid weather settling in across Nederland and the surrounding Foothills communities. The map below shows total precipitation estimates for the past 14 days across Colorado from the National Weather Service’s Advanced Hydrologic Prediction System. These data are obtained by combining radar estimated precipitation amounts with rain gage observations. The precipitation totals are impressive with 2 – 3 inches shown in the Foothills in western Boulder County. This matches up nicely with my total so far for May – 2.37 inches.
We will see a brief break in the precipitation on Wednesday and Thursday before cooler temperatures and rain return for the weekend. The Weather Prediction Center is showing anywhere from 1 to 1.5 inches of rain for our area over the next 7 days. Temps this weekend will struggle to get out of the upper 30s and lower 40s. Snow will be possible above about 10500 feet. Stay tuned and enjoy the moist spring weather!
