A total lunar eclipse will occur on Sunday night, and it appears that the sky should be clear enough over Nederland and the surrounding Front Range Foothills communities for folks to view it (eclipse information). As I mentioned in my last post, Saturday and Sunday will feature dry and warmer conditions for much of Colorado. Temperatures on Sunday should reach into the upper 30s to close to 40 F with plenty of sunshine. Even though Colorado will be located under a weak ridge of high pressure, some high cloudiness will be present, particularly in the evening as moisture from the next storm system streams over the top of this ridge. Despite the scattered high clouds, the eclipse should still be visible Sunday evening. Don’t miss it. The partial eclipse starts at 8:33 PM with totality beginning at 9:41 PM which should accommodate most people’s bed times.
The next storm system will affect the area beginning on Monday. A trough of low pressure over the Great Basin will quickly move to a position over southwestern Colorado by Monday evening. As this trough approaches, a storm system will develop and intensify over the Colorado Eastern Plains. This will likely result in a brief period of upslope winds and snow along the Front Range Foothills and adjacent plains Monday night. At this time, it appears that this storm will be a fast mover which should limit snow accumulations to 2 to 4 inches with most of that falling between 6 PM Monday evening and midnight. Nevertheless, roads will be icy Monday evening and Tuesday morning with some drifting possible along exposed sections of the Peak to Peak Highway.
After that, we will stay cold and dry for the rest of the week. Temperatures will likely remain below freezing into next weekend. Yes, it is January in Colorado. Enjoy the eclipse!