It is only Wednesday, but it is never too early to start thinking about the weekend. Under a bright Colorado sky, temperatures soared into the low 60S F today in Nederland. Given that the average high temperature in Nederland for this time of year is around 53 F, today was significantly milder than normal. The mild and dry weather will continue tomorrow with temperatures expected to reach into the upper 60s F in the Front Range Foothills and close to 80 F in some locations on the Northeastern Plains. What a difference a week makes! Last Thursday we saw highs in the teens with ice and snow. I nearly wrecked my car driving down Boulder Canyon. Tomorrow will be shorts weather, perfect conditions for sitting in a lawn chair with a nice Pina Colada – for those of you who do not have to work anyway.
Things change on Friday when a storm system will swing by to our north. The cold front associated with this system will pass through Northern Colorado on Friday morning bringing clouds, gusty winds, perhaps a few snow showers, and cooler, more seasonable temperatures. Highs on Friday will float around 50 F with temperatures falling back into the upper 20s F Friday night. Saturday should feature plenty of sunshine and near normal temperatures. On Sunday, a much stronger storm system will bring another shot of cold air to the Central Rockies. Daytime temperatures will only be near 40 F, but when combined with gusty northwesterly winds it will feel much colder. This system may also be accompanied by a few snow showers. However, it appears that we will be getting down sloped for a significant portion of this storm and so we should remain mainly dry. Areas west of the Continental Divide such as Winter Park and along the spine of the Indian Peaks will likely see light snow accumulations.
The colder weather will continue into next week. This is great news for ski resorts which have already started making snow. As for us in Ned, I do not see the possibility of measurable snow until the middle of next week, and that is too far off to get excited about.