How do you like your temperatures? Well-done, easy-over, oven-roasted? Well, Mother Nature is going to make sure the temps will be cooking over the next week. Bon Appétit! :-) That said, here are the stories I am working on today in the Weather Center: * HOT, HOT, HOT! Colorado and much of the country bakes. * Moisture bringing some relief to parts of the country COLORADO BAKES ---------------------------- Map number 1 pretty much says it all. Temperatures are baking across a large section of the country due to a very strong High Pressure Ridge over the Rockies. See that high sitting over Colorado? Every year about this time, the HOT HIGH builds over the Rocky Mountain region. The clockwise circulation around the High scoops up the very high air over the desert southwest and deposits it over much of the western U.S., including Colorado. As long as that High sits over Colorado, the oven will spew the heat our way. Although the heat will persist through much of this week, the High only needs to shift a bit to the east to allow the monsoonal flow to once again shift back over Colorado. That could happen Wednesday into Thursday. The hot temps will remain, but we may see a little better chance of the moisture which could bring some cooling relief. As map number 2 shows, the moisture is being cut off over much of our state. I am looking for that green shading to shift back over the state in 48 hours. Lets hope so. Without some cooling relief, expect 90s to around 100 over the next 5 days. In my long range outlook, I am calling for a change back to a stronger monsoonal flow over Colorado as we turn the page into August. If the GFS computer models verifies, the first week of August could offer up over an inch of moisture to the Front Range (and adjacent towns), the Foothills and the Urban Corridor (including Denver Metro). Lets hope this moisture outlook pans out. I did want to add, that for you folks in the Foothills (Ned, Estes and Pinwood and adjacent Foothill towns), your highs this week will be in the 80s to low 90s. PS: As is typical this time of year, afternoon heating could mix with what little moisture there is in the atmosphere to kick off a few widely scattered showers and Thunderstorms. The chance of rain across much of the state is only 10 to 15%. Looking at the latest radar as of 3:05pm, a storm has popped up near Bellvue and Fort Collins. Most folks wont see a drop, but at least there is a small chance of rain in my forecast for today and tomorrow. TEMPERATURES BAKE ELSEWHERE ----------------------------------------------------- The sizzle is not just confined to Colorado. Check out map number 3, todays high temp map. Much of the country is in the 90s, with 100s found in several areas. Southern Texas and the Desert Southwest will take the top honors for heat. 110 is possible in parts of AZ and CA. For my family and friends in the Waller County/Hempstead to Houston area, look for scorching temps with highs in the mid to upper 90s. Coupled with humidity, that is not going to feel very good. AC anyone? Parts of the East and along the West Coast are where the temps will at least be tolerable. One of my favorite areas of the country, and where I lived for 5 years and worked in TV, is Bellingham, WA. You folks out there will see highs in the upper 60s. Count me in as one of the jealous folks. MOISTURE BRINGS SOME RELIEF -------------------------------------------------- The best chance for moisture will be in parts of NM, parts of the Pacific Northwest, over parts of the Great Lakes and in much of Dixie. If you are in the purple and light blue areas, expect 1 to 2 inches of rain. (Map number 2) The darker green areas could yield up to 1/2 inch. Much of the U.S. will be dry, and that is where you will find the oven roasted temps. SUMMARY --------------- We are in that time of year when heat rules. I will be going through the long range computer models and looking for the cooling changes that may be headed to Colorado and the rest of the country. In my next in-depth update, I will concentrate on the long range outlook. Hope you all have a great day. Stay cool, and stay safe! :-)
Posted on: Mon, 21 Jul 2014 21:09:20 +0000
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