Brendan's Weather has a new home!

In case you missed it... Brendan's Weather has moved to its new location in the last week. There have already been several new posts, so do not be left out!

The new location is: http://www.bheberto.com/brendansweather.php

Many of the same features will continue to exist at the new location. Cloud Corner (one of the more popular features of this blog) can still be found front and center - as well as current temps, radar, Facebook sharing capabilities, and more. The ability to comment will be implemented this week.

Look forward to seeing you there!

Memorial Day means the start of camping season in the High Country! ...Or does it?

It never really did feel like winter this year in Denver and now it is starting to feel like summer will never come. After months of incredibly dry weather and unseasonably warm temperatures, May has been much of the contrary. Denver has already received 4.73 inches of precipitation this May, a whopping 2.87 inches above normal for the month. The northern mountains, which had an above average winter, continue to get hammered with snow. In fact, Aspen Ski Resort reopened some of their lifts after their base remained at 70+ inches weeks after the end of their regular season, and many river basins are boasting snowpack at 200% of normal!

All this wet weather is great news for vegetation, and has made great strides in dampening the fire danger in the northern half of the state... that said, those who have plans to head to the hills for the weekend may find themselves quite disappointed! According to the Denver Post, the snow is just not melting. The last time we had this much snowpack so late in the season was 1983.

The weather will trend warmer in Denver for the rest of the week, but chances of rain showers remain in the forecast. Much of the same for the mountains until the weekend, when more rain and snow is forecast for many locations.

Wild Spring weather slams parts of Coloardo

You always here about that "crazy" Colorado weather. Well, after an exceptionally dry and uneventful winter here in Denver, May is shaping up to be just that - a money maker for precipitation and weather events. The NWS did forecast this some time back as cool and unsettled weather in May can be an effect of La Nina which has ruled our weather pattern for months now.

More active weather has already arrived and will stick with us for the next 12 to 24 hours. Here is a list of just some what is in store for the region: Tornado Warning,Winter Storm Warning, Flash Flood Warning, Winter Weather Advisory, Flood Watch, Fire Weather Watch. Impressive to say the least. Winter, rain, floods, severe weather, fire danger - you name it. Welcome to Springtime in the Rockies! Here is an image from the NWS that shows these watches and warnings:

While we welcome the moisture, please take all warnings very seriously. Currently there are tornado warnings issued for Denver and surrounding areas, but specific locations are bound to change as these storms continue to develop and move on. I will be posting any warnings I see on Twitter (@brendansweather) but be sure to stay tuned to local media for more details on this ever changing weather.

Big changes on the way!

After an extended period of temperatures in the 70s and 80s, cold weather is once again barreling towards the state. It appears that some good moisture is associated with this system, and with that have introduced a good chance of precipitation tonight through early Thursday. Precip should stay mostly in the form of rain for the greater Denver area, but moderate snowfall is forecast in the foothills immediately to our west. Temperatures may cool just enough early Wednesday for snow in Denver - but do not expect much of anything. As for temperatures... highs Wednesday will struggle to reach 50 in the city, but will quickly rebound by Thursday. Highs should be hovering around 70 as we head into the weekend.

Unsettled week ahead

The going forecast for this week calls for a chance of showers about every 24 hours and cooler temperatures. The first, and possibly best, chance for rain comes overnight tonight. The associated cold front will drop highs into the 50s for Tuesday. By Wednesday another slight chance of showers is introduced, and again Friday into the weekend. Will wait on the later days to see if anything comes of these systems, for now they look light and disorganized.

West of Denver is bracing for more heavy Spring snow tonight, with many of the northern and central mountains looking at upwards of a foot and a half of snow. Rain and snow will be intermittent throughout the week for them as well.

Much needed moisture?

Finally a chance for rain and snow across Colorado over the next 24 hours. Scattered rain showers have already popped up in and around the Front Range, with heavy snow being observed in many mountain locations. I think temperatures will stay too warm for snow in Denver, but scattered rain showers and even rain mixed with snow seems likely overnight and into the day Thursday. Foothills to the west of town appear to be in line for some decent accumulation overnight as temperatures are expected to be cold enough for snow above about 6,000 feet, about 5 - 10 inches expected there. Further west even more snow is forecast.

Temperatures look to remain on the cool side through the period, but things should dry out a bit for a least the first half of the weekend (good news for baseball fans!).

Another storm system likely to leave Denver wanting more

High winds and low humidities will create extreme fire danger this afternoon across most of eastern Colorado in advance of our next cold front due later this evening. Unfortunately, this system once progged to give us a decent chance for rain and snow now looks like it won't bring much in the way of either. Cooler temps for Sunday? Yes. Chance of rain and snow? Yes. Downright cold and heavy precipitation? No. The mountains and eastern plains are expected to do much better than the Front Range as downsloping winds will likely hinder pricip amounts in the city.

Monday and Tuesday highs will once again climb into the 60s under clear skies. Another system is due in sometime Wednesday bringing us another shot of cooler air and unsettled weather. Won't hold my breath on this one either.

Rain, snow, wind, and cold barrel south

As I mentioned yesterday, today's weather is rapidly changing. This morning temps were still a balmy 65 degrees in central Denver. By 10am the skies had darkened and wind had picked up. At this hour the temperature has dropped into the mid 40s.

As one can see by the image to the right, there is a decent amount of precipitation heading towards us from the northwest. Rain and snow showers have already worked their way into parts of Denver proper, and are only expected to grow in coverage as we head into the early afternoon. The NWS expects any rain that does fall to quickly turn to snow. As it stands, it looks like we can expect somewhere between 1 and 3 hours of moderate to heavy snow in town - gradually diminishing as we head into the evening hours. The winds are expected to shift to favor the western and southern suburbs this evening likely cutting off accumulating snow in the northern and eastern parts of the city. Will keep a close eye on this scenario as it could change, but for now will stick with 1 - 4 inches in Denver with 2 - 6 in the snow-favored locations. With any luck at all this system will stall over Denver for awhile and give us a good dumping of snow!

Keep in mind greater than a foot of snow may fall in many locations to our west, so please use caution if you have to head to the high country today.

80s to give way to rain and snow

The mercury hit 82 degrees today shattering a our record high by 6 degrees! Now the bottom is set to fall out as we head into the day tomorrow. Latest forecasts looking good for finally getting some much needed moisture up and down the front range, some of that coming in the form of snow. This time of year it starts getting difficult to predict snow totals as so much hinges on how fast rain turns to snow, and accounting for warmth in the ground after weeks of above seasonal highs. With overnight lows in the 20s Sunday night (a whopping 55 degrees cooler than this afternoon's highs!) rain should eventually turn to snow and some accumulation is expected in the city. Many of the mountain communities are already under winter weather alerts as heavy snow and driving wind is expected to pummel locations to our west. I will wait another shift before getting too specific about snow amounts in the city, so for now just prepare for big changes in our weather over the next 12 to 24 hours!

Baseball weather!

To some it may feel that we have completely skipped winter and found ourselves face-first in Spring. To others Spring could not come fast enough. Either way, Spring is here, and that means Opening Day 2011! The Rockies will open their season this Friday with highs pushing a balmy 70 degrees at Coors Field in downtown Denver.

Saturday will be even warmer with highs in the mid 70s under bright sunny skies.

The forecast is set to get a little more dicey towards the end of the weekend, but at the rate we are going this winter I'm tempted to forecast sunny skies and 80 degrees. The Chicago Cubs may have a better shot at winning the World Series than Denver actually getting snow this winter, but nevertheless the forecast Sunday into Monday calls for a chance of rain or snow.

Go Rockies!

img src: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coors_Field

Warm, mild, and windy weather continues

No changes through the coming week for the Front Range. The unseasonably warm and dry weather we have been experiencing over the last week and throughout much of this winter will stick around for what looks like at least another week. Several weak cold fronts will clip the region occasionally, but chances for precipitation and any truly cold weather should be limited - or nonexistent. The mountains may pick up some rain and snow off and on through the week.

Our next pacific storm is due in next weekend, let's see if we can't get some moisture out of it.

Red Flag Warning means more of the same

It warm and dry out there folks, and it is starting to become a problem. It is not every winter that we see a Red Flag Warning during the first week of March, but then again this winter is not like other winters is it. Sure enough the National Weather Service has issued one for much of northeast Colorado today with temperatures soaring into the mid 60s and 20 mph winds. Unfortunately it does not look like there is much reprieve in the extended forecast as temperatures are expected to stay above normal through the period. Only a slight chance of rain or snow showers this weekend, with highs remaining in the 50s and 60s well into next week. While warm weather is nice (yeah, even I can admit that), let's remember how important Spring snows are for Denver as we head into the summer months. After an already incredibly dry winter, it would do all of us some good to get some moisture in the coming weeks.

Remember to change your clocks this weekend!

Cooler weather, snow possible

Cooler weather worked its way into the metro area overnight, and is expected to linger for a few days. While neither the temperatures, nor the precipitation in the short term forecast will be record breaking, it does bring an end to our extended warm and dry period. Temperatures are expected to stay in the 30s and 40s through Sunday, with chances for snow tonight through Saturday night. At this time it looks like our best shot will be Friday night, but little to no accumulation is expected at this time. During the day Friday we could see some freezing drizzle, but again, nothing significant expected. By early next week we start to warm things up again, and should head into Denver's snowiest (fingers crossed) month mild and dry.

Cooler for the weekend

After a week of spring-like temperatures, things will start to cool just a bit going into the weekend. The next several days will remain nice, but we should top out in the 50s rather than the mid to upper 60s. Saturday night a secondary cold front will come racing through the region and drop our temperatures even further with highs only expected in the 30s and 40s for northeast Colorado. Will introduce a slight chance of snow (20%) during the Saturday night/Sunday time frame. At this point it looks like most of the accumulating snow will be restricted to the mountains through the period.

What a difference a week makes

Last week at this time we were preparing for more cold and snow on the tail of a record-setting arctic blast the week before. This week the record warmth of last fall will seem more familiar as temperatures will soar into the 60s with lows staying well above freezing some nights. The main concern this week will be the wind, especially if you live in and the foothills west of town. While Chinook winds are largely responsible for our midwinter warm spells, they can also be incredibly powerful and even dangerous at times. Some of the highest wind gusts recorded along the front range come from these events.

For those of you not quite ready to say goodbye to winter, there is some good news. Denver's snowiest month is quickly approaching... March! The recent cold snap has reminded us what winter is supposed to be like around here, but we remain well below average in terms of snowfall for the season. In fact, with a mere 18 inches of snow so far this season (16.6 inches below average) the Weather Channel gave Denver's winter a D- on their "Winter Snow-card." One would think with 43% of our snow left to fall (on average) we would have a decent chance at gaining on these numbers. Unfortunately, the National Weather Service predicts La Nina to remain strong through the Spring, which could give us weather reminding us more of last fall than last week.

Snow and cold will soon be long gone

The mercury has climbed into the double digits this morning, and will only go up from there. The snow cover will hold temps below 40 until Friday, but come this weekend we will really start to see a warm up! By Sunday we could be approaching 60 degrees, and the cold spell of the last week and a half will turn to a muddy memory. A weak cold front may graze the area Sunday night, but highs are expected to stay in the 50s into next week.

Snow diminishes, cold lingers

The latest arctic cold front to effect the region came in with a fury last night. The heavy snow band some expected to stall over Denver ended up drifting south and east late last night, cutting off accumulating snowfall in the Denver area. Still, an impressive storm if only for a few hours. Incredible winds, heavy snow, and bitter cold. Here is a video from the patio of Lost Lake last night, showing horizontal snow and whiteout conditions.

Though light snow is possible through the remainder of the day, our main focus will turn toward the frigid temperatures that are now in place. Currently it is 3 degrees in Denver, and it is likely we won't climb much higher than that before dropping well below zero tonight. Wednesday will remain cool with highs in the 20s, before a real warm-up starts to end the week. By Saturday highs could be in the mid 50s!

More snow likely

Drier air has worked into the the region this morning, but there still remains a chance for snow showers to redevelop this afternoon. With this drier air in place, accumulation likely won't be nearly as impressive as yesterday. Still an inch or so in Denver (more to our south and west) would not be surprising.

The arctic cold front to our north has slowed, and is now due in overnight Monday. This will allow temps to warm Monday during the day before plummeting some 40 degrees in the wake of the front. The NWS says 4 - 7 inches does not look unreasonable with this next system, but have plenty of time to tweak this going forecast.

Forecast Update

The National Weather Service has issued a *winter weather advisory* for Denver south, which remains in effect until midnight tonight. Snow totals of 3 - 6 inches can be expect in Denver, with up to eight inches possible in snow-favored locations to our south and west. North of I-70 to the Wyoming border will see likely see significantly less snow, with 1 - 3 inches expected.

Snow remains in the forecast tomorrow, and still expecting yet another surge of colder air and snow in the Monday/Tuesday time frame. Please see yesterday's post for more details.

Little disturbance brings moderate snowfall to parts of Front Range

As I tweeted this morning, a little disturbance moving through the area today will bring some light snow to the area. Looking at the radar right now, it looks like several moderate bands are embedded in this passing system. Still would expect any accumulation to be light, but would not be surprised if a few locations picked up a few quick inches of snow.

Expect the cool and unsettled pattern to continue into next week. With a break in the action Friday, snow returns to the forecast this weekend with another shot of cold air moving into the region Sunday. The NWS predicts an extended period of snowfall in the Sunday - Tuesday time frame, but at this time accumulations look light. We'll see!