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.

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.

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!

Weather pattern changes in store for Denver

As I hinted to in my post earlier this week, there may finally be some changes on the way for Denver. Several weak disturbances will effect the area about every other day through most of next week, and with that will come our first chances for precip in what feels like forever. Normally such weak and unorganized systems would not earn themselves a mention in the blog, but with our yards turning to dust and fires ravaging the Front Range it seems only appropriate to give them some mention.

Tonight will be our first chance of some moisture, albeit not a very good chance. Best chances will occur well north of Denver and east of town as well. Similar scenarios are set for Sunday and Monday. At this point our best shot at picking up some real moisture may come during the second half of next week, but given the track record of this winter and the extended nature of this forecast, I am unwilling to get too excited as of yet!

#Graupel!

Another potential storm fizzles away...

With only a dusting to 3 inches now expecting in metro Denver tonight, it begs the question if we will seen any real storms this year. It is no secret that we remain well below average for the season, and according to Examiner Weather these numbers are almost record breaking. According to a tweet by @ExaminerWeather earlier this afternoon "Denver is experiencing its 9th least snowiest season in 128 years"! While incredible, not unbelievable, especially after yet another storm that just days ago looked to be a traditional (and potent) March storm, has dwindled into nothing but cold, fog, and scattered snow showers. Unreal.

Changes in our weather

It's March again, and that generally means interesting weather for Colorado's Front Range. While this winter has been virtually absent of snow (yes, we are still well below average), March might be our best chance at changing this. March is Denver's snowiest month with 11.7 inches on average (NWS). March is truly a transition month, with a record high of 84 and a record low of -11 we can pretty much see anything during this month. A prime example of March's wild weather was in 2003, when tornadic activity turned to snow late on the 17th and left Denver with it's second worst storm in history; 31.8 inches of snow was recorded at the old Stapleton Airport. While the outlook for March 2011 calls for warmer than normal temps, and below average precipitation (a continued thank you to La Nina!), it is not unreasonable to expect at least one decent storm this month. Read on!

After weeks of tranquil weather, changes could be coming. Temperatures tomorrow should again warm into the 60s, but rain and snow will be moving into the area by tomorrow evening. Friday will be quite a bit cooler with temps in the 40s and a chance of rain and snow. By the weekend temperatures will return to the 50s.

Our attention then turns to early next week when potential for another even stronger storm may arrise! I have been watching this system for several days now, and am trying to not get too excited about it. As it stands, it looks like most models will take the brunt of the energy too far north for substantial accumulation in Denver. That said, if the system slows a little, and allows for more digging to take place, we could be in for a classic March storm. Stay tuned!

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.

The Great Wall

System after system continue to pummel the mountains with snow. There seems to be an invisible wall that prohibits any of that moisture from making it just an hour east into Denver. While many mountain locations (especially west facing slopes) are bracing for upwards of SIX FEET snow by Tuesday, Denverites are starting to wonder if we will ever see snow again. Officially we have only seen about 2 inches of snow this season, with many neighborhoods in town not even seeing that much. While we are already flirting with the driest December on record, pretty soon we may very well be talking about the driest winter on record.

It does not look like we will have a white Christmas this year, breaking a streak of four years in a row. There is a slight chance of snow Monday (only 10%), but otherwise this last week before Christmas looks nothing short of uneventful.

Bottom line is there have been plenty of storms pushing onshore this winter but the storm track just isn't favorable for Denver. Often La Nina means not only a milder winter for Denver, but a delayed onset as well. Let's hope for the latter, and as we head into the new year maybe the mountains will share a little of the white stuff with us.

Current weather from the Weather Channel shows an incredible amount of moisture pouring into California, and will feed heavy snows in the Colorado Mountains over the next several days.

Winter Weather Advisory!

Things are finally coming together to bring us our first real snow of the season. A little skeptical about getting too excited about this storm given the way things have been going this season, but the National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory for late tomorrow afternoon and Wednesday night. Right now the general consensus is that Denver will get anywhere from 3 - 7 inches of snow with this system, while snow-favored locations to our west and south will pick up 5 - 10 inches of snow before it is all said and done. The system should clear out Thursday morning from north to south, giving way to clouds and cooler weather.

Stay tuned as things may change in the next 24 hours!

La NoSnow

More hot weather on the way for Denver to start the week. The National Weather Service expects temperatures to near 70 degrees in some locations on Tuesday, before cooler weather arrives for the second part of the week. Our next chance of snow? Wednesday night. A good chance of snow? No. La Nina continues. In fact, we are nearly 30 inches below normal for the season with only 1.5 inches of snow recorded at DIA.

Meanwhile the northern half of the country continues to get slammed with snow, ice and wind. The Twin Cities recorded a single day snowfall record for December with 14+ plus in a 24 hour span. Take a look at this incredible picture of the Metrodome that collapsed under the weight of snow early today (msnbc).

More of the same

Our warm, dry, and completely uneventful winter continues. After tying a 125 year old record high yesterday (69 degrees), cool temperatures have returned - but only temporarily. Sunday will be a pleasant day, then cooler Monday with highs in the 40s and a slight chance of snow late in the day. Tuesday temperatures will start to climb again with highs approaching 60 by Wednesday.

Bone Dry

The calendar says fall, but the weather has been anything but. Already setting several record highs (96 degrees last week), coupled with no rain in nearly four weeks, it is feeling a little more like the end of July than late September. The outlook is no different; warm sunny weather is expected through the period.

The long term forecast does not look much different. According to the National Weather Service there has been an emergence of La Nina in the Southern Pacific, which usually means a warmer and dryer winter than average for Colorado. The three month outlook recently released shows just that. So while it is not at all uncommon to see freezing temperatures and snow in September, it looks like it would be several weeks before we see either. The average first snowfall for Denver is October 19th.

Severe Drought

That's right, it has been a long long time since I last blogged. A slow summer, slow readership, and summer weather so boring you could cut it with a knife has kept me away from here for awhile.

All that said, the seasons will soon be changing, and with a renewed interest over the last weeks by many of my longtime readers, I thought I would break out the old pen and ink and talk a little weather.

After an extended period of scorching mid-90s, the National Weather Service's extended forecast shows temps peaking in the mid to upper 80s over the next week or so which will be much welcomed by many. Sunday (tomorrow) will be even cooler with highs in the 70s and overnight lows dipping into the 50s. That is not to say we have cleared any threat of extended heat waves (we will likely see upper 90s many more times before winter), but with September just around the corner, it's never too early to start talking snow!

Up next: La Nina makes a return, and early forecasts for the coming winter.