Thursday, June 17th, 2009

Rocky Mountain National Park Weather Forecast

The persistently moist and cool weather conditions over the mountains of RMNP gradually improved over the past week.
 

The Week in Review

Low pressure persisted over the western US, which reinforced the cool and unstable spring airmass over CO during the early part of the week. 

Organized periods of showers and storminess most frequently occurred during the destabilizing daytime hours, with relatively low snow levels around 11 kft.

Higher elevation wind gusts in the 35-45 mph range occasionally occurred for brief periods mostly during the evening or early morning hours, when atmospheric lapse rates were the most stable.

The wavelength and strength of the western US trough has waned over the last several days.  The stormy weather activity over RMNP gradually decreased over the last several days, with increasing pressure and some drying.

The Upcoming Week

Forecast models continue to advertise a continued transition to a more stable, less stormy weather pattern over the next week.

Moist, stormy activity is expected again during the daytime hours on Thursday (6/18) and Saturday (6/20), while Friday (6/19) and Sunday (6/21) may be the driest (stable) days of the upcoming weekend. 

Early morning snow and ice conditions will be best following dry overnight periods.

For early next week, the forecast calls for continued drying and warming, as ridging builds over CO from the southeast.  If this verifies, it will actually begin to feel more like summer – jinx!

The NWS numerical forecast for the mountains of RMNP over the upcoming weekend is as follows:

Detailed 7-Day Forecast

NWS Forecast for the 12,000 foot level near Longs Peak 

The link above will take you to the National Weather Service forecast for the 12,000 foot level near Longs Peak.  These forecasts are derived from computer-generated numerical forecasts, and are updated shortly after 3:30 am, 9:30 am, 3:30 pm, and 9:30 pm local time.  In the lower right-hand corner of the page, one can view forecasts for other locations in the Park by clicking on the desired location in the terrain map.

Do-It-Yourself Weather Forecast Links

Weather Observations and Forecasts

The link above provides a list of web links to various sites containing a variety of meteorological data and information.  Collectively, these resources can be used to monitor and study current weather conditions, as well short-term, medium-range, and climate forecasts