The weekly weather forecast for the high country of Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado; researched and written by professional meteorologist and avid mountaineer: Dan "the weather man" Gottas.
Thursday September 25, 2008
The Week in Review
All is currently quiet on the western weather front. Since the passage of last weekend’s upper-atmospheric disturbance, high pressure has parked itself over the state of Colorado. The boosted thunderstorm activity of last weekend produced lightening and precipitation across most of the higher terrain on Saturday afternoon through Sunday morning. Snow fell down to about 11,000 feet, with 0.25 – 0.50 of rain or water equivalence falling from the sky.
The Upcoming Weekend
Indian-summer-like conditions will continue through the next week, as a ridge of high pressure, extending through the full depth of atmosphere, is forecast to remain over the state. Moisture levels have recently been too low to support afternoon convection.
However, on this Friday and Saturday, a weak east-side front may inject enough moisture to initiate a couple of isolated deep afternoon convective cells over the higher terrain. Winds are expected to remain on the light side through the period.
With clear and dry skies, diurnal temperature cycles will continue to have fairly large swings. These high elevation freeze-thaw cycles, combined with water supply from the existing snow on north-facing aspects, should efficiently continue the water-ice growth process in the high alpine areas.
Happy Indian summer to all.
 Bert Hornea scampers up Batman Rock on a perfect Indian Summer day. Detailed 7-Day Forecast
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
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.
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