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The weekend 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.
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Wednesday, February 2nd, 2011
Rocky Mountain National Park Weather Forecast
An arctic airmass brought the coldest temperatures of the season to RMNP.
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Week in Review
High amplitude ridging along the west coast of North America allowed frigid arctic air to plunge southward into the central US from Canada.
By late day on February 1, the temperature plummeted below -30 F above treeline. This was in stark contrast to the balmy daytime high temperature just four days prior on January 28th, which topped the freezing mark. Can you say classic Colorado?
Some new snow accompanied the arctic front on Monday (2/31). Eli observed 3-6 inches of low density fluff above Bear Lake with poor bonding to old snow surface.
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 A graphed summary of the last week's weather weather patterns over RMNP.
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The Weather Forecast Feb. 2-7, 2011.
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The Upcoming Week
The west coast ridge of high pressure is forecast to shift westward over the upcoming week. This will allow the jet stream to take aim on CO over the upcoming weekend, and bring snowy conditions back to RMNP.
The current cold conditions will greatly moderate on Thursday and Friday, as moist air begins to stream in from the Pacific Northwest.
An extended period of snowfall is forecast from Friday through Monday (2/4-7), with the greatest snowfall rates expected on Sunday. Total precipitation over the period is currently forecast in the 1.0 - 1.25 liquid equivalence range, with upwards of 1.5 – 1.75 inches indicated in the most recent model runs. Historically, RMNP receives heavier snowfalls when positioned under these moist northwesterly-oriented jets.
Moderate to strong northwesterly winds are also expected near and above treeline during the snow event. The formation of thick new slab is expected, which may be quite reactive where last weeks buried sun crust, surface facet, and wind slab surfaces exist.
Another round of cold arctic temperatures is expected on the heels of this snowy period. Monday and Tuesday are currently expected to be the coldest days.
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Horacio enjoying the soft powder of the Dream Chutes, RMNP.
Soft turns and fresh tracks in the Dream Chutes on a ClimbingLife Guides Friday Ski and Board Outing.
Join us for the best skiing that RMNP has to offer!
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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.
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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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