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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, January 26th, 2011
Rocky Mountain National Park Weather Forecast
The Park experienced more active winter over the past week.
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Week in Review
Another 0.7 inches of snow water equivalence was added to the snowpack near Bear Lake. The new snow came with abundant wind, with gusts measured in the 50-70 mph range above treeline from January 20 – 23.
While the new snow and wind kept the slab avalanche danger high, particularly in the alpine, deep powder conditions existed in many of the lee-side, sub-alpine locations where large-scale deposition occurred. There, some of the best backcountry skiing conditions of the year to date were observed.
The recent storm cycles over the past month for RMNP have resulted from an eastward shift of a storm-blocking ridge of high pressure from the central Pacific to just off the CA coast.
This blocking ridge pattern was associated with the eastern terminus of the East Asian jet stream, and the recent position has allowed storm energy to track southeastward from the Pacific Northwest and develop over northern CO.
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A graphed summary of the last week's weather weather patterns over RMNP.
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The Weather Forecast Jan. 27- Feb. 3, 2011.
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The Upcoming Week
The storm blocking pattern along the central US west coast has shifted and expanded eastward by 10-15 degrees longitude over the past few days. For RMNP, this subtle change in the pattern will prevent storms from making direct hits over the next week. As a result, both wind and new snow will be reduced.
The driest and warmest conditions over the next week will occur this weekend (1/29-1/30), while the coldest and snowiest period is forecast to occur on Monday and Tuesday (1/31 – 2/1). The current forecast calls for less than 0.5 inches of new liquid equivalence.
The next chance for snow and wind will come around next Thursday (2/3).
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Scott Sedlack enjoying a day of powder skiing in the Terrain Park, RMNP.
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Detailed 7-Day Forecast
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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
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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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