|
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.
June 3 weather
|
Thursday, June 3rd, 2010
Rocky Mountain National Park Weather Forecast
Warm summer weather arrived in RMNP over the past week.
|
|
The Week in Review
Temperatures rose to their highest levels of the season on Friday May 28 and flirted with the 60 F mark near treeline. With the exception of a single overnight freeze following a cold front on Sunday May 30, air temperatures remained well above the freezing the entire week.
Extensive and rapid melting of the snowpack occurred during this warm period, particularly in the sub-alpine regions. The most notable example of this was the rapid disappearance of the snowpack near the Wild Basin snow-pillow site, where 15 inches of snow water content withered away over a very short period of time (see bottom plot to the right).
As an increasingly stormy pattern developed over the Pacific Northwest, extensive residual moisture, in the form of widespread mid- and high-level clouds, streamed over RMNP since June 1. In the presence of a warm airmass, this moisture has put the kibosh on the corn cycle by limiting overnight long-wave radiational losses from the snow surface.
|
Click on weather chart or photos to enlarge.
|
Heading west across the Loft in late May with the Beaver and summit of Longs Peak visible above the skier headed to the Keplinger Couloir on the southwest face of Longs Peak.
Photo courtesy of Derek Drechsel.
|
|
The Upcoming Week
As abnormally strong and wet storms continue to develop and slam into the Pacific Northwest, RMNP will remain under a low amplitude ridge of high pressure just south of the moist race track that will persist across Montana and Wyoming.
This pattern will keep any significant precipitation to our north; however periods of extensive cloudiness will occur at times, as RMNP remains of the southern edge of the moisture stream.
Temperatures are also forecast to remain warm through the period, and, when combined with the cloudy periods, will produce less than desirable snow conditions for climbing and skiing.
Tuning into the short-term forecast to time the cloud-free overnight windows will be the most rewarding strategy for experiencing the best conditions over the next week.
|
The weather forecast for the western U.S. for the next week.
Clear skies, more than cold nights, are necessary for routes such as the Hourglass Couloir on Arrowhead Peak to freeze into solid neve and ice conditions. Photo courtesy of Kevin Landolt.
|
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.
|
|
