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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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Thursday, March 10th, 2011
Rocky Mountain National Park Weather Forecast
Some new snow and plenty of wind characterized the weather over the past week in RMNP.
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Week in Review
A weather system on 3/3 produced the most snow of the week, with about 0.5 inch of new snow water equivalent measured at Bear Lake. By the weekend though, strong westerly gusts transformed the new snow into soft and hard slabs near and above treeline.
What was previously advertised to be a potentially productive snowstorm on 3/7 ended up being a complete dud for the Park. A more southern track and the progressive speed of the storm kept the snowiest weather over the southern mountains of CO.
Once the center of the storm circulation redeveloped over the eastern CO plains, strong down-sloping westerly wind gusts cranked up east of the Divide. Gust speeds in the 70-80 mph range were observed above 12 kft for several hours overnight on 3/8-9.
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 A graphed summary of the last week's weather weather patterns over RMNP.
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The weather forecast for March 10-17, 2011 over the skies of RMNP, Colorado.
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The Upcoming Week
The storm track will remain just to the north of CO through Tuesday, 3/15. During that time, two weather disturbances will clip the Park on Friday (3/18) and Sunday (3/20).
While light snow is probable to develop over the higher terrain during the passage of each system, no significant accumulation is currently in the forecast. However, in the wake of each system, the post-frontal environment will favor gusty west-northwesterly down-sloping winds east of the Divide.
Temperatures will remain mild for this time of year during the period.
The next weather system is forecast to affect the area on 3/16. While not a strong system, the current forecast track across CO would produce a better chance for new snow across the Park.
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Michael Arnold deep in powder in the Hobbit Hop Couloir above the Pika Glacier on our 2010 Alaskan Ski Mountaineering Expedition.
Join ClimbingLife Guides for the best backcountry skiing
that RMNP and Alaska have to offer. We have two openings still on this year's Alaska Range Ski Expedition.
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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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