It has been a hot and dry June so far. Temperatures in Denver are running 5.7º above normal so far thanks to an intense stretch of 90 and 100º heat but that is about to change. At least temporarily.
The possibility of having one of our top warmest and driest June’s is quickly fading as the current forecast comes into focus. Thank goodness. Our hot weather with be exchanged for more normal temperatures on Thursday as a weak disturbance moves through. This will come with a cold front swinging by in the morning adding moisture into the atmosphere and setting us up for a cloudier and potentially wet afternoon. There is a decent chance of seeing afternoon showers and storms across the Front Range Thursday afternoon. The possibility of storms turning severe is forecast mainly for far east Colorado with large hail and damaging winds being the main concern.
By Friday, a separate and stronger disturbance will move through. This will also be accompanied by a cold front which will drop temperatures far below normal values for Friday and Saturday. Normally, high temperatures this time of the year are in the mid to upper 80s but temperatures are expected to stay in the 60s to low 70s for both Friday and Saturday with Saturday being the coolest of the two days. Rain showers and thunderstorms should be plenty during this time and since we are lacking sufficient heat, severe storms are not a major concern.
Sunday will be another cool day but there will be a bit more sunshine around allowing temperatures to rise near 80º with only a few afternoon showers expected. We begin to warm up and dry out again come early next week.
As temperatures fall below average just before the end of the month, we will be saved from experiencing one of the driest June’s on record. So far in Denver, only 0.05″ of rain has fallen – a far cry from the normal 1.94″ we get during the month. The upcoming forecast is calling for more than a half-inch of rain to fall through Sunday in Denver. Areas near the Palmer Divide, the Foothills and the Front Range mountains should see some appreciable moisture with this round of rain. Upwards of an inch or more of rain could fall on them through Sunday.
These disturbances will bring a bit of moisture to western and southern Colorado as well but the potential for this to highly benefit any given area facing extreme and exceptional drought looks mediocre but we will happily take any and all moisture we can get on the Western Slope.
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