Well, what a hot June it has been. Through june 17, Denver is running close to 6º above normal for this month. That’s a big number in the weather world. We have seen thirteen 90º+ days this year. Our average is 40 days of 90º+ heat per year and our hottest month is coming up. It has also been very dry. We are running more than a half inch behind what we should have for this month and drought is gripping much of the state.
As Thursday and Friday pass, we will see below normal temperatures and rain chances return briefly to the area.
Drought and Wildfires
As you’ve noticed, there has been smoke around lately. It has made for some colorful sunsets but the reality is that the pretty sunsets we see are from thousands upon thousands of acres burning in Arizona and SW Colorado.
The drought that is gripping Colorado has been getting increasingly worse. Over 3/4s of Colorado are under some kind of drought condition with close to half of Colorado experiencing severe or extreme drought. Hopefully we are able to get some monsoon moisture in the are but it’s going to take quite a bit of work to eradicate this drought and the long-range forecast isn’t looking great.
Upcoming Rain
A cold front is going to rush through Colorado Wednesday night. This will come with winds up to 50 mph possible. Thursday will be much cooler with highs in the lower 70s and rain chances and rain coverage increasing as we head to the afternoon. Friday will be cool as well. Highs in the low to mid 70s will be with us as another bout of energy sparks up some showers and storms Friday afternoon. None of the storms we will be severe – there’s just not enough energy to use.
There is the chance for elevations above 11,000 feet to see some snow from this system. It’s not going to be widespread but a coating to a couple of inches is not out of the question. If you have camping or hiking plans through Saturday – be warned.
Passed Friday, we begin to clear out and warm up again. By Sunday and Monday we are back into the mid 80s which is typical for this time of the year.
Overall, we’re not looking at an extremely wet system but up to a half in, maybe 3/4 of an inch, could fall for some areas. Looking more like a widespread .25″ thought. Snow will be confined to very high elevations so no travel concerns expected.
The end of July is looking to be hot and dry. So…back to where we were. Average highs at the end of July are typically in the 85-88º range and overnight lows typically fall into the mid-50s.
Enjoy the cooler weather while we have it!
~ Rain or Shine
I’m Andy Stein
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