Upper ridge currently centered over southern NM will migrate slowly westward this week into AZ. This pattern is not conducive to abundant precip for CO, as CO will remain under a drier northwesterly flow aloft this coming week. Best chances for precip in the foothills looks to be on Monday, although any precip will likely remain on the light side. Otherwise, only isolated afternoon and evening storms will develop over the foothills this week. Slightly better chances for precip over higher terrain along and west of the Divide this week. A weak upper trough and associated cold front is forecats to move across CO on Wednesday evening/night, so cooler temps on Thursday. Pattern looks to remain persistent into the upcoming weekend. This pattern will also continue to bring smoke from fires in CA, NV, ID, UT , MT and WY into Colorado this week, so hazy skies likely to persist this week.
Long range models suggest some hope that the upper ridge will move eastward the following week and allow some better monsoon moisture back into CO. We'll have to wait and see if that develops. The upper level pattern is also condusive to bringing any tropical systems from the Atlantic and Caribbean into the Gulf of Mexico for the next 7-14 days, so we can hope for some moisture from a tropical system may make it's way into CO in our future. I have currently only recorded 0.68 inches of precip in August, and 0.50 of that fell in the first 2 days of the month.
An El Nino Watch has been issued by the Climate Prediction Center, so we can remain hopeful for a snowy upcoming winter season if the El Nino continues to develop.
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"Climatology is what you expect, Weather is what you get".
"It is better to be roughly right than precisely wrong".
Too bad future generations aren't here to see all the great things we are spending their $$ on!!
