It's looking like a mixed bag of weather across the foothills, the Denver metro and the adjacent plains for the upcoming holiday weekend. Some precipitation will be possible, but no big storm systems are expected. It looks like a pretty warm Saturday, followed by cooler temperatures Sunday and Memorial Day. Overall, the rainfall potential doesn't look too impressive, so you may be able to fit in some outdoor activities off and on, but you'll want to watch the skies. Remember, lightning is one of the biggest weather dangers this time of year, and we're expecting some throughout the weekend. So if you'll be hiking, biking or just enjoying the outdoors, keep the "30 Second Lightning Safety Rule" in mind. Thunderstorms and showers will continue to be at least a possibility Sunday and Monday as well, along with fairly cool temperatures.
Starting with Friday, a low pressure wave in the upper atmosphere, currently over the Pacific Northwest, is expected to drop into the southwestern states before curving north again on Friday night, across western Colorado. Since this system will stay to the west, we should see a southwesterly air flow coming over the mountains and into the foothills, resulting in a warm and dry day.
We'll likely see mostly 70s in the foothills and 80s for the Denver area by Friday afternoon. Overall, it'll be a pleasant day, but it may be gusty. We'll have to keep an eye on the wildfire danger Friday afternoon. A few isolated storms will be possible for the northeast plains, but little or no rain around here.
Saturday, we'll have low pressure over the southwest states, with another low pressure wave coming into Colorado. That will keep winds out of the southwest, with a second low forming over our southeast plains. That bodes well for another fair, breezy and warm day for our area. Again, wildfire danger may be an issue.
By Saturday afternoon, we may get a limited influx of moist air to our north, but some moisture may work far enough south to give us a chance of afternoon showers and thunderstorms.
The next system to affect us will be a cold front, coming in from the northwest, and arriving over Colorado late Saturday evening. That will increase our cloud cover a little over the foothills and eastern plains, but rain chances will stay low Saturday night into Sunday morning.
Sunday, a low pressure shortwave will move across Colorado, changing our surface wind flow to the northeast, which usually brings in a little more moisture. It looks like that will be the case, with a cloudy and cooler day expected.
At this point, it looks as though we'll have enough moist air advecting into northeast Colorado for some showers to develop over the foothills as well as the plains. No heavy precipitation is expected, and the clouds will hold the temperatures down in the 40s and 50s up in the mountains, and mostly 50s and 60s across the foothills. It'll be a bit warmer for the Denver metro Sunday afternoon, but cloudy.
Then, Memorial Day, the jet stream flow to the west is expected to push low pressure a little further south, with a high developing over northern Colorado and southern Wyoming. That pattern could keep some clouds over our area, along with a few scattered showers. Temperatures might warm up a few degrees, back into the 60s and 70s for the foothills.
Looking ahead into next week, we should see things drying up, and warming up with a return to a southwesterly flow, and a stronger high pressure area moving in.
If you are heading to the mountains to go camping, fishing, hiking, et cetera, please remember to check our area Fire Restrictions, camping closures, and our exclusive traffic webcams to see what's happening on the roads before you head out, and keep tabs on our Emergency Page for breaking severe weather and fires! Please do stop in and patronize our locally-owned small businesses, they could use your love and support. We've got great restaurants, outdoor gear and recreation equipment stores, gift shops, art galleries, and more! We appreciate you visiting our mountain towns and hope you have a wonderful, fun-filled weekend. Be safe, leave no trace, and may nature nourish your hearts, minds, and souls. Most importantly, let's not forget those for whom we celebrate this weekend - our veterans who have served this country and sacrificed all. Happy Memorial Day.
Photo by My Mountain Town