While we’ve seen dry and warm weather here in Colorado, western Canada has been seeing snow.

This is the view of Lake Louise, in Alberta, Canada, on Monday morning, September 17.

Cool air will hang around western Canada and there will be another few chances for snowfall over the next week.

In other weather news, Hurricane Florence dumped 30 inches of rain on parts of North Carolina.

To put this into perspective, 30 inches of rain is 50% more than Denver’s annual average precipitation (rain + melted snow). Also, 30 inches of rain is about 75% of the annual average precipitation (rain + melted snow) in Colorado’s wettest and snowiest mountains. Take away – Hurricane Florence brought a lot of rain (as expected) and Colorado is a relatively arid state.

Back to Colorado’s weather…

On Monday morning, most of the state is dry and sunny while just a few clouds are lingering over the northwest.

On Monday and Tuesday, expect dry and warm weather.

On Wednesday, a quick surge of moisture from the south will likely bring a few showers later in the day and during the evening.

Then, the weather on Thursday, Friday, and next weekend should return to being sunny, warm, and dry.

NOAA’s 6-10 day outlook for September 22-26 shows more of the same, with warmer-than-average weather in Colorado and near or below average precipitation.

Looking far ahead, most models now predict that a strong and cold storm will cross the Northern Rockies around September 26th. You can see the storm as the blue colors to the north and west of Colorado.

The question for us will be whether that storm stays to our north and only brings wind and cooler air to Colorado as a glancing blow, or if enough of the storm’s energy and moisture will drop south and deliver a bit of high-elevation snow. It’s too early to know – I’ll keep you posted!

Lastly, the golden Aspen leaves are beautiful right now and, depending on the specific area of the state and grove of Aspens, the color will likely peak between now and about September 30th. If we do get a dusting of snow around the 26th, and the wind doesn’t knock too many leaves from the trees, views will be especially dramatic. Get out there and enjoy!

Thanks for reading … next update on Wednesday, September 19!

JOEL GRATZ

OpenSummit

We have an iPhone app that provides detailed weather forecasts for your hiking, biking, and climbing adventures. OpenSummit now includes forecasts for 1,000 of the highest and/or notable summits and hiking areas across the United States. Download OpenSummit (iPhone only)

Upcoming Presentations

* September 20 in Boulder. Part of Ignite Boulder. Details & tickets here.

* September 27 in Aspen. 630-830pm at Encoding.com (525 E Cooper Ave, Suite 204)

* October 18 in Colorado Springs. More details soon.

* Early November in Summit County. More details soon.

* Early November in Boulder. More details soon.

 

Geography Key

Northern Mountains
Steamboat, Granby, Beaver Creek, Vail, Ski Cooper, Copper, Breckenridge, Keystone, Loveland, Abasin, Winter Park, Berthoud Pass, Eldora, Rocky Mountain National Park, Cameron Pass

Along the Divide
Loveland, Arapahoe Basin, Winter Park, Berthoud Pass

East of the Divide
Eldora, Echo, Rocky Mountain National Park, Cameron Pass

Central Mountains
Aspen, Sunlight, Monarch, Crested Butte, Irwin, Powderhorn

Southern Mountains
Telluride, Silverton – north side of the southern mountains | Purgatory, Wolf Creek – south side of the southern mountains