Issue Date: Wednesday, August 26th, 2015
Issue Time: 9:00 AM MDT

Summary:

The upper-ridge shifted ever so slightly to the east yesterday, allowing more moisture to return to Colorado. The increase in moisture helped to fuel an uptick in thunderstorm coverage, as well as more efficient rainfall production to said thunderstorms. Brief, locally heavy rainfall was observed under the strongest storms, but no flash flooding issues were reported. From CoCoRaHS observers, the following counties were the big winners with rainfall reports:

El Paso County: 0.47 inches
La Plata County: 0.32 inches
Gunnison County: 0.13 inches
Douglas County: 0.12 inches

Be sure and check the STP map below for a statewide overview on rainfall totals.

Issue Date: Tuesday, August 25th, 2015
Issue Time: 9:00 AM MDT

Summary:

Upper-level ridging remained over Colorado yesterday, leading to a day full of mostly sunny skies and warmth. Hazy conditions continued thanks to smoke from western US wildfires, delaying flights at Denver International Airport. On the precipitation side of the coin, the best moisture stayed trapped to the south and west of the state, unable to make it into Colorado with the strengthening high pressure. Mid-level warm temperatures also fought to keep the environment capped, and overall, yesterday did not produce much precipitation.

No flash flooding was reported yesterday.

Issue Date: 8/24/2015
Issue Time: 8:55AM

Summary:

For the second time in just a week, high temperatures struggled to get out of the 70s across even the lower elevations of Colorado. This was courtesy of a strong fall-like cool front that passed through the state on Saturday afternoon. While a majority of the state stayed dry, some residual monsoon moisture made its way northward out of New Mexico and affect the far southern tier of Colorado. Due to very limited instability, thundershowers that did form had a hard time producing much rainfall. A few lucky locations in the San Juans and Southeast Mountains did manage to receive up to about 0.6 inches of the 24-hour period ending this morning. However, maximum 1-hourly rain rates were probably more in the 0.3 to 0.4 inch range. Nonetheless, in Colorado, we are happy with every drop of rain we can get.

Meanwhile, for the fifth consecutive day in a row, we were treated to a vibrant red-orange sunset as haze from the Pacific Northwest wildfires continued to stream into the mid and upper-atmosphere. Fortunately, a change in the pattern suggests that wildfire activity may slowly subside as rainfall chances are now in the forecast for parts of the affected areas.

Flooding was not reported yesterday. For estimated rainfall in your area, check out radar-estimated map below.

Issue Date: 8/23/2015
Issue Time: 8:50AM

Summary:

Another strong cool front, the second in the last week, made its way southward across eastern Colorado on Saturday. Although the atmospheric dynamics were quite impressive, the end result was a weak thunderstorm or two and some scattered showers. Max rainfall east of the Continental Divide was limited to about 0.2 inches. The atmosphere was too dry to support anything more. But gusty winds, up to 45 mph, made the cool front passage feel more like fall. Meanwhile, residual moisture created enough instability for some weak showers and thunderstorms across the Southwest Slope, Grand Valley and San Juan Mountain regions. Though dewpoint temperatures were only in the 30s and low 40s, the thunderstorms persevered to deliver as much as 0.5 inches of rainfall over localized areas. Pea-size hail was also reported with at least two separate storms.

The aforementioned cool front passage, combined with a shift in the direction of the mid and upper-level wind flow, helped to reduce some of the haze that has made to Colorado from the Pacific Northwest. Nonetheless, at least some particulate matter still remained in the atmosphere, as can be attested for by the vibrant red and orange sunset.

Flooding was not reported yesterday. For estimated rainfall in your area, check out radar-estimated map below.