Issue Date: 7/7/2016
Issue Time: 9:21 AM
NO FLOOD THREAT IS FORECAST.
Moisture values fell significantly overnight and this morning as drier air worked across Colorado from the west. The IPW graph below paints this picture well, showing all four of the normal reporting stations below 0.5 inches. Additionally, this morning’s soundings from Denver and Grand Junction show precipitable water in the 25th percentile, approximately 0.3-0.4 inches below average for the date. A lee trough is also in place across the eastern plains, which will continue to drive westerly, downslope flow across eastern Colorado. This will keep the low-levels sufficiently dry. The lack of moisture, coupled with the lack of any significant upper-level support, will lead to a day full of sunshine and warmth.
The exception to the rule today will be over the far Northeast Plains, where better surface moisture will lay underneath slight cooling aloft and weak lift. An isolated shower/weak storm or two are possible, but the overall environment will still be fairly dry. This means that any storms will result in more wind and lightning than rain, with gusts as high as 40-50 mph. For more details, please see the zone-specific discussions below.
Today’s Flood Threat Map
For more information on today’s flood threat, see the map below (hover over threat areas for more details). For Zone-Specific forecasts, jump below the map.
Zone-Specific Forecasts
Urban Corridor, Northeast Plains, Southeast Plains, Palmer Ridge and Raton Ridge:
Mostly sunny and hot, although temperatures will be a few degrees cooler than yesterday. Highs will be in the 90s for most, with locations in the Arkansas River Valley reaching towards 100 F. An isolated shower/weak thunderstorm or two are possible across far northern and northeastern sections of the Northeast plains. Any storms will produce more wind and lightning than rain. Maximum rain rates will be 0.2-0.6 inches/hour.
Timing: 2 PM – 8 PM
Northwest Slope, Northern Mountains, Central Mountains, Front Range, San Juan Mountains, Southeast Mountains, Southwest Slope, Grand Valley, and San Luis Valley:
Mostly sunny and warm will be the main weather story. Temperatures will be a degree or two cooler than yesterday for all regions. Northern regions, specifically, will experience the most cooling, albeit only a couple of degrees, owing to their proximity to a weak cool front across southern Wyoming.
