Marty’s Saturday Morning Forecast – Fire Weather Concerns – 5/23/2020
Overview: We’re tracking a dry, windy start to our holiday weekend before some much colder air brings a chance for rain, thunder, and even some mountain snow to the area as we approach Memorial Day. The air should dry out and gradually warm again starting Tuesday.
Today: Partly cloudy, dry, windy and warm with conditions becoming favorable for the spread of wildfires this afternoon. A Red Flag Warning will be in effect for all of southern Colorado from 12 PM until 8 PM as the air dries out and the wind increases to between 10 and 25 mph with occasional gusts over 35 mph at times. We expect high temperatures to reach the 70s and 80s along the I-25 corridor, lower 90s for the plains along the Arkansas River, and 60s and 70s for our local mountain communities and mountain valleys.
Tonight: Partly cloudy and breezy to windy at times at times with a late cold front possibly causing some patchy low clouds to develop along mainly the northern slopes of the Raton Mesa, Palmer Divide and Pikes Peak by morning. Low temperatures will fall into the 40s to lower 50s for most areas, but our local mountain communities and high mountain valleys may dip into the 30s.
Sunday: Any patchy low clouds will break up quickly in the morning, but we’ll be windy at times as the cooler air rushes over the area early in the day. The afternoon will be breezy and cooler with high temperatures in the 60s and 70s for the plains with some 50s over the mountains. Scattered showers and thunderstorms will develop over and near the mountains around mid-afternoon and then spread east as we approach the evening.
Extended: Rain and thunderstorms are likely over much of the area Sunday night into Monday (Memorial Day) with some areas possibly picking up significant rainfall. Over the higher terrain (above 7,000 feet), around the Pikes Peak Region, and possibly over the mountains to the southwest of Pueblo some wet snow is likely Sunday night into Monday morning where temperatures will likely fall into the lower to middle 30s. Memorial Day will start cloudy and maybe a little wet/white with precipitation becoming increasingly spotty by afternoon and gradually decreasing clouds. Chilly with high temperatures only in the 40s and 50s for many areas for much of the day, but 60s are likely along the Arkansas River late in the day.
The air should gradually warm starting Tuesday with isolated, daily showers most likely along Continental Divide. As a deep easterly flow develops later in the week we might expect some late night/early morning low clouds along the eastern slopes of the mountains and plains, but the afternoon hours look to be partly cloudy, breezy and warmer with most areas in eastern Colorado remaining dry.
