Marty’s Sunday Morning Forecast – Much Colder For Many! – 2/4/18
Today: A cold front is bringing a shallow layer of much colder air over the plains of Colorado today. The temperature of the air ahead on the higher terrain above this shallow layer of cold air will be very similar to yesterday, but for areas under the cold air temperatures will only be in the 20s and 30s. As the colder air slides up the terrain we expect low clouds with some pockets of freezing fog, and possibly some flurries along the northern slopes of the Palmer Divide early this morning. Because this cold front is very shallow in nature, many mountain communities will notice very little change in conditions as compared to Saturday, and on the spine of the Palmer Divide it’s possible the air will warm up some later today. The bottom line is that many of us along and east of I-25 will be sharply colder Sunday afternoon as compared to Saturday afternoon. Afternoon temperatures will likely be in the 20s and 30s for much of eastern Colorado, while the mountains (and possibly the Palmer Divide this afternoon) should be in the 40s. A thin strip of 50s may be found on and near the higher terrain to the west/southwest of Pueblo for much of the day. Whether warm or cold, it should be breezy to windy at times for many areas throughout the day with occasional gusts over 30 mph.
Tonight: Low clouds over the plains will break up late tonight as the cold air begins to recede from the mountains. Low temperatures will be in the teens and 20s for low lying areas, possibly some 30s on the higher terrain. By late tonight the air may warm over the higher terrain, with 30s to lower 40s and some wind possible by morning.
Extended: The cold air should continue to slide back out of the area on Monday so many areas will be much warmer again, although low lying areas along the Arkansas River may be a bit slower to warm than communities on and near the higher terrain. The air will turn sharply colder again Monday night and Tuesday with a chance for a quick burst of mainly light snow across parts of the area. The rest of the week looks warmer again with periods of wind and dry conditions. We could get colder with another chance for snow by Saturday.
