Marty’s Sunday Morning Forecast – Eclipse Night! – 1/20/19

Today: We expect the air to warm some today, but some mountain wave clouds will likely keep some areas shady at times. The wind shouldn’t be too strong for most areas today, but over and near the mountains there will be some breezy pockets. High temperatures should warm into the 50s for most of the plains, but with enough sunshine a few spots along the Arkansas River near the mountains could reach the lower 60s. High temperatures over our local mountain areas will mainly reach the 40s.

Tonight: The lunar eclipse may be obscured at times by areas of cloud cover tonight, but we’re hopeful there will be enough holes in the cloud cover for those that are interested to be able to see it. The partial eclipse begins at 8:33 PM, and the total eclipse begins at 9:41 PM. The air will remain a little warmer tonight with low temperatures in the 20s and 30s but it will likely get windy over and near the mountains late with gusts over 40 mph likely at times.

Extended: Monday looks windy and warm with high temperatures in the 50s and 60s for the plains, mainly 40s over the mountains. A vigorous storm system will drive much colder air into the area Monday evening with the potential for a burst of wind driven snow that could last into early Tuesday morning. Terrain favored areas, particularly around the Pikes Peak Region, could experience quickly whitening roadways and very poor visibility due to blowing snow for several hours Monday night, and the ski resorts will also pick up some snow. Snow may spread south Monday night but there is some uncertainty regarding the southern extent of the snow at this time, regardless all areas will be windy and much colder. Snow will wind down pretty early on Tuesday, but even as the sky clears much of Tuesday will remain windy and cold. Wednesday should feature sunshine, less wind and warmer air. Another quick moving storm will drive a cold front over the area Wednesday night and could cause more snow to fall over parts of the area Wednesday night into Thursday morning. We expect warmer and drier conditions as we move into next weekend.