Marty’s Saturday Morning Forecast – Cooler, Scattered Showers & Thunderstorms – 5/2/2020
Overview: Several cold fronts will affect the area over the next week. Overall, we expect cooler air as compared to last week with periods of wind and possibly some isolated showers and thunderstorms. By the end of the week some wet snow could return to some areas on the higher terrain.
Today: A cold front will slide over the plains of eastern Colorado bringing a gusty north/northeasterly wind to many areas this morning and possibly causing patchy low cloud cover and/or fog to develop along and north of the Arkansas River. All areas should become partly cloudy and breezy during the afternoon with a moist, easterly wind over the plains but a dry southwesterly wind over the mountains and valleys to the southwest of Pueblo. Cooler, especially for the plains, with high temperatures in the 60s and 70s for most.
During the afternoon, enough low-level moisture will exist over the plains to support isolated to scattered showers and thunderstorms mainly along and north of the Arkansas River. It appears the first showers and storms will develop over the higher terrain around the Pikes Peak Region, but as we move into the evening hours the storms may develop farther south and east. Lightning, thunder, bursts of heavy rain, small hail and gusty wind are possible with any storms that develop, but if the air can warm enough over the plains then the strongest cells could approach severe criteria with hail to near an inch in diameter and thunderstorm wind gusts approaching 60 mph over parts of the Palmer Divide and/or the plains mainly east of the I-25 corridor.
The dry air and gusty wind over the Wet and Sangre De Cristo Mountains as well as the San Luis Valley will lead to conditions becoming favorable for the spread of wildfires for these areas this afternoon.
Tonight: Scattered showers and thunderstorms will track to the east/southeast this evening before ending late. Areas of low cloud cover and patchy fog should develop along and east of the mountains by morning with many areas on the plains likely mostly cloudy by daybreak. Low temperatures will fall into the 30s and 40s for the mountains and mountain valleys with 40s to lower 50s expected for the plains.
Sunday: Morning low clouds and patchy fog over the plains will gradually break up giving way to a partly cloudy sky everywhere during the afternoon. The wind will pick up during the afternoon blowing primarily from the south/southeast over the plains and out of the southwest over the mountains and mountain valleys. Like Saturday we expect fire weather to remain a concern over the mountains and valleys to the south/southwest of Pueblo where the air will be quite dry. Over the plains the low-level moisture will mitigate fire weather concerns, but it may also result in isolated showers over mainly northern parts of our coverage area late. Most areas will again warm into the 60s and 70s, but lower 80s are possible over the northern slopes of the Raton Mesa.
Extended: Monday should be mostly sunny and warmer again with high temperatures in the 70s and 80s for the plains with 60s to lower 70s for our local mountain communities with fire weather a possible concern for some areas. Another cold front will kick up the wind and possible cause a few showers to develop Monday evening. Tuesday and Wednesday will be breezy and cooler with high temperatures in the 60s to lower 70s, but right now outside of a few late day sprinkles over/near the mountains, precipitation doesn’t appear very likely. Thursday looks dry and windy for most of the day in advance of a more significant cold front that could bring a mixture of scattered rain and wet snow showers to some areas Thursday night into early Friday.
