Summit County Citizens Voice

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A few scattered clouds developed over Frisco Sunday evening ahead of an approaching cold front that will drop high temperatures by 10 degrees Monday and bring widespread frost by Tuesday morning.

Widespread red flag warnings across much of Colorado and eastern Utah; the first widespread frost of the season could drop on western Colorado for Tuesday morning

SUMMIT COUNTY — Clouds and gusty winds developed Sunday ahead of a slow-moving cold front dropping down from the Pacific Northwest. Those winds and dry air ahead of the front combined to raise the fire danger to high across large parts of Colorado, with red flag warnings east and west of Summit County. The local area was not included in the red flag area but the fire danger in Summit Count is high, as fuels are quickly drying out from the monsoon rains. Under a high fire rating, fires start easily and spread rapidly through grass and brush.

Sunday evening, the front was stalled north of the I-70 corridor. It’s expected to weaken, with most of the moisture staying well north of Summit County, but it will drop temperatures by as much as 10 degrees on Monday, taking highs from the above-average readings of the last few days to several degrees below normal, making for a “crisp autumn day,” across the region, according to the Grand Junction-based forecasters.

The cool air will linger for a few days, with highs forecast to reach only in the upper 50s, the first part of the week, about 10 degrees below the average high of 67 degrees for the date. The record high for Sept. 6 is 83 degrees, set in 1978.

The first widespread frost of the season is expected across most of the higher valleys in western Colorado Monday night, with lows potentially dropping into the 20s by Tuesday morning in areas susceptible to frost. That shouldn’t be a huge surprise since the average low for Sept. 7 is 33 degrees.

In short, look for a dramatic overnight change from Sunday evening, when temps lingered in the 60s until well past sunset. But the low Monday night probably won’t reach the record low of 19 degrees, set in 1943.

Winds will shift back to the southwest Tuesday as a new low pressure system starts to build in the Pacific Northwest, and the models are in agreement that there will again be a flow of subtropical moisture into eastern Utah and western Colorado by mid-week. There could be some thunderstorms in the forecast Tuesday afternoon and evening, especially in the Four Corners area. It’s not clear that the moisture will surge all the way north to Summit County.

Filed under: Summit County Colorado, Summit County snow and weather Tagged: | Colorado red flag warnings, first Summit County frost, Summit County Colorado, Summit County News, summit county weather