Summit County Citizens Voice

Afternoon showers expected through the week

A summer thunderstorm forms over the Continental Divide. PHOTO BY BOB BERWYN.

A NOAA satellite image shows moisture streaming out of Baja into the Southwest and the Colorado high country.

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — After a week of dry weather, monsoon rains are expected to return to much of the Colorado high country, with thunderstorms possible through the end of the week. The airmass moving up from Baja California is quite moist, so some of the slow-moving storms could produce heavy rains once again. As a result, the National Weather Service has issued a flash flood watch for parts of western Colorado and eastern Utah, with canyon country and the narrow valleys of the San Juans being the main areas of concern.

The flash flood watch extends to just west of Summit County, but by Tuesday afternoon and evening, heavy rains could spread across the entire area. Showers are likely by late afternoon, with precipitable water values in the atmosphere forecast to reach as high as 1.2 inches.

The Boulder-based forecasters are forecasting the surge of monsoonal moisture to last through the upcoming week as the pattern is dominated by a strong upper-level high pressure system once again centered over the southern plains. Southwesterly flow aloft will continue to carry moisture across Arizona and into the Colorado high country, with showers a regular part of the forecast the next few days.

Specifically, the forecast calls for a 40 to 60 percent chance of rain through Friday, with highs in the low to mid-70s through the period and lows in the mid-40s. The average high for late July is 74 degrees — the warmest highs of the year. By the end of July and early August, the daily highs start to drop down again by about 1 degree every five days. By the end of August, the average daily high is at 68 degrees. The record high for July 26 is 85 degrees, set in 1940. The record low is 30 degrees, set in 1913.

Meanwhile, parts of the southern hemisphere are experiencing severe winter conditions. Exceptionally heavy snowfall in the interior of Chile has prompted a declaration of emergency. In some areas, the snow is six feet deep. Isolated towns are being supplied by military trucks and helicopter drops. The most recent heavy snows in Chile came just a few weeks after a very rare snowfall in the Atacama Desert.

Similarly, parts of New Zealand, including Christchurch, have been hit by heavy snow, and some resorts in Australia are reporting a banner year for snowfall. Check out the snow report, posted on YouTube:

Filed under: climate and weather, Colorado, Summit County Colorado, Summit County news, Summit County snow and weather, Weatherblog Tagged: | Atacama Desert, Baja California, Colorado, National Weather Service, Perisher skiing, Snow in Chile, Summit County News, summit county weather