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Is Colorado facing more drought?
So far, the pattern of storms across the Pacific Northwest and northern Rockies shows little signs of changing, with most of the weather action far north of Colorado.
By Bob Berwyn
FRISCO — Ullr, why has thou forsaken us?
If you’re holding out for more snow before heading out to make turns on the hill, you may want to reconsider. The outlook for the next 10 days is mostly dry and warm, with perhaps a chance of snow brushing the northern mountains Sunday night into Monday morning. Beyond that, another ridge will build into the Southwest, bringing more dry weather and a return to above normal temps for much of next week.
The official one month outlook from the NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center is still calling for equal chances of above- or below-average precipitation, but the odds are tilting more toward a dry winter overall, with an unusual big-picture weather setup that hasn’t been observed in the past 100 years — specifically, a double La Niña followed by an ENSO-neutral year.
That leaves meteorologists considering other factors, including a cold phase of a longer-term Pacific Ocean cycle (PDO) and warm temps across the northeastern Atlantic, a pattern that historically hasn’t favored Colorado with big snows.
A polar view from the MeteoStar satellite also shows no signs of any developing storm activity in the vicinity of Colorado. Click on the image for the animated version.
The six to 10-day outlook from the CPC shows a good chance of above-normal temps in much of the western U.S.
The eight to 14-day precipitation outlook for Colorado is dry.
Filed under: climate and weather, Snow and weather, Summit County Colorado, Summit County snow and weather Tagged: | Climate Prediction Center, Colorado drought, Colorado snow, Colorado weather, El Niño-Southern Oscillation, Pacific Decadal Oscillation, Pacific Ocean, skiing
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