Tomer’s Take: The next surge of wildfire smoke from Canada is moving south. A reinforcing shot hits MT, northern UT, WY, northern CO, and the Great Plains on 5/21-5/22. And, the afternoon thunderstorm pattern is fully engaged across the Intermountain West through the end of May. Is this normal for May? In Colorado, the answer […]
Tag: Meteorologist Chris Tomer
Pikes Peak nailed by 3-4 feet of snow
Tomer’s Take: The ‘Super Soaker Storm System’ on 5/10-5/12 delivered 3-4 feet of snow to Pikes Peak (14,115ft). Photos were taken by Luke Doyle while clearing snow at Glen Cove and higher up on Pikes Peak. Robust Precipitation Precipitation totals 5/10-5/12. The closest CoCoRaHS observation to Pikes Peak is 3.86″ recorded in Manitou Springs. Next, […]
Rapid Snowmelt, Rich Moisture, Rain/Thunderstorm Pattern
Tomer’s Take: A surge of warm air will kick the snowmelt into high gear in UT, WY, CO through 5/24. I’m also forecasting a rich flow of moisture on Wednesday-Thursday this week with afternoon rain/t-storm chances each day. Forecast Freezing Level Wasatch Mountains, UT, Daily Max/Min: 5/15: 13600’/12800′ 5/16: 13600’/13500′ 5/17: 13600’/13000′ 5/18: 13500’/13000′ 5/19: […]
Rapid Snowmelt Coming to UT, CO, WY
Tomer’s Take: Freezing levels will rise quickly and stay high through 5/23. And, there’s a lot of snowpack remaining. Plus, the pattern remains wetter than normal on 5/14, 5/15, and 5/18 with rain showers/thunderstorms likely even at mid/high elevations. Forecast Freezing Level Wasatch Mountains, UT, Daily Max/Min: 5/14: 12800’/11800′ 5/15: 13600’/12600′ 5/16: 13800’/13600′ 5/17: 13600’/13100′ […]
Weekend Wind, Freezing Levels, and Monsoon-esque Flow
Tomer’s Take: A rich flow of moisture moves into CO and NM 5/13-5/15. It resembles the Monsoon, which typically occurs in July-August. There is a little snow in the forecast above 11,000ft. View from the Continental Divide at Loveland Ski Area this morning. I’m forecasting light snow tonight with a better chance of accumulating light/moderate […]
Foot of snow in Colorado; Monsoon-esque Flow 5/14-5/15
Tomer’s Take: A foot of snow has fallen above 10,000ft in parts of Colorado including Arapahoe Basin and Loveland Ski Area. 4-day rain totals in Denver now exceed four inches! What’s next? This storm system exits Colorado but a new push of moisture is likely 5/14-5/15. It resembles a Monsoon flow normally seen in July-August. […]
Snow is falling in Colorado along with soaking rain
Tomer’s Take: Snow is falling above 10,000ft in Colorado while Denver gets soaking rain through 5/12. Large, widespread hail nailed Denver and the Front Range last night. That risk has now passed as the storm system has “cooled”. I’m also watching a Monsoon-esque flow 5/14-5/15 as atmospheric wind turns southerly pulling up Gulf Moisture into […]
CO Severe Weather, Soaker, & Snow
Tomer’s Take: Golfball sized hail fell over parts of Colorado’s Front Range last night (Erie, Timnath, Firestone, Brighton, Lochbuie, Wiggins) and is likely again this afternoon plus a couple tornadoes. This is the first ‘Enhanced Severe Weather Risk’ for Denver since 2018. Then, the pattern “cools” with heavy rain and mountain snow likely. The bulk […]
Update: Colorado Soaker & Snow 5/10-5/12
Tomer’s Take: The track has shifted slightly north and the rain/snow line is trending higher: 10,000ft. This will decrease overall totals, but they’ll still be significant. Forecast Freezing Level Colorado’s Central Mountain Zone, Daily Max/Min: 5/9: 14100’/11700′ 5/10: 14000’/10800′ 5/11: 11200’/10000′ 5/12: 12500/10200′ 5/13: 11200’/10300′ Forecast Pattern Forecast jet stream valid 5/10. Deep May trough […]
Colorado Soaker and Snow Inbound 5/10-5/12
Tomer’s Take: A wet Spring storm system delivers severe thunderstorms to Colorado on 5/10 then heavy rain and mountain snow through 5/12. Forecast Freezing Level Colorado’s Central Mountain Zone, Daily Max/Min: 4/9: 14,400’/12300′ 4/10: 13800’/11200′ 4/11: 10500’/9000′ 4/12: 11000’/9200′ 4/13: 12500’/11200′ Forecast Pattern Forecast jet stream valid 5/10. Notice the dip supporting an area of […]