Tag: Mountain Weather

June Looks Wet

Tomer’s Take: I’m forecasting a wetter than normal start to June across the Intermountain West. Why? Extra moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and Pacific Ocean will flood the atmosphere. The door is wide open at all key atmospheric levels. Precipitable water anomalies run 100-300% of normal. This extra moisture fuels widespread afternoon rain and […]

Weekend Mountain Weather update; Early June Looking Wet

Tomer’s Take: Forecast freezing levels stay elevated. This forces the snowpack to continue melting across the West. I’m also forecasting afternoon thunderstorms almost every single day across the Intermountain West with a rich feed of moisture. Early June could be wetter than normal. 11:30am view from Vail looking East/Northeast across the Gore Range. Snow continues […]

Less Smoke!

Tomer’s Take: The large plume of thick wildfire smoke has moved out of Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana. It’s moving east. What’s next? The afternoon thunderstorm pattern continues across the Intermountain West along with a rich moisture feed. The smoke has cleared! Look at this before/after showing much clearer view from Arapahoe Basin looking West-Southwest (5/22 […]

Photos: Deep Summit Snow on 14,115′ Pikes Peak

Tomer’s Take: Luke Doyle sent me several amazing photos of crews clearing the road to the 14,115′ summit of Pikes Peak. The bulk of this deep snow occurred during the ‘super soaker storm system’ on 5/10-5/12. I estimated 3-4 feet accumulated. All photos are from Luke Doyle who is a senior equipment operator on Pikes […]

Wildfire Smoke Forecast; Afternoon Thunderstorm Pattern

Tomer’s Take: Thick smoke continues to choke MT, WY, ID, parts of UT, parts of CO, and the Great Plains through 5/23. Then, the smoke starts to move east and away late 5/23 into 5/24 with improving air quality. Also, the afternoon thunderstorm pattern is engaged through the end of May. Smoke Forecast Below is […]

Next Surge of Wildfire Smoke; Afternoon Thunderstorm Pattern

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 […]

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 […]