4/9/22 Saturday 5:45 am
April is a weird month for me because I am used to so much interaction from my followers in the winter through spring break time (March). Then April rolls around and I hear barely a peep out of anyone.
The only question I seem to get is about the wind. In the absence of storms, the reason we get windy in the late morning and afternoon is 100% related to the sun. The sun warms the surface unevenly. Overnight the cooler air is pooled closer to the surface. As the sun rises higher in the sky it starts to heat the surface which causes variations in the air pressure. Just like in a storm when you have low pressure clash with higher pressure, the result is wind.
There are times when that is enhanced due to storms. A low-pressure system tracking well to our north can suppress the ridge of high pressure that we are under and tighten the pressure gradient. That is exactly what is going to be happening over the next few days as a series of systems will be rolling through the intermountain west starting later today. Speaking of the wind, if you are watching The Masters today it will be windier at Augusta than yesterday.
For today, expect the warmest temperatures of the next week. We will get windy because of both reasons I mentioned above. Tonight we may see some very light snow over the higher peaks of Ouray County up to Red Mountain Pass. In other areas, a few negligible raindrops may fall as the first system passes to our north.
Things will cool off tomorrow. Monday will be a transition day. We may warm up slightly before the primary storm system moves in late Monday into early Tuesday. This looks like it will be a low-impact system for the lower elevations. That being said it will be cold and blustery for this time of year. Temperatures will be well below normal and we will get sub-freezing overnight lows Wednesday and Thursday.
The higher elevations will likely get 5 to 10 inches snow Tuesday through Wednesday. Some of the models are trying to bring in another system Friday/Saturday. Too early to tell.
Here are the latest precipitation forecasts through Wednesday.
Euro
Canadian
German
WPC
GFS
My next update will be on Monday. Thanks for following and supporting the site!
For the gardening crowd, the cold snap for the end of the week will be the big challenge. With temps looking to be in the low 20s overnight, a hard freeze will separate the men from the boys, so to speak, of plants that claim to be hardy or appropriate for the area. The USDA’s rating of “zone 6” for Durango is dubious. Sure, it falls in the temperature profile. But the zone ratings fail to take into account our predictably unpredictable spring rollercoaster plus the protracted periods, sometimes 45 days or more, of steady single digits without good snow cover. That said, am looking forward to spring moisture however it comes!
The cold is definitely going to catch people off guard. Low to mid-20s in the lower elevations Wednesday and Thursday mornings.
Looks like travel east could be ugly on Tuesday
If you are referring to the Midwest, yes indeed.