Winter 2013-2014 Colorado Weather Thread (Denver, Pueblo: co-op, floor, smog)

[Mike from back east]

Originally Posted by jim9251

5" of snow in Ridgway overnight.

Here near the USAF Academy we had hours of howling, roaring winds that being about 11PM last night (11/24/13) and lasted into the wee hours. Still windy and spitting snow. Been cloudy for days, probably the longest stretch of sunless days since I moved here in 2005.

[Josseppie]

It looks like a strong arctic cold front will be hitting Colorado this week and it could bring significant snow to southern Colorado. This could be interesting.........

I have feeling that by next Sunday Pueblo will have 6-12 inches of snow from this.....

This is from the NWS in Pueblo:

FORECAST MODELS ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT ON MOVING COLD AND SNOWY WEATHER INTO SOUTHERN COLORADO...ARRIVING ALONG THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE TUESDAY AND MOVING INTO THE EASTERN MOUNTAINS AND PLAINS TUESDAY NIGHT. A LARGE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL CARVE OUT OVER THE WESTERN UNITED STATES DURING THIS PERIOD...ALLOWING ARCTIC AIR TO PLUMMET SOUTHWARD INTO COLORADO. THE COMBINATION OF MOIST PACIFIC AIR ALOFT...AND VERY COLD ARCTIC AIR AT THE SURFACE...WILL PROVIDE THE NECESSARY INGREDIENTS FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF VERY COLD TEMPERATURES AND PERIODS OF SNOW OVER SOUTHERN COLORADO.

THE REALLY EXCEPTIONAL THING ABOUT THIS ARCTIC OUTBREAK WILL BE THE LENGTH OF TIME IT STICKS AROUND. SOUTHERN COLORADO IS FREQUENTLY VISITED BY ARCTIC AIR MASSES DURING THE WINTER...BUT THEY USUALLY ONLY STICK AROUND FOR A DAY OR TWO. THIS ONE LOOKS LIKE IT WILL MOVE IN LATE TUESDAY AND STICK AROUND THROUGH AT LEAST SUNDAY. THE AIR WILL BE VERY COLD DURING THIS PERIOD WITH HIGHS LIKELY NOT OUT OF THE TEENS AND 20S MOST DAYS AND LOWS RANGING FROM 10 BELOW ZERO TO 10 ABOVE.

THERE IS ALSO GOOD SNOWFALL POTENTIAL WITH THIS STORM. WHILE IT IS STILL TOO EARLY TO NAIL DOWN SPECIFIC AMOUNTS...IT IS A GOOD BET THAT THE MOUNTAINS WILL SEE AT LEAST A FOOT OR TWO OF NEW SNOW DURING THIS EVENT...WHILE THE LOWER ELEVATIONS CAN EXPECT TO SEE SEVERAL INCHES OF SNOWFALL.

TAKE TIME TO PREPARE FOR THE COLD NOW. THIS WILL BE AN EXCEPTIONAL PERIOD OF COLD FOR SOUTHERN COLORADO. PREPARE YOUR HOME...AUTO OR BUSINESS. CHECK YOUR FURNACE. INSULATE EXPOSED WATER PIPES. MAKE SURE YOUR CAR HAS A STRONG BATTERY...PROPER ANTIFREEZE PROTECTION AND A GOOD SET OF ALL SEASON OR SNOW TIRES. MAKE SURE YOUR KIDS DRESS WARMLY BEFORE HEADING TO SCHOOL AND GIVE YOUR PETS ADEQUATE SHELTER FROM THE COLD. THIS WILL BE AN UNUSUALLY LONG PERIOD FOR SOUTHERN COLORADO TO BE IN THE DEEP FREEZE. GET READY FOR IT NOW WHILE THE TEMPERATURES ARE STILL MILD.

The link: National Weather Service Watch Warning Advisory Summary

[StarrySkiesAbove]

Bring it!

[jazzlover]

The tricky part of these cold air systems is how much snow they will bring. Alone, they are generally very dry air masses--they have to collide with warm moist air from either the Pacific or Gulf of Mexico to become a high snowfall event. That may happen, but even seasoned meteorologists will say that can be difficult to accurately predict. Some very cold and prolonged cold weather, snow or not, is the one thing that can kill off pine beetle larvae--if it is cold enough and lasts long enough. That usually means at least a week to 10 days of subzero temperatures in the mountains. This system probably won't last long enough to do that, but we can hope.

[DOUBLE H]

What they're calling for in Mesa County is rain turning to snow Tuesday night with two to four inches in the valley and twelve to fourteen inches on the Grand Mesa. And the cold will sock in here for the rest of the week. We've had an inversion since Thanksgiving; my neighbor took a drive up on the Mesa to Cedaredge yesterday and the skies were clear. I remember several winters ago that an inversion in mid January stuck with us in the Grand Junction area for two weeks.

[jim9251]

Urgent - winter weather message
national weather service grand junction co
504 am mst mon dec 2 2013

...winter storm to impact the region during the early part of the
week...

.a strong winter storm system with arctic origins is expected to
impact the area from monday night through wednesday evening. An
associated cold front will work into northeast utah and northwest
colorado late monday night then drop to near the interstate 70
corridor by tuesday evening...then through the remainder of the
forecast area on wednesday. Upwards to 3 feet of snow may be possible
in the mountains with the heaviest accumulations expected in the
west central colorado mountains. The valleys could see up to a
foot of snow especially in the steamboat springs area and the
interstate 70 corridor between rifle and vail. In
addition...temperatures are expected to drop 20 degrees or more by
thursday and stay well below normal through the weekend. Strong
winds ahead of the front may significantly reduce visibility for
travelers passing over mountain passes early this week.

Timing...widespread significant snow accumulations will be
possible tuesday night and wednesday.

* snow accumulation...4 to 8 inches will be possible...possibly
approaching 12 inches at cerro summit.

* winds...southwest to west 15 to 25 mph with local gusts to 30
mph on tuesday evening.

* visibility...may be reduced to less than a mile at times in
moderate to heavy snow and blowing snow.

[j96g]

I finally get to bring out my jacket?!

[highplainsrus]

can it get even colder in SLV? what more can they do to prepare that they haven't already done? can only Alaskans survive there? maybe everybody just goes south until it warms back up to zero.

[jazzlover]

Originally Posted by highplainsrus

can it get even colder in SLV? what more can they do to prepare that they haven't already done? can only Alaskans survive there? maybe everybody just goes south until it warms back up to zero.

What kind of childish questions are these?

Yes, it can get colder in the SLV--30 below zero is certainly possible there in the winter.

Well, it can take more to withstand 20 or 30 below compared to, say, 20 above. You don't need a block heater on your car at 20 above, you may have to use one at 20 to 30 below. Pipes that are well insulated enough to not freeze at 20 above may not be insulated sufficiently to withstand 20 to 30 below.

Plenty of people live year-round in the SLV. They also know how to survive in cold temperatures--likely much better than the residents of Colorado's warmer locales do. Do some of them leave in the winter? Yes, but most don't.

I've lived in some of Colorado's coldest places. Down to about 10 below, cold is relatively tolerable. From 10 to 25 below, it starts to get uncomfortable and takes some preparation to be able to withstand outdoors for any length of time. From 25 below to 50 below, the danger scale gets somewhat geometric. Down at 40 to 50 below, frostbite can occur in just minutes. Hypothermia can onset almost immediately. Put ANY wind with those temperatures, and the danger is extreme. Having experienced 30 below ambient temperatures with a wind chill factor of nearly 70 below zero, I can tell you that such conditions will teach you in a big hurry what the difference is between just cold and REALLY cold.

Go read the historical accounts of the Blizzard of 1949 that raked the High Plains from Montana to Texas as far east as the Missouri River to understand what havoc brutal cold, snow, and wind can cause. As "wussified" and unprepared as most people are today for that kind of weather event, the results of such an event would likely very deadly in this region.

[Josseppie]

Originally Posted by jazzlover

What kind of childish questions are these?

Yes, it can get colder in the SLV--30 below zero is certainly possible there in the winter.

Well, it can take more to withstand 20 or 30 below compared to, say, 20 above. You don't need a block heater on your car at 20 above, you may have to use one at 20 to 30 below. Pipes that are well insulated enough to not freeze at 20 above may not be insulated sufficiently to withstand 20 to 30 below.

Plenty of people live year-round in the SLV. They also know how to survive in cold temperatures--likely much better than the residents of Colorado's warmer locales do. Do some of them leave in the winter? Yes, but most don't.

I've lived in some of Colorado's coldest places. Down to about 10 below, cold is relatively tolerable. From 10 to 25 below, it starts to get uncomfortable and takes some preparation to be able to withstand outdoors for any length of time. From 25 below to 50 below, the danger scale gets somewhat geometric. Down at 40 to 50 below, frostbite can occur in just minutes. Hypothermia can onset almost immediately. Put ANY wind with those temperatures, and the danger is extreme. Having experienced 30 below ambient temperatures with a wind chill factor of nearly 70 below zero, I can tell you that such conditions will teach you in a big hurry what the difference is between just cold and REALLY cold.

Go read the historical accounts of the Blizzard of 1949 that raked the High Plains from Montana to Texas as far east as the Missouri River to understand what havoc brutal cold, snow, and wind can cause. As "wussified" and unprepared as most people are today for that kind of weather event, the results of such an event would likely very deadly in this region.

I think he was being sarcastic. We all know that it can get colder then that.