Weekend weather 'sublime'

By Bill Scanlon, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Originally published 06:59 a.m., June 27, 2008
Updated 07:53 a.m., June 27, 2008

The cold front that is pushing highs down to the 80s in metro Denver today also will bring extra moisture by this afternoon, upping the chances for widely scattered showers and thunderstorms.

The upslope flow will bring moisture to the mountains, the foothills and the urban Front Range, National Weather Service meteorologists predict. Some of the storms could become severe with large hail and damaging winds, especially in the foothills and over the Palmer Divide.

Further east, Elbert and Lincoln counties could see some tornadoes this afternoon.

Metro Denver's weekend weather is looking sublime, with an expected high of 80 on Saturday under cloudy skies, and a high of 86 on Sunday under sunny skies.

Each of the next several days has a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon and evening.

The thermometer isn't expected to reach 90 anytime this weekend or early next week in Denver.

Close, though. Expected highs on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday: 89.

The high country has a better chance of thunderstorms the next few days. Granby is looking at highs in the low 60s through early next week, while Aspen is expecting 70s and Steamboat Springs should reach the 80s each day.

Grand Junction will be sweltering today and beyond. Saturday's expected high of 93 will be the coolest of the days. The others are expecting highs in the mid-90s.

Rivers and streams in southwest Colorado continue to run high, keeping people there vigilant about the flood danger.

The flood warning remains for the Arkansas River at Canon City because of rapid snowmelt and high flows.

So far, this June has been just about typical, temperature-wise, but quite a bit drier than a June should be, according to NWS records.

Denver has received just .73 inch of precipitation so far this month, although that is a little bit deceiving because the one big rain this month — June 5 — brought a lower total to Denver International Airport, the official precipitation site, than it brought to most of the rest of the metro area.

During a typical June, about 1.34 inches have fallen by June 26.

June's average highs start at 77 degrees at the beginning of the month and reach 86 by the end of the month. The typical low is 49 on June 1, and 57 on June 30.

This June's average temperatures so far are right about on the historic average.

Denver hasn't had a 100-degree day so far this June, which is par for the course.

Just eight dates in June have had 100-plus-degree highs, dating back more than a century.

The record is 104 degrees on June 26, 1994.

Of the eight dates that have 100-plus degree readings, seven of them have occurred since 1990.

The exception is the 102-degree high on June 23, 1954.

• June 27, 2008

  8:11 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  LingLingfor_prez writes:

  Global warming.

• June 27, 2008

  11:32 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  EastVail writes:

  Sasquatch says . . . global warming fails the window test AGAIN!