Mountain West Discussion

[Chinook]

Fort Collins could have seen a lot of lightning bolts from this one

[smokeybandit]

0.2" Wednesday night. 0.08" Thursday. I just can't buy a monsoon.

[frontranger8]

I got .15" yesterday, heavy stuff missed to the south and east.

[frontranger8]

Helluva storm over Englewood, moving north right towards downtown.

[smokeybandit]

Finally got in the thick of a good one.

Got just under an inch. 

[frontranger8]

1 hour ago, smokeybandit said:

Finally got in the thick of a good one.

Got just under an inch. 

Nice. Got about a half inch here. 

[smokeybandit]

Front range in general really doing well (for the drought, not for the flooding) today and tonight.

[Chinook]

looks like the largest rainy day/night for E Colorado in a long while

[smokeybandit]

1.3" on the day. 

Hoping for a repeat tomorrow. 

[frontranger8]

First legit rainy day in forever here. Rained basically non stop for 5 hours.

[mayjawintastawm]

3 days with rain in a row here: 0.13" Wed, 0.97" Thurs (though could have done without the 1"+ hail which caused a little garden damage) and 0.39" yesterday. Can we make it 4? That would be the first time in a long, long time.

[frontranger8]

2 hours ago, mayjawintastawm said:

3 days with rain in a row here: 0.13" Wed, 0.97" Thurs (though could have done without the 1"+ hail which caused a little garden damage) and 0.39" yesterday. Can we make it 4? That would be the first time in a long, long time.

Looks like the answer is yes. Another big storm about to hit your area.

[smokeybandit]

Western Parker and Aurora getting the heavy rains today. 
 

[mayjawintastawm]

1.65" total from the 4-day period here (none today). Yesterday we received less than 0.2" from the storm that produced over an inch and a half just 2 miles from here. There was a lot of mud and rocks up to fist size on the paved Cherry Creek bike trail just north of the dam this morning, and plenty of standing water east and north of the campground. The creek itself looked like it stayed within its banks in the area, though.

[smokeybandit]

1.89" for the week for me.   A lot of sudden green around.

 

[ValpoVike]

6 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

1.89" for the week for me.   A lot of sudden green around.

 

Congrats to you guys in the south metro.  We greened up over the past 3 weeks, which is crazy my pasture is never green in mid-August.  The models seem to be indicating another round of moisture later this month, but we'll see.  Beyond that, I am anxiously awaiting to see what winter will bring with such a strong El Nino.

[frontranger8]

.89" for the week here. .71" for DEN. 

[smokeybandit]

Got a surprise half inch of rain overnight.

[GaWx]

 I’ve been enjoying seeing and experiencing some monsoon convection since I arrived in CO. Saw some good ones on the way to and inside the awesome Rocky Mtn State Park. Trail Ridge Road is so spectacular that it’s almost beyond words. It went from 80s in Boulder to as cold as 53 at 11,500-12,000 feet up! It was cold enough there for a light jacket, especially when considering the steady winds up there.

[ValpoVike]

4 hours ago, GaWx said:

 I’ve been enjoying seeing and experiencing some monsoon convection since I arrived in CO. Saw some good ones on the way to and inside the awesome Rocky Mtn State Park. Trail Ridge Road is so spectacular that it’s almost beyond words. It went from 80s in Boulder to as cold as 53 at 11,500-12,000 feet up! It was cold enough there for a light jacket, especially when considering the steady winds up there.

Are you here on vacation?  I live just outside of Estes Park, and Trail Ridge Road is really special.  For an added experience, you can go up a one way road (Old Fall River Road) that exits at the Alpine Visitor Center at the top.  You then take TRR back down.  I have seen snow falling at the top in both July and August many times.  Not much but enough to remind you just how high up you are.

[mayjawintastawm]

5 hours ago, GaWx said:

 I’ve been enjoying seeing and experiencing some monsoon convection since I arrived in CO. Saw some good ones on the way to and inside the awesome Rocky Mtn State Park. Trail Ridge Road is so spectacular that it’s almost beyond words. It went from 80s in Boulder to as cold as 53 at 11,500-12,000 feet up! It was cold enough there for a light jacket, especially when considering the steady winds up there.

Glad you experienced it! The clouds and light in the early mornings and evenings have been really spectacular the last few days. The rule of thumb of 4-5 degrees drop per 1000 feet works pretty well most of the time when planning. As ValpoVike wrote, snow can happen any time of year up there, though mid June through Labor Day it is seldom a driving problem. Only another 4 weeks till leaves start to change- and this year they may be early, not because of cold but because of drought stress.

[GaWx]

19 minutes ago, ValpoVike said:

Are you here on vacation?  I live just outside of Estes Park, and Trail Ridge Road is really special.  For an added experience, you can go up a one way road (Old Fall River Road) that exits at the Alpine Visitor Center at the top.  You then take TRR back down.  I have seen snow falling at the top in both July and August many times.  Not much but enough to remind you just how high up you are.

1. Yes

2. I went from the beautiful Estes Park to Rock Cut (where I walked a bit) and then turned around. On the way back at Forest Canyon, I walked the entire paved path and checked out all of the amazing views. I also stopped at most of the pullovers on each side going and coming back. On the way down, I walked a short dirt path to a beautiful meadow with a tiny stream surrounded by wildflowers. Very peaceful with nobody nearby! (I can’t post because pics are way too large for the attachment limits here.) I spent a total of ~3 hours inside the park.

2. Thanks! Next time I may try Old Fall River Road. How does it compare to TRR safety wise? Even though I loved driving TRR and was very careful, I admit slight feelings of danger on the many parts with a steep drop right off the edge!

@mayjawintastawm

[ValpoVike]

10 hours ago, GaWx said:

2. Thanks! Next time I may try Old Fall River Road. How does it compare to TRR safety wise? Even though I loved driving TRR and was very careful, I admit slight feelings of danger on the many parts with a steep drop right off the edge!

@mayjawintastawm

It’s quite safe going up. It is a well maintained dirt road but not nearly as exposed As TRR. All the way up you will drive about 10MPH and there is an excellent waterfall and meadows that line the river. It is a canyon that you drive up, and you are surrounded by incredibly majestic rock formations that extend up way above you. It is also one-way and much more chill than TRR. 

[GaWx]

 Today, I drove S to the fabulous Red Rocks Park/Ampitheatre and spent 2 hours there, another place almost beyond description. It was ~86 there and sunny/low RH.

 Next I went to Golden, which had similar wx to walk along Washington Ave and then Clear Creek watching the tubers/bathers enjoying the cold water. I ate at a delish pizza joint. 

 Late this afternoon I took I-70 through the Eisenhower Tunnel, where it dropped to 65, to Vail, where it was ~69.