Friday, April 26, 2013

plenty to watch... (pm.26.apr.13)>

Friday's stats:

Low temp: 54.5F (12.5C) -- 11:40am
High temp: 69.1F (20.6C) -- 4:30pm
Rainfall: 0.17" (4mm)

Once again we've had a day featuring wild swings in weather conditions... but maybe we've gotten used to that during the past week or so.  It's mostly clear and very pleasant this evening, and has been sunny and comfortable since around 2:00pm.  But we had a dark and dreary period between mid-morning and early afternoon, with a spell of rain and a couple of rumbles of thunder from about 10:15am until 12:30pm.  Despite the return of sunshine this afternoon, temperatures stayed well below normal for late April.

I feel a little like a broken record recently, talking about "seemingly endless strings of upper-level disturbances" day after day.  But that's what we're dealing with, and that's what doesn't appear to be changing for another several days at least.  As those occasional disturbances drift in from the west-southwest, heat and moisture from the south continue to ebb and flow.  When the timing clicks, that's when we get a round of significant showers/thunder.  The chances of that "click" may diminish a bit during at least the first part of the weekend, but it's looking potentially volatile again between late Sunday and Tuesday.  Please try to stay on top of developments if you have important outdoor plans.

Honestly, I'm not sure what to say about temperatures.  Computer models have been pathetically worthless for at least a week now, as temps all along the front slopes of the mountains fluctuate wildly according to thundershower development or the lack thereof.   All in all it appears we'll average a bit below normal for the end of April, unless we can get a couple of totally rain-free days in a row, which doesn't look likely.

The latest CURRENT FORECAST can always be accessed by clicking the tab at the top of the page.