Bitter chilly has set in over most of Colorado, as many woke as much as subzero temperatures Saturday morning
Whereas many elements of Denver and the japanese plains will keep within the single digits earlier than temps dive again beneath zero Saturday, a lot of the excessive nation will see highs attain the teenagers and close to 20 levels.
So, how can it presumably be hotter at high-altitude than it’s on the town?
The meteorological rationalization for this can be a phenomenon known as chilly air damming. That’s when a mass of chilly air turns into trapped on the windward facet of a mountain vary – on this case, the Entrance Vary on the base of the Colorado Rockies.
Right here’s the definition from the Nationwide Oceanic and Atmospheric Affiliation:
The phenomenon during which a low-level chilly air mass is trapped topographically. Typically, this chilly air is entrenched on the east facet of mountainous terrain. Chilly Air Damming usually implies that the trapped chilly air mass is influencing the dynamics of the overlying air mass, e.g. in an overrunning state of affairs. Results on the climate could embody chilly temperatures, freezing precipitation, and in depth cloud cowl
Our jetstream winds usually blow from the west to the east. Within the case of this bitter chilly, although, even when the floor wind is blowing east to west, the air mass is dense and heavy and has a tough time rising up the mountains into the upper elevations. Meaning the pocket of actually chilly air simply sits over the bottom elevations whereas the hotter winds from the west blow over prime of the Entrance Vary.
The chilly, dense, and shallow air mass can solely be a number of hundred toes in depth, which implies there could be main discrepancies in temperatures – and precipitation – over comparatively brief distances.
Whereas it means colder temps on the town, the clashing of these winds can imply immense snowfall for the mountains.
This weekend, the metro and plains might see a number of inches of snowfall, primarily Sunday into Monday. In the meantime, some areas of the excessive nation will probably be measuring their snowfall in toes as a number of rounds of snow hammer the excessive nation. As a lot as 4 toes might fall on among the excessive mountain passes via Monday evening, in keeping with the Nationwide Climate Service.
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