Dry & Sunny through Wednesday
Good afternoon folks! The forecast has not changed much since the previous discussion was posted on Thursday. Sunny skies will dominate the landscape today through the middle of next week and temps gradually warm with each passing day, peaking to the upper 70's on Wednesday. A widespread freeze occurred this morning with temps in the 20's across most of the area and there exists a chance for frost above 3500' tonight as temps dip into the low 30's, however the valleys should be spared with temps in the upper 30's - low 40's. Freezing temps are not found in the forecast after Sunday morning, however overnight lows will be chilly Monday and Tuesday morning across the higher elevations as temps dip into the upper 30's. Minus the chance for frost the overall setup is fairly boring as we wait for our next rain maker to arrive, which looks to occur sometime Wednesday night into Thursday morning in the form of a passing cold front. The late week setup is not set in stone and there is a chance for strong to severe thunderstorms with heavy rainfall, but for now we are following the NWS' lead and going with scattered showers Thursday and Friday.
Sunny skies sit overhead today (Saturday) through Wednesday and we'll notice an uptick in moisture levels beginning Monday as southerly flow returns to the region, which will also push temps past normal levels. High temps today push into the low 60's, warming to near 70°F on Sunday, low - mid 70's Monday and Tuesday, and peaking to the upper 70's on Wednesday across the valleys. The highest elevations above 5500' will reach the upper 40's today, upper 50's Sunday and Monday and finally the low - mid 60's Tuesday and Wednesday. Overnight lows generally hold to the 40's Sunday and Monday night, eventually settling into the 50's by Tuesday night for the valleys.
As of today the models show rain arriving late Wednesday night with scattered coverage continuing through Thursday and Friday. The chance for strong to severe thunderstorms exist but its not a guarantee at this time. This does indicate heavy rain is a second and more likely possibility. We are not confident at this time to discuss rain totals but plan for spending a good bit of time inside Thursday and Friday if it does end up being a moderate - heavy rain event. Temps should cool down a bit to the upper 50's - low 70's each afternoon, but this is close to normal for early April.
I'll circle back Monday morning with a new discussion and start to take a deeper dive into the late week rain event. Enjoy the weekend!