Storms Continue to Rumble Across the Intermountain West and the Plains
Alexis Thornton
Last monthA large portion of the central U.S. from the Rocky Mountains and across into the Plains states will be at risk of seeing severe storms ignite this first part of the week as a moisture-rich weather pattern envelops the region. Here is a look at what you can expect in this part of the country.
Monday's Stormy Weather Pattern Will Linger Into Middle of the Week
Rocky weather is bearing down on the Intermountain West and the Plains to start the week. Monday got off to an unsettled start with storms igniting across the Colorado Front Range and areas to both the east and the west.
A zone of high pressure anchored over the south-central U.S. will push into the Gulf Coast region as the week progresses. This high pressure will result in mostly dry conditions for early in the week in this part of the country while pushing the storm activity to the north.
A great deal of the moisture spilling into the Front Range and the central Plains will be blamed on the typical monsoon pattern that distinguishes this time of the year. The monsoon storms generally translate to periods of torrential rain and other impacts firing up during the afternoon and evening hours. Any storm cells that make it over the mountains and to the east later in the day may congeal together and create severe impacts for the Plains in the overnight hours.
The areas of the Intermountain West from Idaho and to Colorado will be in the impact zone of this action. Although a widespread severe weather outbreak is not in the forecast, there will be enough moisture associated with this system to produce isolated strong thunderstorms.
Some of the rainfall events will pack enough moisture to trigger flash flooding. This threat is the greatest in burn scar locations and across steep terrains. Other potential impacts of this weather pattern include hail and damaging wind gusts.
Temperatures dipped slightly across the Front Range on Monday, however, the mercury will be on the upswing again by the middle of the week. The fluctuating temperatures will remain in place through the week for the Front Range and Plains with wide differences expected across the region. For instance, while Denver will see highs shoot back up into the low 90s by the end of the week, the readings will hover in the 70s in some parts of the Plains.