7:00 AM | Slow-moving upper low continues to produce unsettled conditions

6-Day Forecast

Today

Mostly cloudy, mild, chance for showers and thunderstorms, highs in the low 60’s

Tonight

Mostly cloudy, chilly, chance for showers and thunderstorms, lows in the low 40’s

Thursday

Mostly cloudy, not as mild, chance for showers and thunderstorms, mid-to-upper 50’s

Thursday Night

Mostly cloudy, chilly, chance for more showers, low 40’s

Friday

Mostly cloudy, mild, chance for showers and thunderstorms, low-to-mid 60’s

Saturday

Mostly cloudy, cool, upper 50’s

Sunday

Partly sunny, pleasant, near 70

Monday

Partly sunny, milder, mid-to-upper 70’s

Discussion

Slow-moving upper level low pressure will continue to produce unsettled conditions around here for the next couple of days with occasional showers and thunderstorms and some of the rain can be heavy at times. In general, temperatures will stay on the cool side for the next few days with highs not far from 60 degrees right into the weekend. As the upper low drifts over the southern Rockies the snow levels will drop to around 9 or 10K feet and accumulations are possible in some of those higher elevation locations.

Video

httpv://youtu.be/9l0Y5Pit2Ls

7:00 AM | Clearing trend begins today

6-Day Forecast

Today

Partly sunny, breezy, cool, highs in the low-to-mid 60’s

Tonight

Becoming mostly cloudy, mild, some fog possible late, lows in the upper 50’s

Thursday

Partly sunny, breezy, cool, low-to-mid 60’s

Thursday Night

Mostly cloudy, mild, some fog possible late, lows near 60

Friday

Early low clouds and fog possible then partly sunny skies, cool, mid 60’s

Saturday

Early low clouds and fog possible then mostly sunny skies, cool, upper 60’s

Sunday

Early fog then mostly sunny, milder, low 70’s

Monday

Early fog then partly sunny, mild, low 70’s

Discussion

A clearing trend begins today with the return of sunshine as low pressure pushes away from the region to our east. As high pressure intensifies later this week a warming trend will take place which will send high temperatures to the 70’s by the weekend. Also, there will be a return of late night and early morning marine flow which will bring in some fog and low clouds to coastal regions.

Video

httpv://youtu.be/9l0Y5Pit2Ls

12:55 PM | Weather and the Hindenburg disaster 76 years ago

Discussion

While weather played an important role in the Titanic disaster just over one hundred years ago, it was an even more direct cause of the Hindenburg disaster 76 years ago yesterday – at least that is the prevailing belief. On May 6th, 1937, while the Hindenburg was attempting to land at the Lakehurst Naval Air Station in New Jersey, a flame appeared on the outer cover of the rear of the ship. Within 34 seconds, the entire airship was consumed by fire and the golden age of airship travel was over.

The effect of the weather on this tragedy actually began on the trip across the Atlantic Ocean. On most trips across the ocean, the Hindenburg maintained an altitude of about 650 feet and cruised at nearly 80 mph; however, on this particular trip the airship encountered strong head winds that slowed it down, pushing back the expected arrival time in New Jersey from around 6am to about 4pm on May 6th, 1937. This change in expected arrival time was critical as late afternoon and early evening hours are much more likely to feature thunderstorm activity compared to the early morning hours. Indeed, on that particular afternoon, a thunderstorm was brewing over Lakehurst, NJ and winds were kicking up to nearly 30 mph. As a result, the Hindenburg circled around for quite some time while waiting for the weather conditions to improve. By 6pm, the rain was still falling quite heavily from thunderstorm activity throughout much of New Jersey and lightning storms were clearly recorded in the weather observations for the day. Finally, shortly after 7pm, the decision was made by the commander of the airship to land as “conditions definitely improved”.

Not long after that decision was made, the Hindenburg appeared over Lakehurst, NJ and it began to circle the airfield in preparation for the landing. At 7:21pm, the Hindenburg was still about 1000 feet away from the mooring mast and about 300 feet in the air. At 7:25pm, witnesses reported a blue glow on top of the Hindenburg followed by a small flame from the top of the tail section and within seconds there was an explosion and fire engulfed the tail and spread quickly forward. The mid-section of the ship was completely in flames even before the tail of the Hindenburg hit the ground. It took only 34 seconds for the entire airship to be consumed by flames, 36 people lost their lives and, amazingly, there were 61 survivors.

Many theories have been talked about and investigated over the years regarding the disaster including sabotage, mechanical failure or even the possibility that it was shot from the sky. The most widely accepted theory involves the highly flammable hydrogen on the Hindenburg. Most people believed at the time that something caused the hydrogen to spark, thus causing the explosion and fire. In the beginning of the initial investigation, the idea arose that the drop lines carried static electricity back up to the airship which caused the explosion. However, the chief of the ground crew denied this claim by the fact that the mooring lines were not conductors of static electricity. More credible was the idea that the blue arc seen at the tail of the airship just before it burst into flames was actually lightning and it caused the detonation of the hydrogen. This theory was substantiated by the presence of the lightning storms reported in the area. The hydrogen explosion theory became accepted as the reason for the explosion and led to the end of commercial lighter-than-air flight and the stalling of hydrogen as a reliable fuel.

7:00 AM | Slow-moving system gives us an unsettled week

6-Day Forecast

Today

Partly sunny, mild, chance for showers and thunderstorms, highs in the mid-to-upper 60’s

Tonight

Mostly cloudy, chilly, chance for showers and thunderstorms, lows in the low 40’s

Wednesday

Mostly cloudy, not as mild, chance for showers and thunderstorms, near 60

Wednesday Night

Mostly cloudy, chilly, chance for more showers, low 40’s

Thursday

Mostly cloudy, cool, chance for showers and thunderstorms, upper 50’s

Friday

Mostly cloudy, cool, chance for showers and thunderstorms, near 60

Saturday

Mostly cloudy, cool, chance for showers, upper 50’s

Sunday

Partly sunny, milder, upper 60’s

Discussion

Much of the week will be characterized by unsettled and showery conditions. A broad area of low pressure will move from the California coast to the Four Corners region by mid-week and this will give us the chance for showers and thunderstorms and cooler-than-normal temperatures. It’ll take until late in the weekend for some drier air to move to eliminate our chances for showers and thunderstorms as high pressure will finally build back into the upper atmosphere in the southern Rockies.

Video

httpv://youtu.be/xttSoBNPrmM

7:00 AM | Continued threat for showers and thunderstorms

6-Day Forecast

Today

Mostly cloudy, breezy, cool, scattered showers, maybe a thunderstorm, highs in the low-to-mid 60’s

Tonight

Becoming partly cloudy, mild, lows in the upper 50’s

Wednesday

Mostly sunny, breezy, cool, low-to-mid 60’s

Wednesday Night

Mostly cloudy, mild, some fog possible late, lows near 60

Thursday

Early low clouds and fog possible then partly sunny skies, cool, mid 60’s

Friday

Early low clouds and fog possible then partly sunny skies, cool, mid 60’s

Saturday

Early fog then partly sunny, milder, near 70

Sunday

Early fog then partly sunny, mild, low 70’s

Discussion

Unsettled weather conditions will continue today as broad and slow-moving low pressure affects the region for another day. As the week progresses, upper level high pressure will return to the region and there will be a gradual warming trend by the weekend along with an increase in daily sunshine.

Video

httpv://youtu.be/xttSoBNPrmM

7:00 AM | Unsettled weather to start the week

6-Day Forecast

Today

Mostly cloudy, breezy, cool, showers and possible thunderstorms, highs in the low-to-mid 60’s

Tonight

Mostly cloudy, mild, chance for showers, maybe a thunderstorm, lows in the upper 50’s

Tuesday

Mostly cloudy, cool, chance for showers and thunderstorms, low-to-mid 60’s

Tuesday Night

Mostly cloudy, mild, lows near 60

Wednesday

Partly sunny, cool, mid 60’s

Thursday

Early fog then partly sunny, cool, mid 60’s

Friday

Early fog then partly sunny, cool, mid 60’s

Saturday

Early fog then partly sunny, cool, mid 60’s

Discussion

Unsettled weather conditions will continue for the next couple of days with the threat for some shower activity, maybe a thunderstorm or two, and it’ll stay on the cool side of normal. All of this unsettled weather is due to a slow moving upper level low, but better weather should return by the second half of the week as high pressure ridging slowly pushes into the region.

7:00 AM | A mild week in general, but unsettled

6-Day Forecast

Today

Mostly cloudy, breezy, milder, chance for showers and thunderstorms, highs in the middle 60’s

Tonight

Mostly cloudy, chilly, chance for showers, lows in the low 40’s

Tuesday

Partly sunny, mild, chance for showers and thunderstorms, mid 60’s

Tuesday Night

Mostly cloudy, chilly, chance for showers and thunderstorms, low-to-mid 40’s

Wednesday

Mostly cloudy, mild, chance for showers and thunderstorms, low 60’s

Thursday

Mostly cloudy, not as mild, chance for showers and thunderstorms, upper 50’s

Friday

Mostly cloudy, mild, chance for showers, low 60’s

Saturday

Mostly cloudy, cooler, chance for showers, mid-to-upper 50’s

Discussion

A mild day begins the new work week, but it’ll be somewhat unsettled and that will be the overall weather pattern for much of the week. The dominant weather feature for this week will be a slow moving upper level low in the western states that will take much of the week to travel from California to the central Plains.

7:00 AM | Hot again today, but cooler weather returns soon; meteor shower peaks this weekend

6-Day Forecast

Today

Mostly sunny, windy, very warm, highs in the upper 70’s along the coast and upper 80’s inland

Tonight

Mostly clear, breezy, mild, lows in the lower 60’s

Saturday

Partly sunny, breezy, much cooler, upper 60’s

Saturday Night

Mostly cloudy, mild, lows near 60

Sunday

Mostly cloudy, cool, chance for a few showers, mid 60’s

Monday

Mostly cloudy, cool, chance for a shower, low 60’s

Tuesday

Partly sunny, cool, chance for a shower, mid 60’s

Wednesday

Mainly sunny, cool, mid 60’s

Discussion

Today will be another hot and windy day with offshore winds continuing and temperatures well up in the 80’s in interior valley locations. The offshore flow of air will change quickly during the overnight hours to an onshore direction and this will cause a quick drop in temperatures along coastal sections and nearby interior valleys. Cooler weather is likely early next week as an upper level low approaches the region and isolated showers are possible across southern California. Finally, there is another meteor shower that peaks this weekend and nighttime skies should be cooperative in most locations.

7:00 AM | Back to the 50's today and it could get even milder early next week; meteor shower peaks this weekend

6-Day Forecast

Today

Mostly sunny, much milder, but still below normal, highs in the upper 50’s

Tonight

Mostly clear, chilly, lows in the mid 30’s

Saturday

Partly sunny, cool, breezy, mid 50’s

Saturday Night

Mostly cloudy, chilly, mid 30’s

Sunday

Mostly sunny, cool, mid-to-upper 50’s

Monday

Partly sunny, milder, mid 60’s

Tuesday

Mostly cloudy, mild, chance for showers, upper 60’s

Wednesday

Partly sunny, mild, breezy, chance for a shower or thunderstorm, mid 60’s

Discussion

A strong upper level low is situated just to our east and it will continue to slowly pull farther to the east over the next 36 hours or so. This will allow for continued modification in temperatures this afternoon with highs approaching the 60 degree mark in the Denver metro region. The warm up will go no further this weekend as it appears that highs will generally hold in the 50’s this weekend. Milder air is likely to reach the region early next week with 60+ degrees possible by then for high temperatures. Finally, there is another meteor shower that peaks late this weekend and nighttime skies should be cooperative.

3:30 PM | More on the impressive snow and cold

Discussion

Quite an impressive shot of cold and snow for early May in a large swath of the heartland! An indication as to the extent of the current cold wave encompassing the mid-section of the country can be summed up as follows: temperatures last hour were near 50 degrees in Dallas, Texas where the normal high is now 80 degrees, and at the same time it was snowing heavily in Minnesota and Wisconsin with more than a foot already on the ground up there. Single-day record May snowfalls have fallen today in Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Nebraska. Omaha, NE, Mason City, IA, and Rochester, MN, are but a few of several cities that have been clobbered by their biggest May snowfall on record in parts of the country where records go back to the 1800s. Elsewhere, Hayward, Wisconsin received 15 inches of snow which was the most ever in the entire state during the month of May. Additionally, it’s snowing now in Topeka, Kansas – last time for a May snowfall there was 106 years ago.

On Tuesday, Colorado and Wyoming were slammed with heavy snow with some impressive results: 19 inches at Estes Park, CO, 16 inches in Fort Collins, CO, 12 inches in Boulder, CO, 15 inches in Cheyenne, WY and 12 inches in Lander, WY. The highest snow accumulation amount for Colorado was 28 inches at Buckhorn Mountain. Denver dropped to a record low of 19 degrees this morning (5 inches of snow there) and Laramie had its coldest May temperature ever (7 degrees).

At the two-thirds mark for meteorological spring (Mar-May), 2013 was the second coldest spring on record – slightly warmer than 1975. There is a chance to end up with the coldest spring ever for the US, however, as there is more chill on the way for this spring and May 1975 was actually unusually warm. Stay tuned.