7:00 AM | Upper lows in the eastern Pacific keep the region on the cool side

6-Day Forecast

Today

Early morning low clouds and patchy fog then becoming partly sunny, cool, breezy, highs in the low 70’s along coastal locations

Tonight

Mostly cloudy, cool, some patchy fog possible late, lows by morning in the low 60’s

Thursday

Early low clouds and fog then becoming mostly sunny, breezy, cool, low 70’s

Thursday Night

Mostly cloudy, cool, some patchy fog possible late, low 60’s

Friday

Early low clouds and fog then remaining mostly cloudy, cool, near 70

Saturday

Early low clouds and fog then remaining mostly cloudy, cool, near 70

Sunday

Early low clouds and fog then becoming mostly sunny, cool, near 70

Monday

Early low clouds and fog then becoming mostly sunny, cool, low 70’s

Discussion

Onshore flow will continue to generate some late night and early morning low clouds and fog along coastal sections for the next few days and temperatures will stay generally slightly below normal (normal high now at LAX is 75 degrees). A trough of low pressure will approach the region at the end of the week and this will keep the slightly cooler-than-normal conditions around here with periods of clouds on Friday and Saturday.

Video

httpv://youtu.be/sAT8VtrVdAU

7:00 AM | Rain-free and warmer conditions for much of the week

6-Day Forecast

Today

Mainly sunny, warm, highs in the low 80’s

Tonight

Partly cloudy, cool, lows by morning in the mid 50’s

Wednesday

Mostly sunny, even warmer, slight chance for a shower or thunderstorm, mid 80’s

Wednesday Night

Partly cloudy, cool, low-to-mid 50’s

Thursday

Mostly sunny, not as warm, low-to-mid 70’s

Friday

Mainly sunny, pleasant, mid-to-upper 70’s

Saturday

Mainly sunny, comfortably warm, near 80

Sunday

Mainly sunny, pleasant, mid-to-upper 70’s

Discussion

The weather this week will be dramatically better than last week and it will aid in on-going cleanup efforts in flooded areas. Upper level ridging will provide the region with warmer temperatures and primarily rain-free conditions for the next several days across the southern Rockies.

Video

httpv://youtu.be/jonIiRu6JDw

7:00 AM | Gulf of Alaska low could bring even cooler air to the region late this week

6-Day Forecast

Today

Early morning low clouds and patchy fog then becoming partly sunny, cooler, breezy, highs in the low 70’s along coastal locations

Tonight

Mostly cloudy, cool, some patchy fog possible late, lows by morning in the low 60’s

Wednesday

Early low clouds and fog then becoming mostly sunny, breezy, cool, low 70’s

Wednesday Night

Mostly cloudy, cool, some patchy fog possible late, low 60’s

Thursday

Early low clouds and fog then becoming mostly sunny, cool, low 70’s

Friday

Early low clouds and fog then remaining mostly cloudy, cool, near 70

Saturday

Early low clouds and fog then remaining mostly cloudy, cool, near 70

Sunday

Early low clouds and fog then remaining mostly cloudy, cool, near 70

Discussion

A trough of low pressure will keep us cool for the first part of the week and then a second area of low pressure dropping southward from the Gulf of Alaska could generate clouds and quite cool late week conditions in the region. Onshore flow will continue to generate some late night and early morning low clouds and fog along coastal sections.

Video

httpv://youtu.be/jonIiRu6JDw

7:00 AM | Cooling trend develops this week as upper trough approaches

6-Day Forecast

Today

Early morning low clouds and patchy fog then becoming mostly sunny, warmer, breezy, highs in the mid 70’s along coastal locations, warmer inland

Tonight

Mostly cloudy, mild, some patchy fog possible late, lows by morning in the low-to-mid 60’s

Tuesday

Early low clouds and fog then becoming mostly sunny, cooler, low 70’s

Tuesday Night

Mostly cloudy, mild, some patchy fog possible late, low-to-mid 60’s

Wednesday

Early low clouds and fog then becoming mostly sunny, cool, low 70’s

Thursday

Early low clouds and fog then becoming partly sunny, cooler, near 70

Friday

Early low clouds and fog then remaining mostly cloudy, quite cool, upper 60’s

Saturday

Early low clouds and fog then becoming partly sunny, cool, upper 60’s

Discussion

The warm up that occurred over the weekend will be reversed after today as an upper level trough approaches the region. A marine flow of air will become better defined as the trough approaches bringing with it to the region late night and early morning low clouds and patchy fog. Temperatures today should reach into the middle 70’s along coastal sections, but could have trouble escaping the upper 60’s by late this week.

Video

httpv://youtu.be/nFY8sIyy_Hc

7:00 AM | Dramatically better weather develops this week to aid in the on-going cleanup efforts in flooded regions

6-Day Forecast

Today

Mainly cloudy, warm, slight chance for afternoon showers and thunderstorms, highs in the mid-to-upper 70’s

Tonight

Partly cloudy, cool, slight chance for an evening shower and thunderstorm, lows by morning in the mid 50’s

Tuesday

Mostly sunny, warmer, low 80’s

Tuesday Night

Partly cloudy, cool, mid-to-upper 50’s

Wednesday

Mostly sunny, still warm, low-to-mid 80’s

Thursday

Mainly sunny, pleasant, mid-to-upper 70’s

Friday

Mainly sunny, pleasant, mid-to-upper 70’s

Saturday

Mainly sunny, pleasant, upper 70’s

Discussion

The weather this week will be dramatically better than last week and it will aid in the on-going cleanup efforts in flooded areas. Despite the slight chance for showers and thunderstorms today and tonight, upper level ridging will generally provide the region with warmer temperatures and rain-free conditions for the next several days.

Video

httpv://youtu.be/nFY8sIyy_Hc

7:00 AM | **Still more rain around today and major flooding issues remain all due to combination of excessive tropical moisture and upslope flow; southwesterly flow in the upper atmosphere will promote some drying in the region by tomorrow and significant drying to occur next week**

6-Day Forecast

Today

Mostly cloudy, cool, more rain and possibly a thunderstorm, major flooding issues will continue; especially, in the foothills, highs in the upper 60's

Tonight

Mostly cloudy, quite cool, chance for evening showers and thunderstorms, lows by morning in the mid 50’s

Saturday

Mostly cloudy, warmer, chance for showers and thunderstorms, upper 70’s

Saturday Night

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

Sunday

Partly sunny, cooler, chance for more showers and thunderstorms, low 70’s

Monday

Partly sunny, warm, slight chance for showers and thunderstorms, mid-to-upper 70’s

Tuesday

Mainly sunny, warm, low 80's

Wednesday

Partly sunny, warm, low 80's

Discussion

There will be more rain and a possible thunderstorm to start the day across the region and major flooding issues will continue; especially, in the foothills - all due to tremendous amounts of tropical moisture and upslope flow. The threat for heavy rain will diminish later today and tonight as the upper level flow becomes more from a southwesterly direction, but any further rainfall today will simply add to runoff from the extremely saturated grounds where, in some cases, 6 to 12 inches of rain has fallen over the past couple of days. The pattern changes considerably next week and it looks like it will be an extended period of dry and warm weather to help with the recovery efforts.

Video

httpv://youtu.be/zurQGjHIxzk

7:00 AM | Onshore flow of air weakens and this will allow for a warmup in the region into the weekend

6-Day Forecast

Today

Early morning low clouds and patchy fog then becoming mostly sunny, warmer, breezy, highs near 75 degrees along coastal locations

Tonight

Mostly clear, mild, lows by morning in the mid 60’s

Saturday

Mostly sunny, breezy, warmer, upper 70’s

Saturday Night

Mostly clear, mild, lows by morning in the mid 60’s

Sunday

Partly sunny, warm, mid-to-upper 70’s

Monday

Early low clouds and fog then becoming mostly sunny, warm, mid-to-upper 70’s

Tuesday

Early low clouds and fog then becoming mostly sunny, cooler, low 70’s

Wednesday

Early low clouds and fog then becoming mostly sunny, cool, near 70

Discussion

Onshore flow will weaken today as upper level high pressure builds over the region. This will generate a warming trend that will continue into the weekend. Another trough of low pressure will approach the region early next week bringing with it a cooling trend.

Video

httpv://youtu.be/zurQGjHIxzk

7:00 AM | **A major flash flooding event unfolding in and near the foothills**

6-Day Forecast

Today

Mostly cloudy, cool, showers and thunderstorms and some of the rain can be heavy, major flooding is likely in and near the foothills where several inches of rain can accumulate, highs near 70 degrees

Tonight

Mostly cloudy, quite cool, showers and thunderstorms likely and some of the rain can be heavy, major flooding problems are likely to continue in and near the foothills, lows by morning in the mid 50’s

Friday

Mostly cloudy, still cool, chance for more showers and thunderstorms, low-to-mid 70’s

Friday Night

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

Saturday

Mostly sunny, warmer, chance for showers and thunderstorms, upper 70’s

Sunday

Mostly cloudy, cooler again, showers and thunderstorms likely, low 70’s

Monday

Mainly sunny, warmer, near 80

Tuesday

Partly sunny, warm, low 80’s

Discussion

A very moist and unseasonably cool period of weather will continue across the southern Rockies with more heavy showers and thunderstorms. Several inches of rain are likely in and near the foothills over the next 12 hours or so and this will bring major flooding to that region. High temperatures will again stay on the cool side in the Denver metro region struggling to pass the 70 degree mark. As the work week ends and weekend begins, the upper atmosphere flow of air will become more southwesterly and there will be a slight warm up in the region as a result and slightly reduced threat of rain.

Video

httpv://youtu.be/l3rAjj3KBWs

7:00 AM | Pleasantly cool again today along the coast; warmer for Friday and Saturday

6-Day Forecast

Today

Mostly sunny skies, still pleasantly cool, breezy, highs near 70 degrees along coastal locations

Tonight

Mostly cloudy, cool, patchy fog possible late, lows by morning in the low-to-mid 60’s

Friday

Early morning low clouds and patchy fog then becoming mostly sunny, breezy, warmer, mid 70’s

Friday Night

Mostly clear, cool, patchy fog possible late, lows by morning in the mid 60’s

Saturday

Becoming partly sunny, even warmer, near 80

Sunday

Mostly sunny skies, warm, mid-to-upper 70’s

Monday

Mostly sunny, cooler, low 70’s

Tuesday

Mainly sunny, cool, near 70

Discussion

Onshore flow will keep us on the cool side of normal for another day, but building high pressure will bring a warming trend to the region as the work week ends and weekend begins. The warm up may not last too long, however, as marine flow may return early next week and promote another cooling trend.

Video

httpv://youtu.be/l3rAjj3KBWs

11:30 AM | The sun has gone eerily quiet

Discussion

The main driver of all weather and climate, the entity which occupies 99.86% of all of the mass in our solar system, the great ball of fire in the sky – has gone eerily quiet. The sun is currently virtually spotless despite the fact that this is supposed to have been a period of elevated sunspot activity during the solar maximum of solar cycle 24.

We are currently over four years into Solar Cycle 24 and it continues to “underwhelm” and be on a pace that would make it the smallest sunspot cycle since Cycle 14 which peaked in February 1906. There is a growing feeling that, based on the recent inactivity, the peak may have already happened during the latter part of 2011 - much earlier than originally forecasted. Another theory suggests that there may be a “double-peak” solar maximum for this cycle which would mean there could be a sharp spike in sunspot activity still to come later this year or in 2014, but there certainly have been no signs of that in recent days.

Solar cycle 24 began after an unusually deep solar minimum that lasted from 2007 to 2009 which included more spotless days on the sun compared to any minimum in almost a century. While a weaker solar cycle does not rule out the threat for strong solar storms, it does suggest that they will occur less often than during the stronger and more active cycles. The increasingly likely outcome for a weak solar cycle continues the recent downward trend in sunspot cycle strength that began over twenty years ago with solar cycle 22. In addition, there are some solar scientists who are already predicting that the next cycle, 25, will be even weaker than the current one. According to some research studies, weak solar cycles with extended lengths may actually have a downward effect on global temperatures in the medium and longer range. Weak solar cycles tend to last longer than the strong ones. There have been historical periods with minimal sunspot activity that lasted for several decades such as from the mid 1600’s to the early 1700’s when the so-called “Maunder Minimum” occurred and this period was quite cold globally. We’ll continue to periodically report on the latest solar activity here at “thesiweather.com” to monitor any important changes that may unfold.

Video

httpv://youtu.be/r11ApCwhc-k