Memorial Day weekend sees mixed forecast for Colorado’s mountain towns
Memorial Day weekend will bring warm and sunny weather to Colorado’s ski resort towns, with some chances for afternoon thunderstorms scattered throughout
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
Following a rainy start to the week, Memorial Day weekend in Colorado’s mountain towns will bring a mix of sunny weather, showers and possible thunderstorms.
Friday will start out with cooler temperatures and get progressively warmer throughout the weekend. Higher-elevation towns like Vail and Breckenridge can expect temperatures in the 50s, while lower-elevation valleys including Steamboat Springs, Glenwood Springs and Aspen will sit comfortably in the 60s, according to the National Weather Service.
The sky will also grow increasingly cloudy throughout the day on Friday, culminating in a chance of rain showers throughout the night. The showers could transition into snow after midnight in some higher elevation towns.
Saturday and Sunday will see a return to mostly sunny weather, with temperatures reaching into the 60s and 70s but in the mid-80s for Glenwood Springs.
Kris Sanders, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said Memorial Day weekend is roughly 10 degrees above normal this year for the Western Slope.
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While early weekend conditions will be pleasant, residents and visitors should still be prepared for brief periods of gusty winds and elevated fire risks. Drought conditions across parts of western Colorado are still sitting at the highest intensity level as of May 21, which could impact county-level fire restrictions.
“Friday and Saturday are pretty similar, where we could see those wind gusts around 25 to 30 (miles per hour) in the afternoon, but once we get to Sunday and Monday, those are much lower,” Sanders said.
By Monday, temperatures will have reached the mid-70s for most of the Western Slope. While the morning is forecast to start off with some sun, showers are likely to arrive in the afternoon, with a chance of thunderstorms through Tuesday.
“Once we get into Monday, we actually have a storm system coming out of the West, so that’s going to help develop those showers and maybe some storms,” Sanders said. “(The storm) could impact outdoor events and other things going on, so that’s something to keep an eye on for the forecast. Temperatures will cool down … after the holiday.”
