Weather Alerts for Colorado

Recent Locations: La Center, WA New Liberty, IA Fort Lupton, CO

1. Air Quality Alert for: Routt, CO; Rio Blanco, CO; Montrose, CO; Gunnison, CO; Garfield, CO; Delta, CO; Mesa, CO; Eagle, CO

2. Air Quality Alert for: San Miguel, CO; Hinsdale, CO; San Juan, CO; Montezuma, CO; Dolores, CO; Ouray, CO

3. Air Quality Alert for: Summit, CO; Jackson, CO; Grand, CO

4. Fire Weather Watch for: Little Snake; Routt; White River; Lower Colorado River; Colorado River Headwaters; Southwest Colorado Lower Forecast Area; Paradox Valley; Northern San Juan; North Fork; Gunnison Basin; Southwest Colorado Upper West Forecast Area; Southwest Colorado Upper East Forecast Area; Eastern Ashley National Forest; Eastern Uintah Basin; Book Cliffs; Colorado River Basin; Southeast Utah

5. Red Flag Warning for: Jackson County Below 9000 Feet; South and Southeast Grand/West Central and Southwest Boulder/Gilpin/Clear Creek/Summit/North and West Park Counties Above 9000 Feet; Grand and Summit Counties Below 9000 Feet; Central and Southeast Park County; Larimer and Boulder Counties Between 6000 and 9000 Feet; Jefferson and West Douglas Counties Above 6000 Feet/Gilpin/Clear Creek/Northeast Park Counties Below 9000 Feet; West Jackson and West Grand Counties Above 9000 Feet; South and East Jackson/Larimer/North and Northeast Grand/Northwest Boulder Counties Above 9000 Feet

6. Red Flag Warning for: Little Snake; Routt; White River; Lower Colorado River; Colorado River Headwaters; Southwest Colorado Lower Forecast Area; Paradox Valley; Northern San Juan; North Fork; Gunnison Basin; Southwest Colorado Upper West Forecast Area; Southwest Colorado Upper East Forecast Area; Eastern Ashley National Forest; Eastern Uintah Basin; Book Cliffs; Colorado River Basin; Southeast Utah

7. Red Flag Warning for: Upper Arkansas River Valley Including Lake County and Chaffee County; Fremont County Including Canon City/Howard/Texas Creek; Eastern San Juan Mountains and La Garita Mountains Including Wolf Creek Pass and Creede; Southern Front Range Including Sangre De Cristo Mountains/Wet Mountains/La Veta Pass

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Current U.S. National Radar--Current

The Current National Weather Radar is shown below with a UTC Time (subtract 5 hours from UTC to get Eastern Time).

National Weather Forecast--Current

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National Weather Forecast for Tomorrow

Tomorrow National Weather Forecast and Tomorrow National Weather Map are show below.

North America Water Vapor (Moisture)

This map shows recent moisture content over North America. Bright and colored areas show high moisture (ie, clouds); brown indicates very little moisture present; black indicates no moisture.

Weather Topic: What is Rain?

Home - Education - Precipitation - Rain

Rain Next Topic: Shelf Clouds

Precipitation in the form of water droplets is called rain. Rain generally has a tendency to fall with less intensity over a greater period of time, and when rainfall is more severe it is usually less sustained.

Rain is the most common form of precipitation and happens with greater frequency depending on the season and regional influences. Cities have been shown to have an observable effect on rainfall, due to an effect called the urban heat island. Compared to upwind, monthly rainfall between twenty and forty miles downwind of cities is 30% greater.

Next Topic: Shelf Clouds

Weather Topic: What is Sleet?

Home - Education - Precipitation - Sleet

Sleet Next Topic: Snow

Sleet is a form of precipitation in which small ice pellets are the primary components. These ice pellets are smaller and more translucent than hailstones, and harder than graupel. Sleet is caused by specific atmospheric conditions and therefore typically doesn't last for extended periods of time.

The condition which leads to sleet formation requires a warmer body of air to be wedged in between two sub-freezing bodies of air. When snow falls through a warmer layer of air it melts, and as it falls through the next sub-freezing body of air it freezes again, forming ice pellets known as sleet. In some cases, water droplets don't have time to freeze before reaching the surface and the result is freezing rain.

Next Topic: Snow