Many of us awoke to a gorgeous start to the weekend. By 7:30 a.m., several spots were already into the 40s with mostly sunny skies.

Get outside and enjoy the warmth because we’re tracking colder air for Sunday.

Marty and I like to use the analogy of water sloshing up against a shortline to try and make the point about shallow and dense (because of gravity heavy) cold air masses east of the Rocky Mountains. Like in this picture here (and I love this one in particular because she has a jacket on!)…as the water pushes up the shore, your feet are either wet, or they aren’t. There is a pretty sharp dividing line between the water and the sand. A very sharp transition zone exists as the water does a good job of staying together and not leaving any behind. Cold air moving in from the east or northeast acts in a very similar manner as it pushes up against the Rockies. Because of its higher density (more “stuff” {air molecules} in a given area) it will flow into the region from the river valleys…making them the first to recieve it as it comes in, last to get rid of it as it moves out, and feeling the effects of it more noticeably when its here.

Sunday afternoon is a GREAT example of this cold and dense air in our region. From the Neighborhood Weather Network at 1pm, notice that Woodland Park is definately out of the cold airmass…with a relative heatwave! Even at the lowest elevations, notice that downtown and the southeast side are in the low teens while closer to the crest of the Palmer Divide, and relatively higher up, I-25/N. Academy, Briargate and Monument are between 17 and 20.

The same effects are noted in our southern grouping of the NWN, with Cripple Creek the noticeable warm spot and Canon City warmer than Pueblo West and Pueblo as you drop in elevation along the Arkansas River from west to east. Challenging to forecast, fun to watch and all part of life in southern Colorado!

Just like Saturday morning, we saw a wide range in conditions across the Neighborhood Weather Network this morning. Many areas of El Paso County once again had early morning fog and cold temperatures along with some light snow. Here are some shots taken after the snow stopped and the sun came out around 9:00 a.m.

Once again, Teller County lucked out with continued sunshine and mild temperatures throughout the morning. Here’s what Woodland Park looked like.

We’ve had two air masses battling it out today. The result was a wide range of conditions across the Neighborhood Weather Network this morning. Much of El Paso County woke up to fog and cold temperatures while folks in Teller County enjoyed sunshine and fairly mild temperatures. The pictures and temperature readings below are from around 9:00 this morning.

You can see the cold air working in from the east on the temperature map below. The ski resorts were quite a bit warmer than we were here in the Springs.

With the cold air moving around over the plains, it’s going to be difficult to put a finger on the exact high temperatures for today. It’s highly likely though that folks in the higher elevations and foothills will end up warmer than the rest of us.

From the Baltimore/Washington, D.C National Weather Service Office Website:

Most Dramatic and Tragic - 1841:  President William Henry Harrison was sworn into office on a cloudy, cold and blustery day. His speech lasted one hour and 40 minutes and he rode a  horse to and from the Capitol without a hat or overcoat. Pneumonia developed from a lingering cold he caught on that day and he died just one month later.Almost as bad - 1853: President Franklin Pierce was sworn into office on another cold and snowy day. He awoke to heavy snow in the morning which continued until about 11:30 am. Skies looked to be brightening by noon. Shortly after Pierce took his oath of office, as he began his inaugural address, snow started again. It came down heavier than ever dispersing much of the crowd and ruining plans for the parade. Abigail Fillmore, First Lady to the outgoing President Millard Fillmore, caught a cold as she sat on the cold, wet, exposed platform during the swearing-in ceremony. The cold developed into pneumonia and she died at the end of the month.

Worst Weather Day - 1909:  President William H. Taft’s ceremony was forced indoors due to a storm that dropped 10 inches of snow over the Capital city. The snow and winds began the day before. Strong winds toppled trees and telephone poles. Trains were stalled and city streets clogged. All activity was brought to a standstill. Sanitation workers shoveled sand and snow through  half the night. It took 6,000 men and 500 wagons to clear 58,000 tons of snow and slush from the parade route. See pictures. Despite the freezing temperatures, howling wind, snow, and sleet, a large crowd gathered in front of the Capitol to view the inauguration, but the weather forced the ceremony indoors. Just after the swearing-in, the snow tapered off.
Photo taken in front of Presidential Reviewing stand.

 

 

 

 
President Taft and wife returning to White House after the ceremony.

   

 

Wash Out - 1937:  President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s second inauguration. It was the first time the inauguration was held on January 20th. Two hundred thousand visitors came to Washington for the inauguration, though several thousand never got farther than Union Station. It was a cold rainy day. Some sleet and freezing rain was reported in the morning. Between 11 am and 1 pm, 0.69 inches of rain fell. The ceremony began at 12:23 pm. The noon temperature was 33°F. At the president’s insistence, he rode back to the White House in an open car with a half an inch of water on the floor. Later, he stood for an hour and a half in an exposed viewing stand watching the inaugural parade splash by in the deluge. Total rainfall for the day was a wet 1.77 inches and this amount remains as the record rainfall for January 20th.

Worst Traffic Jam - 1961: On the eve of the inauguration, 8 inches of snow fell and caused the most crippling traffic jam (for its time). Hundreds of cars were marooned and thousands of cars were abandoned.  The president-elect had to cancel dinner plans and, in a struggle to keep other commitments, is reported to have had only 4 hours of sleep. Former President Herbert Hoover was unable to fly into Washington National Airport due to the weather and he had to miss the swearing-in ceremony. By sunrise, the snow had ended and the skies were clearing, but the day remained bitter cold.  An army of men worked all night to clear Pennsylvania Avenue and despite the cold, a large crowd turned out for the swearing-in ceremony and inaugural parade. At noon, the temperature was only 22°F and the wind was blowing from the northwest at 19 mph making it feel like the temperature was 7°F above zero.

Warmest Inaugurations:  (Official weather records began in 1871)

Warmest January 20th Traditional Date: 1981 - Ronald Reagan - 55°F under mostly cloudy skies.
Warmest March 4th Traditional Date:
        Official record: 1913 - Woodrow Wilson - 55°F under overcast skies in Washington, DC.
        Unofficial: 1793 - George Washington - estimated 61°F in Philadelphia, PA.
Warmest Non-traditional Dates: August 9, 1974 - Gerald Ford - 89°F with partly cloudy and hazy skies.

Coldest Inaugurations:

Coldest January Date (and overall):  1985 - President Ronald Reagan’s second swearing-in ceremony on January 21 had to be held indoors and the parade was canceled. The outside temperature at noon was only 7°F. The morning low was 4° below zero and the daytime high was only 17°. Wind chill temperatures during the afternoon were in the -10 to -20°F range.
Coldest March Date:  1873 - Ulysses S. Grant’s second swearing-in ceremony - The morning low temperature of 4°F was a record for the month of March. The day remains the coldest March day on record. During the day, bitterly cold winds gusted up to 40 mph. By noon, the temperature had risen to 16°F. Wind chill temperatures were -15° to -30°F.  Cadets and midshipmen had been standing on the mall for more than an hour and a half without overcoats. Several of them collapsed. When the president delivered his inaugural address, the wind made his words inaudible to even those on the platform with him. The inaugural ball was held in a temporary building without heat. It had to be halted at midnight so people, who had been dancing in their overcoats and heavy wraps, could go home and get warm.

Inaugural Weather Fact Sheet

• 1817    =    First outdoor inauguration. President James Monroe was sworn into office.
• 1873    =    Coldest March 4th inauguration. Noon temperature was only 16°F with a record low temperature for March of only 4°F. Sunshine was no help as the wind made it bitterly cold. President Ulysses S. Grant was sworn into office for his second term.
• 1909    =    Most snow with 9.8 inches. Also very strong winds. President William H. Taft was sworn into office.
• 1913    =    Warmest March 4th inauguration. Noon temperature was 55°F.
• 1937    =    First inauguration held on January 20th.
• 1937    =    Record rainfall. It was President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s second inauguration. A total rainfall of 1.77 inches fell that cold day.  Between 11 am and 1 pm, 0.69 inches of rain fell with a noon temperature of 33°F.
• 1961    =    Eight (8) inches of fresh snow laid on the ground for President John F. Kennedy’s inauguration.
• 1981    =    Warmest January inauguration. Noon temperature was 55°F. It was Ronald Reagan’s first inauguration and would greatly contrast his second inauguration listed below.
• 1985    =    Coldest January inauguration (Jan. 21). Noon temperature was only 7°F. The morning low temperature was -4°F and the afternoon high was only 17°F. Wind chill temperatures in the afternoon were in the -10 to -20°F range. It was Ronald Reagan’s second inauguration ceremony.

Inauguration Day Weather

Traditional January Inaugurations -Beginning with Most Recent

Traditional March Inaugurations -Beginning with 1933 and going back to 1871 (1871 = Beginning of official government weather records)

Benjamin Harrison’s inauguration in 1889.
Herbert Hoover’s inaugural parade down Pennsylvania Avenue.

Traditional March Inaugurations - Beginning with 1869 and going back to 1817 (beginning of outdoor ceremonies).  Note: weather records are unofficial during this period.

Traditional  Inaugurations- Indoors - Beginning with 1813 and going back to 1789  (Weather records are unofficial during this period)

Inaugural Weather For Non-Traditional Dates (Inauguration) was in Washington, DC unless otherwise noted)
 

In addition to Josh’s post from this morning…more fire danger for the start of the workweek. The area shaded in orange is a Fire Weather Watch in effect from Monday morning through Monday afternoon. Be extra cautious as you are out and about enjoying the nice weather on MLK Day!

It’s hard to believe that it’s January and we’re talking about fire danger, but that’s the case. Warm temperatures, low relative humidity values and windy conditions will create favorable conditions for fire danger across the far eastern plains. As we saw with the Boulder wildfires earlier this month, fires in the middle of winter are possible in Colorado and can cause plenty of problems. The fire danger over the eastern plains will continue tomorrow.

What an amazing day today! Sunshine and temperatures well above seasonal averages brought a lot of people outside today! Highs were in the 50s and 60s for the plains today with a lot of 40s in our mountain communities.

The high at the Colorado Springs airport today was 55 degrees and 60 degrees at the Pueblo airport. The record high at COS for today is 64 degrees and 70 degrees for PUB. We were only 10 degrees off our record temperatures. Highs could even be a few degrees warmer tomorrow!

We’re really going to an enjoy a wonderful stretch of weather through the middle of next week. Take a look at the beautiful start to the day and how warm we were this morning around 6:45.

We have some warm air aloft that will translate into even warmer temperatures for us at the surface by Tuesday. It looks like we’ll see high temperatures in the 60s in many spots. That warmth is indicated below by the green with cooler air around us in the blue.

The computer models show that colder air heading our way Thursday.

There is still plenty of uncertainty as to how cold we’ll get and how much precipitation, if any, we’ll be seeing. Stay with STORMTRACKER 13 as we track this next round of winter weather.

Well, so here it is…the day after. How are we doing on tracking this cold air? Here is a look at the temperatures at 3pm versus what I showed last night for the highs:

And you can see that the idea was right as Lamar is the cold spot…Trinidad one of the warmer areas and in general temperatures getting colder as you head east of the mountains. I spent a lot of time harping on the fact that we wouldn’t be able to tell exactly what the numbers would be in each location and you see why. Colorado Springs has totally gotten out of the cold airmass, while Pueblo is still in the transition zone. Am I shocked that we’ve ended up in the 40s for Colorado Springs…not at all…would I forecast 29 again if I had to do it over? Yes. That is such a noticeable difference that I’d err on the cold side…again explaining my uncertainties of the forecast and hoping folks won’t be mad if it ends up warmer.

The blue trace I showed on Wednesday was meant to be the areas that I thought had the best chance of dealing with the colder airmass all day and that is working out ok too. Check it out superimposed with the satellite picture from noon…the clouds east of the mountains are tracing out where the cold is located (I’ve added the temperatures at noon in the image on the right to help tell the story).

So hopefully these two posts can help to give you an insight as to some of the things that we wrestle with when we’re in here making forecasts. Sometimes we feel like pulling our hair out, but I can tell you that it is AMAZING to watch the atmosphere here…and its FUN!