Red Rocks during the summer months is affected by continental-tropical (cT) air which is warm and dry, as well as a small amount of maritime-tropical (mT) air, which is warm and humid. There is continental-polar (cP) air during the winter months, which is cool and dry. Sometimes, continental-arctic (cA) air masses can come through during the winters as well, chilling things down quite a bit, and is much colder than the cP air.
Shown above here, you will see an example of today's frontal systems. It looks like there is a cold front that is moving in from the Northwest, mixed with an occluded front. Perhaps Red Rocks will see some pretty cold weather by this coming weekend!!
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| (image credit: Karen Titchener, Cloud Aprreciation Society) |
Thunderstorms are common during the summer months in Morrison. Massive
cumulonimbus clouds develop over the region from warm, unstable air
combined with moisture, which create heavy rainfall. Cumulonimbus clouds
are one of the most fascinating clouds because they can accumulate as
high as the tropopause, in which case you will find the top of the cloud
sort of tapering off horizontally, creating a "mushroom" shape. The photograph above is a spectacular example of a cumulonimbus cloud.
The photo above depicts a unique formation of cirrus clouds,
which lie in the higher region of the atmosphere at over 23,000 feet. Cirrus clouds are a precursor to cumulonimbus clouds, and form from an incoming cold front. If you see these clouds at Red Rocks, there is a good chance that bad weather, perhaps a thunderstorm, is coming your way.
(source via: http://gr8ful.blogspot.com/2010_09_01_archive.html)
*My Personal Experience*
Red Rocks hosts summer movie events, called Film on the Rocks, where you can watch a movie on a large screen and sit in the stairs of the amphitheater. Last summer, I bought a ticket to see Pineapple Express at Red Rocks. It had been a bit rainy all week that week, so my roommate and I brought large umbrellas and trash bags to put over the blankets just in case. The weather seemed a little overcast when we arrived, but nothing too bad. We settled down into our spot and waited through this terrible comedian who was getting the crowd warmed up before the movie. As the comedian was finishing up, and the movie was about to begin, it started raining very slightly. In a matter of about 5 minutes, the rain had gotten so out of control that water was rushing down the smaller side-stairs of the amphitheater like a water slide. People were panicking because there were all sorts of personal belongings being shot downhill. It felt like someone had poured an enormous bucket of water on us from the very top of the amphitheater, and we were literally being washed away like ants. I had never seen anything like it! The guy operating the whole event announced that everyone remain calm and return to their cars to go home. My roommate and I were knee-deep in water as we made our way out! If you've ever been to Red Rocks, you know how steep the stairs are, and with that much water being accelerated downhill, it was hard for me to keep from falling down just from the force of the water. I have tried to find videos of it on YouTube to show you all, but I haven't had any luck. The fact of the matter is, thunderstorms can get really nasty in Morrison, and I have experienced it first hand!
Red Rocks hosts summer movie events, called Film on the Rocks, where you can watch a movie on a large screen and sit in the stairs of the amphitheater. Last summer, I bought a ticket to see Pineapple Express at Red Rocks. It had been a bit rainy all week that week, so my roommate and I brought large umbrellas and trash bags to put over the blankets just in case. The weather seemed a little overcast when we arrived, but nothing too bad. We settled down into our spot and waited through this terrible comedian who was getting the crowd warmed up before the movie. As the comedian was finishing up, and the movie was about to begin, it started raining very slightly. In a matter of about 5 minutes, the rain had gotten so out of control that water was rushing down the smaller side-stairs of the amphitheater like a water slide. People were panicking because there were all sorts of personal belongings being shot downhill. It felt like someone had poured an enormous bucket of water on us from the very top of the amphitheater, and we were literally being washed away like ants. I had never seen anything like it! The guy operating the whole event announced that everyone remain calm and return to their cars to go home. My roommate and I were knee-deep in water as we made our way out! If you've ever been to Red Rocks, you know how steep the stairs are, and with that much water being accelerated downhill, it was hard for me to keep from falling down just from the force of the water. I have tried to find videos of it on YouTube to show you all, but I haven't had any luck. The fact of the matter is, thunderstorms can get really nasty in Morrison, and I have experienced it first hand!
Awesome job Brittany!
ReplyDeleteI gained the most knowledge from your descriptions of the different forms of air that affect the Red Rocks area. For example, it was interesting to learn that humidity is often present during the summer months due to maritime-tropical air; Colorado is known to be dry - most would believe that continental-tropical air is most common and that humid air remains rare, but your descriptions proved otherwise. I also, liked the addition of pointing out the thunderstorms in Morrison. You're description of the causes and effects of unstable air and its combinations with moisture could have been more detailed, but overall it was very informative.
Thanks!
Loraine Fishman
Hey Brittany good job. I found it very interesting to read that cirrus clouds can be a sign of nasty weather heading for Red Rocks. Having said this, it would be very interesting to read more about how the wind effects the rocks located within the park. I thought the wunderground widget was a nice touch as well! Also it was very creative of you to use what you know about weather patterns to predict the weather at Red Rocks. It was cool to see how accurate your predictions were! Keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteThanks!
Matthew Welch