Thursday, December 28, 2006

Round Two

Just as Metro Denver and its international airport are finally recovering from last week's blizzard, another winter storm is bearing down on the Colorado Front Range. Now moving eastward across the Southwest, this Pacific storm will soon move onto the southern High Plains and pull in Gulf moisture from the southeast.

Denver's risk for heavy snow will depend upon the track of the storm. Since the city sits in a U-shaped bowl, with an opening to the northeast, upslope from that direction produces the most snow. Should the storm track further to the south, the upslope will come from the southeast and the Palmer Divide, a ridge of high ground between Denver and Colorado Springs, will get most of the precipitation. Weather in mountainous areas is all about wind direction.