As a summer heat wave continues along the Colorado Front Range, many of us are counting on the Southwest Monsoon to break this stagnant weather pattern. After all, the monsoon usually reaches the Front Range by mid August, bringing cooler conditions and daily episodes of precipitation.
This year, a persistent high pressure dome over the Four Corners region is blocking the inflow of moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and the Sea of Cortez; until that dome breaks down or moves eastward, the monsoon cannot develop. Recent extreme heat in Phoenix and Las Vegas reflect that "blocking high" and we are expected to approach 100 degrees F in Denver within the next few days.
While this Southwest heat wave is related more to a persistent atmospheric ridge than to global warming, one suspects that climate change will disrupt seasonal patterns across the planet. For now, we're just counting on a normal, if tardy, late summer monsoon.
This year, a persistent high pressure dome over the Four Corners region is blocking the inflow of moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and the Sea of Cortez; until that dome breaks down or moves eastward, the monsoon cannot develop. Recent extreme heat in Phoenix and Las Vegas reflect that "blocking high" and we are expected to approach 100 degrees F in Denver within the next few days.
While this Southwest heat wave is related more to a persistent atmospheric ridge than to global warming, one suspects that climate change will disrupt seasonal patterns across the planet. For now, we're just counting on a normal, if tardy, late summer monsoon.
