Weather Alerts for Colorado

Recent Locations: Geneva, IL Tingley, IA Divide, CO

1. Fire Weather Watch for: North and Northeast Elbert County Below 6000 Feet/North Lincoln County; Southeast Elbert County Below 6000 Feet/South Lincoln County

2. Fire Weather Watch for: San Luis Valley Including Alamosa/Del Norte/Fort Garland/Saguache

3. Fire Weather Watch for: Yuma; Kit Carson County; Cheyenne; Wallace; Greeley; Wichita

4. Freeze Warning for: Animas River Basin; San Juan River Basin

5. Freeze Warning for: Four Corners/Upper Dolores River

6. Freeze Watch for: Animas River Basin; San Juan River Basin

7. Freeze Watch for: Four Corners/Upper Dolores River

8. Freeze Watch for: Lower Yampa River Basin; Grand Valley; Debeque to Silt Corridor; Central Colorado River Basin; Central Gunnison and Uncompahgre River Basin; Paradox Valley/Lower Dolores River; Eastern Uinta Basin; Arches/Grand Flat; Canyonlands/Natural Bridges

9. Red Flag Warning for: Southern El Paso County Including Fort Carson and Colorado Springs; Pueblo County Including Pueblo; Huerfano County Including Walsenburg; Western Las Animas County Including Trinidad and Thatcher; Crowley County Including Ordway; Otero County Including La Junta and Western Comanche Grasslands; Eastern Las Animas County Including Pinon Canyon; Kiowa County Including Eads; Bent County Including Las Animas; Prowers County Including Lamar; Baca County Including Springfield and Eastern Comanche Grasslands

10. Special Weather Statement for: Roan and Tavaputs Plateaus; Grand Valley; Debeque to Silt Corridor; Grand and Battlement Mesas

11. Wind Advisory for: Central Yampa River Basin; Upper Yampa River Basin

12. Wind Advisory for: Four Corners/Upper Dolores River

13. Wind Advisory for: Lower Yampa River Basin; Grand Valley; Debeque to Silt Corridor; Central Colorado River Basin; Central Gunnison and Uncompahgre River Basin; Paradox Valley/Lower Dolores River; Eastern Uinta Basin; Arches/Grand Flat; Canyonlands/Natural Bridges

14. Winter Weather Advisory for: Elkhead and Park Mountains; Flat Tops

15. Winter Weather Advisory for: Grand and Battlement Mesas; Gore and Elk Mountains/Central Mountain Valleys; West Elk and Sawatch Mountains

16. Winter Weather Advisory for: Northwestern San Juan Mountains; Southwest San Juan Mountains

17. Winter Weather Advisory for: West Jackson and West Grand Counties Above 9000 Feet; South and East Jackson/Larimer/North and Northeast Grand/Northwest Boulder Counties Above 9000 Feet; South and Southeast Grand/West Central and Southwest Boulder/Gilpin/Clear Creek/Summit/North and West Park Counties Above 9000 Feet

18. Winter Weather Advisory for: Western Mosquito Range/East Lake County Above 11000 Ft; Eastern Sawatch Mountains above 11000 Ft; La Garita Mountains Above 10000 Ft; Eastern San Juan Mountains Above 10000 Ft

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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