A potent shortwave moved south of Colorado during the early hours of April 4. This system dropped widespread accumulating snow across south central and southeast Colorado, especially along the I-25 corridor (Figure 1). On April 5, temperatures rose above 50 across much of the Colorado Plains, leading to rapid snow melt. The melting of snow is depicted in GOES-16 0.5 km 5-min visible imagery (Figure 2). The higher spatial and temporal resolution imagery allows forecasters to precisely track the progression of snow melt throughout the day. The presence of snow will impact both the high and low temperatures, and can lead to the development of differential heating boundaries which will impact local winds.
Figure 1: Observed Snowfall Analysis ending April 5, 2017 at 6 am. From NWS Pueblo.
Figure 2: GOES-16 0.64 um 0.5 km VIS. 5-min imagery from 1402 UTC to 2257 UTC on April 5.
– Bill Line, NWS
“The GOES-16 data posted on this page are preliminary, non-operational data and are undergoing testing. Users bear all responsibility for inspecting the data prior to use and for the manner in which the data are utilized.”
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