Colorado Weather
for Mountain Trips

Collected here are links to other resources on the Internet for information on the weather in Colorado's mountains. These resources should help you if you are about to start on a trip into the mountains. Please enter our page in your hotlist/bookmarks before leaving so that you may find us again.

Forecasts

Mountain Weather and Avalanche Report from the Colorado Avalanche Information Center. And Avalanche Warnings when conditions get really bad. Remember, avalanches occur throughout the year. In mid-June of 1993, four avalanches were triggered by climbers across the state in one weekend, killing two people. On July 8, 1995, avalanches could be heard booming like thunder in both the Sawatch and Ten Mile Ranges.

Localized weather reports are available at CNN - Weather: Colorado by selecting the city nearest your climb.

For your travel to the trailhead, CDOT Road Imformation including current road conditions.

During the summer, Colorado's mountains experience a monotonous weather pattern of clear skies in the morning and afternoon thunderstorms. Sometimes the only variations in the weather are how early in the day the thunderstorms start. For mountain climbing in Colorado, it is a general rule to summit before noon to avoid the thunderstorms. It is also said that there is a 70 percent chance that the weather tomorrow will be the same as today. Only cold fronts seem to break this pattern and they can be detected by the high cirrus clouds that appear about 24 hours before the front.

The winter weather pattern tends to be dictated by cold fronts and areas of low pressure. If the low tracks to the north, then the West slope gets the precipitation. If the low tracks to the south, then the Front Range gets the brunt of the storm. If a cold front comes down from Canada, then the mountains could be 50 degrees warmer than Denver.

• Interactive Weather Information Network for Colorado from the National Weather Service.
  • State Forecast
  • Zone Forecasts
  • Short Term Forecasts
• Colorado City Weather Selector from the Weather Channel.
• CNN - Weather: Colorado also allows you to select weather from cities around Colorado.
• KCNC News 4 - Denver Weather
• INTELLICAST: Denver Weather Four Day Forecast.
• SnowCast™ for Colorado skiers' & snowboarders' contains 48-hour detailed weather forecasts for the Colorado ski areas, as well as seven day outlooks. Provided by Henz Meteorological Services (HMS), a weather forecasting and consulting company in Denver, Colorado.

Current Weather Conditions

This list of links contain information about the current weather.

	Current 3D Infrared Image of Southwest US
	Radar Image of Southwest US
	Current 3D Infrared Image of Northwest US
	Radar Image of Northwest US

• North Front Range
  • Nederland Weather Site and CAM for Hikers
  • Current Niwot Ridge LTER Meteorological Data from the Niwot Ridge (Colorado) Long-Term Ecological Research.
• Intellicast Denver NEXRAD
• Intellicast Denver Radar
• GOES-9 Current Colorado sector visible image Colorado State University Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere
• Pacific Satellite Infrared Image, look at what is on its way.
• Ski area snow reports from Colorado Ski Country USA.
• Current Weather Data from NCAR in Boulder.
• These weather cameras let you see the conditions for yourself. Some of them are even live pictures!
  • See Downhill Ski Links for resort cameras.
  • Pikes Peak Cam(tm)
  • Pine Junction, Colorado WeatherCam This WeatherCam is located 38 miles SW of Denver, Colorado, a half mile north of the Highway 285 & Highway 126 intersection (Pine Junction)
  • Current Vail Image
    • Mid-Vail
    • Beaver Creek
• Additional Avalanche Information
  • Emergency Avalanche Homepage of the Alpine Rescue Service of the South Tyrolese Alpine Club

See Also

• Backcountry Conditions
• There's Weather Out There
• Eight Steps to Reducing Your Avalanche Risk