Weather Watch: Mild storms to touch Craig, small amount of snow possible
Following a moisture-laden weekend in Moffat County, drier conditions can be expected by the middle of the week.
Craig residents awoke to a winter wonderland Saturday morning after fog Friday night coated trees, fences and power lines in ice crystals, known as hoarfrost.
The term “hoar” is an old English term meaning “greyish white” or “grey-haired with age,” according to the Oxford Dictionaries online. Paired with the word “frost,” the term likens the white crystals adorning every exposed surface to the white hair of the elderly.
Hoarfrost occurs when atmospheric conditions are stable and fog forms due to ample moisture on the ground, according to John Kyle, Data Acquisition Program Manager for the National Weather Service Grand Junction office.
“It’s just a lot of condensation that’s frozen,” Kyle said. “When there is a lot of surface moisture from recent precipitation events, that’s when you have highest likelihood of that occurring.”
Ahead for the coming week, a pair of storm systems from the Pacific Northwest will bring more precipitation to Colorado, taking effect primarily Sunday with some additional holdover Monday and part of Tuesday.
Craig received about 4 inches of snow Sunday, with more accumulation in higher altitude areas.
Little precipitation is expected for the northwestern part of the state Monday and Tuesday, said Julia Malingowski, meteorologist for the National Weather Service, with about one inch of snow expected for the area.
“We’re expecting that precipitation to hit the Four Corners region more,” she said. “That timing on the second system may be around Monday night and Tuesday afternoon, but it’s not really an ideal system for much accumulation.”
People in Craig will likely notice the aftereffects of the storms, she added. A northerly flow will sweep through to lower the temperature a bit Wednesday, enough to give some shivers, but a warm-up will follow almost immediately Thursday and Friday.
“It’s looking dry for the remainder of the work week, but there may be some chances of storms Saturday into Sunday,” Malingowski said.
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