Chipj29, I think you're onto something. When the high pressure ridge responsible for the warmth formed in the west, it stayed for about 3 days and moved on. This year the cold fronts are keepin' on a-comin'. A few days ago it was in the 90s in many parts of the Rockies. Today there are thunderstorms happening in advance of the next cold front--the breakdown of the ridge. Winter storm watch is now in effect for the Wind River Range of Wyoming, while northern Utah has winter storm warnings and snow advisories.
Given the strength of the cold fronts we've had this year, I think the models are right-on when they say our warm weekend will yield to the cold front now in the Rockies. That would be around Tuesday.
In my website's forecast this morning I put a long-shot prediction that I kinda hope is wrong: I think we'll see a lot of this flip-flopping this summer because the cold fronts coming out of Canada the past several weeks have been pretty powerful (see the constant stream of news reports regarding the severe weather they've been causing.) If this is the case, we'll be sharing in some of that severe weather, too.
Also, in the world of solar astronomy, watchers are all bewildered about the fact that the sun is stuck in an activity minimum (in automotive terms: "Stuck between gears.") The last solar cycle (23) was supposed to end a year ago and shift smoothly to cycle 24, which would've increased its RPMs until maxing in 2012. But they're still waiting for signs of increase in solar activity. Bottom line is: Get out and enjoy the warm days this summer when they happen, beginning with this weekend. If this wild guess of mine ends up being wrong and the whole summer is hot, you still won't be cursing yourself for having gotten out!
