266 WWUS85 KPUB 041226 SPSPUB COZ058>081-041400- SIGNIFICANT WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO 630 AM MDT FRI MAY 4 2001 ...THE SIGNIFICANT WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR SOUTHEAST AND SOUTH CENTRAL COLORADO... ...SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED TODAY OR TONIGHT... ...A WINTER STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT TODAY FOR THE MOUNTAINS AND THE UPPER ARKANSAS RIVER VALLEY... ...A SNOW ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT TODAY FOR EL PASO COUNTY... ...RISING RIVER LEVELS NEXT WEEK AS THE SNOW MELTS... A STRONG SPRING STORM WILL CONTINUE TO ROTATE COPIOUS AMOUNTS OF MOISTURE NORTH INTO SOUTHERN COLORADO THROUGH EARLY SATURDAY. THE MOUNTAIN AREAS WILL SEE ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATIONS OF 8 INCHES OR MORE TODAY...WHILE THE UPPER ARKANSAS RIVER VALLEY CAN EXPECT 6 INCHES OR MORE NEW SNOW...AND EL PASO COUNTY ANOTHER 3 TO 6 INCHES. ELSEWHERE...1 TO 3 INCHES OF SNOW IS POSSIBLE ON GRASSY AREAS ABOVE 6000 FEET...WITH JUST RAIN SHOWERS EXPECTED BELOW 6000 FEET. A FEW THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS THE EXTREME SOUTHEAST PLAINS. MORE RAIN AND SNOW IS EXPECTED ACROSS SOUTHERN COLORADO TONIGHT. ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATIONS ARE LIKELY ABOVE 6000 TO 7000 FEET...WITH THE HEAVIEST AMOUNTS FALLING IN THE MOUNTAINS. EL PASO COUNTY WILL BE ON THE BORDER LINE BETWEEN RAIN AND SNOW TONIGHT. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THE COUNTY WILL SEE HEAVY...WET SNOW...OR JUST PLAIN RAIN. IF THE PRECIPITATION FALLS AS SNOW...SIGNIFICANT ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE POSSIBLE. SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF PRECIPITATION ARE POSSIBLE OVER MUCH OF SOUTHERN COLORADO DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS. THERE HAVE ALREADY BEEN WIDESPREAD SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 2 TO 4 FEET THROUGH THE UPPER ARKANSAS RIVER VALLEY FROM SALIDA...TO TROUT CREEK PASS...TO LEADVILLE. SPOTTER REPORTS...AND SNOW WATER EQUIVALENT ESTIMATES ...INDICATE 2 TO 4 INCHES OF LIQUID WATER IN THIS SNOWPACK. THE MELTING OF THIS SNOW NEXT WEEK...PLUS THE MELTING OF ANY ADDITIONAL SNOW THAT FALLS...PLUS THE RUNOFF FROM POSSIBLE HEAVY RAINS ON THE PLAINS TODAY AND TONIGHT...WILL ALL LIKELY CONTRIBUTE TO APPRECIABLE RISES ON STREAMS AND RIVERS NEXT WEEK. RIGHT NOW...IT APPEARS THAT PRECIPITATION WILL TAPER OFF SATURDAY AFTERNOON...AS THE STORM SYSTEM TRACKS INTO EAST CENTRAL COLORADO. BY SUNDAY...A GRADUAL WARMUP WILL BEGIN...AND THE SNOW WILL BEGIN TO MELT. FORTUNATELY...IT LOOKS LIKE THE ATMOSPHERE WILL STAY RELATIVELY COOL NEXT WEEK...THANKS TO A COOL FLOW OF AIR FROM THE NORTHWEST. THIS SHOULD ALLOW FOR A GRADUAL MELT OF THE SNOW...AND ALLOW A SUFFICIENT AMOUNT OF TIME FOR RUNOFF TO OCCUR...WITHOUT OVERWHELMING THE RIVERS AND STREAMS. HOWEVER...IF THE WARMUP OCCURS FASTER THAN EXPECTED...WE COULD HAVE SOME FLOODING CONCERNS. IN ANY EVENT...WE SHOULD SEE SOME APPRECIABLE RISES ON SOUTHERN COLORADO RIVERS NEXT WEEK...ESPECIALLY THROUGH THE ARKANSAS RIVER BASIN...WHERE SO MUCH SNOW HAS FALLEN IN THE HEADWATERS REGION. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR LATEST FORECASTS AND WARNINGS ...AS WE TRACK THE CURRENT STORM OVER COLORADO...AND MONITOR THE SNOWMELT NEXT WEEK.  266 WWUS85 KPUB 041226 SPSPUB COZ058>081-041400- SIGNIFICANT WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO 630 AM MDT FRI MAY 4 2001 ...THE SIGNIFICANT WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR SOUTHEAST AND SOUTH CENTRAL COLORADO... ...SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED TODAY OR TONIGHT... ...A WINTER STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT TODAY FOR THE MOUNTAINS AND THE UPPER ARKANSAS RIVER VALLEY... ...A SNOW ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT TODAY FOR EL PASO COUNTY... ...RISING RIVER LEVELS NEXT WEEK AS THE SNOW MELTS... A STRONG SPRING STORM WILL CONTINUE TO ROTATE COPIOUS AMOUNTS OF MOISTURE NORTH INTO SOUTHERN COLORADO THROUGH EARLY SATURDAY. THE MOUNTAIN AREAS WILL SEE ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATIONS OF 8 INCHES OR MORE TODAY...WHILE THE UPPER ARKANSAS RIVER VALLEY CAN EXPECT 6 INCHES OR MORE NEW SNOW...AND EL PASO COUNTY ANOTHER 3 TO 6 INCHES. ELSEWHERE...1 TO 3 INCHES OF SNOW IS POSSIBLE ON GRASSY AREAS ABOVE 6000 FEET...WITH JUST RAIN SHOWERS EXPECTED BELOW 6000 FEET. A FEW THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS THE EXTREME SOUTHEAST PLAINS. MORE RAIN AND SNOW IS EXPECTED ACROSS SOUTHERN COLORADO TONIGHT. ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATIONS ARE LIKELY ABOVE 6000 TO 7000 FEET...WITH THE HEAVIEST AMOUNTS FALLING IN THE MOUNTAINS. EL PASO COUNTY WILL BE ON THE BORDER LINE BETWEEN RAIN AND SNOW TONIGHT. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THE COUNTY WILL SEE HEAVY...WET SNOW...OR JUST PLAIN RAIN. IF THE PRECIPITATION FALLS AS SNOW...SIGNIFICANT ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE POSSIBLE. SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF PRECIPITATION ARE POSSIBLE OVER MUCH OF SOUTHERN COLORADO DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS. THERE HAVE ALREADY BEEN WIDESPREAD SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 2 TO 4 FEET THROUGH THE UPPER ARKANSAS RIVER VALLEY FROM SALIDA...TO TROUT CREEK PASS...TO LEADVILLE. SPOTTER REPORTS...AND SNOW WATER EQUIVALENT ESTIMATES ...INDICATE 2 TO 4 INCHES OF LIQUID WATER IN THIS SNOWPACK. THE MELTING OF THIS SNOW NEXT WEEK...PLUS THE MELTING OF ANY ADDITIONAL SNOW THAT FALLS...PLUS THE RUNOFF FROM POSSIBLE HEAVY RAINS ON THE PLAINS TODAY AND TONIGHT...WILL ALL LIKELY CONTRIBUTE TO APPRECIABLE RISES ON STREAMS AND RIVERS NEXT WEEK. RIGHT NOW...IT APPEARS THAT PRECIPITATION WILL TAPER OFF SATURDAY AFTERNOON...AS THE STORM SYSTEM TRACKS INTO EAST CENTRAL COLORADO. BY SUNDAY...A GRADUAL WARMUP WILL BEGIN...AND THE SNOW WILL BEGIN TO MELT. FORTUNATELY...IT LOOKS LIKE THE ATMOSPHERE WILL STAY RELATIVELY COOL NEXT WEEK...THANKS TO A COOL FLOW OF AIR FROM THE NORTHWEST. THIS SHOULD ALLOW FOR A GRADUAL MELT OF THE SNOW...AND ALLOW A SUFFICIENT AMOUNT OF TIME FOR RUNOFF TO OCCUR...WITHOUT OVERWHELMING THE RIVERS AND STREAMS. HOWEVER...IF THE WARMUP OCCURS FASTER THAN EXPECTED...WE COULD HAVE SOME FLOODING CONCERNS. IN ANY EVENT...WE SHOULD SEE SOME APPRECIABLE RISES ON SOUTHERN COLORADO RIVERS NEXT WEEK...ESPECIALLY THROUGH THE ARKANSAS RIVER BASIN...WHERE SO MUCH SNOW HAS FALLEN IN THE HEADWATERS REGION. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR LATEST FORECASTS AND WARNINGS ...AS WE TRACK THE CURRENT STORM OVER COLORADO...AND MONITOR THE SNOWMELT NEXT WEEK.