The Yampa Valley got about an inch more rain this July than what the area has seen on average over the last 30 years, the result of a continued monsoonal trend that started early in May.

The 2.66 inches measured in Steamboat last month is more than the combined total from July 2020 and July 2021, and meteorologists say the moisture pattern looks to continue through this month.

“This is the monsoon that keeps giving,” said local meteorologist Mike Weissbluth. “It started early, in mid June. … It usually ends mid August, and we’re in August now and it looks like we’ll at least get another weekend out of it, so it’s been remarkably productive.”

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Moisture that brought some heavy rain to Steamboat Springs on Sunday, Aug. 14, looks to stick around to start the week, with strong rain chances expected on Monday, Aug. 15.

Because of moisture in the atmosphere already, Weissbluth said rain Monday could be heavy — falling at rates near a half-inch an hour — at times.

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“There is some upper level energy moving across (Sunday afternoon) and (Monday) and that’s what is going to give us good rain chances,” said Weissbluth, who writes about the local weather at Snowalarm.com. “The monsoonal flow gets bent to the east, so I think we’ll be right on the edge of it on Monday.”

Dan Cuevas, a hydrometeorological technician with the National Weather Service in Grand Junction, said the rain chances start to decline on Tuesday, and the rest of the work week looks to be drier.

Cooler temperatures in the mid-70s accompany Monday’s rain, but things should warm back up through the rest of the week, Cuevas said.

“Temperature-wise for Steamboat proper, looks like the highs will be around 80 through the week,” Cuevas said.

The weather service currently projects a high of 83 degrees on Wednesday, Aug. 17, and 85 degrees on Thursday, Aug. 18. While things do look to be drier, there are still slight chances for heavy rain each of those days. Those chances are expected to increase again for next weekend.

“The pattern remains seemingly constantly changing,” Cuevas said. “Increasing and decreasing chance of showers and precipitation. We’ll get a break for the second half of the week in the Steamboat Springs area, but beyond that, it looks like things are going to be wetting up again for the weekend.”

Cuevas said it wouldn’t be unusual for the monsoonal trend to persist through the end of the month, as it can often last into September. The trend fueled strong precipitation since May, with each of the last three months seeing at least an inch above Steamboat’s 30-year average for precipitation.

“The lack of wildfires across the whole West is a direct reflection of how moist it has been,” Weissbluth said.

To reach Dylan Anderson, call 970-871-4247 or email danderson@SteamboatPilot.com.