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A Strong Cold Front Climatology for Eastern Colorado, 1950-2022.

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Title: A Strong Cold Front Climatology for Eastern Colorado, 1950-2022.
Authors: Michael, Zachary R.1 (AUTHOR) zachary.michael@colorado.edu, Winters, Andrew C.1 (AUTHOR)
Source: Journal of Applied Meteorology & Climatology. Jun2026, Vol. 65 Issue 6, p1-21. 21p.
Subjects: Fronts (Meteorology), Precipitation variability, El Niño, Global temperature changes, Madden-Julian oscillation, Climatology
Geographic Terms: Colorado
Abstract: Cold fronts play an important role in influencing climate and weather patterns across eastern Colorado, a region positioned between the U.S. Great Plains and the Rocky Mountains. In particular, cold fronts substantially contribute to cool-season precipitation and often accompany hazardous weather events, such as extreme winds, rapid temperature fluctuations, and dangerous fire weather conditions. This study identifies and examines a subset of strong cold frontal passages in eastern Colorado between September–May 1950–2022. Using ERA5, we identify 723 strong cold front events based on both the magnitude and spatial extent of post-frontal temperature changes across eastern Colorado. Front locations are detected using a Thermal Front Parameter, which identifies strong gradients in equivalent potential temperature that coincide with cold-air advection. Cold front events are further categorized into low-precipitation (LP) and high-precipitation (HP) fronts to explore dynamical and thermodynamic processes that influence precipitation variability during frontal passages. Our findings indicate that cold fronts are most frequent during the transition seasons, often occur overnight, and produce the largest daily maximum temperature decreases across far eastern Colorado, away from significant topography. Additionally, cold front frequency decreases during stronger El Niño years and phases 1–2 of the Madden–Julian Oscillation (MJO) and increases during MJO phase 7. Composite analyses of LP and HP fronts reveal distinct dynamical and thermodynamic patterns associated with these events, providing valuable insights into their development and attendant surface weather impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Journal of Applied Meteorology & Climatology is the property of American Meteorological Society and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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  Data: A Strong Cold Front Climatology for Eastern Colorado, 1950-2022.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Michael%2C+Zachary+R%2E%22">Michael, Zachary R.</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> zachary.michael@colorado.edu</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Winters%2C+Andrew+C%2E%22">Winters, Andrew C.</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Journal+of+Applied+Meteorology+%26+Climatology%22">Journal of Applied Meteorology & Climatology</searchLink>. Jun2026, Vol. 65 Issue 6, p1-21. 21p.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Fronts+%28Meteorology%29%22">Fronts (Meteorology)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Precipitation+variability%22">Precipitation variability</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22El+Niño%22">El Niño</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Global+temperature+changes%22">Global temperature changes</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Madden-Julian+oscillation%22">Madden-Julian oscillation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Climatology%22">Climatology</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Colorado%22">Colorado</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: Cold fronts play an important role in influencing climate and weather patterns across eastern Colorado, a region positioned between the U.S. Great Plains and the Rocky Mountains. In particular, cold fronts substantially contribute to cool-season precipitation and often accompany hazardous weather events, such as extreme winds, rapid temperature fluctuations, and dangerous fire weather conditions. This study identifies and examines a subset of strong cold frontal passages in eastern Colorado between September–May 1950–2022. Using ERA5, we identify 723 strong cold front events based on both the magnitude and spatial extent of post-frontal temperature changes across eastern Colorado. Front locations are detected using a Thermal Front Parameter, which identifies strong gradients in equivalent potential temperature that coincide with cold-air advection. Cold front events are further categorized into low-precipitation (LP) and high-precipitation (HP) fronts to explore dynamical and thermodynamic processes that influence precipitation variability during frontal passages. Our findings indicate that cold fronts are most frequent during the transition seasons, often occur overnight, and produce the largest daily maximum temperature decreases across far eastern Colorado, away from significant topography. Additionally, cold front frequency decreases during stronger El Niño years and phases 1–2 of the Madden–Julian Oscillation (MJO) and increases during MJO phase 7. Composite analyses of LP and HP fronts reveal distinct dynamical and thermodynamic patterns associated with these events, providing valuable insights into their development and attendant surface weather impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Journal of Applied Meteorology & Climatology is the property of American Meteorological Society and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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RecordInfo BibRecord:
  BibEntity:
    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1175/JAMC-D-25-0046.1
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      – Code: eng
        Text: English
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        PageCount: 21
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    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Fronts (Meteorology)
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Precipitation variability
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: El Niño
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Global temperature changes
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Madden-Julian oscillation
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Climatology
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Colorado
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: A Strong Cold Front Climatology for Eastern Colorado, 1950-2022.
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          Name:
            NameFull: Michael, Zachary R.
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          Name:
            NameFull: Winters, Andrew C.
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            – D: 01
              M: 06
              Text: Jun2026
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
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