Winter Garden

It took awhile for things to get going, but the snow is really piling up now.  As would be expected for this late in the season, it’s extremely heavy and wet; thankfully, many of the trees in the neighborhood are still bare due to the snowstorms of a couple weeks ago, so I’m thinking they’ll be able to handle the extra weight.

The snow should continue through the night and end some time tomorrow.  We’re expecting anywhere from 12 to 20 inches when all is said and done.  Given the rate at which it’s accumulating now that it’s actually snowing steadily, I wonder if we might do better than that.  As slow moving and dynamic a storm system as it is, it’s hard to tell.  Some spots in the foothills just 15 miles west of here are already pushing 30 inches, with plenty more to come.

I suspect this will be our last big storm of the season.  Time to sit back and enjoy it.

I have to admit… this is clever. As is typical with these TBS shows, I plan to wait and watch the delayed 16:9 broadcast; however, the more I watch the OP and ED, the more I want to jump in right now.

Lightning, thunder, wind and 6″ of snow in less than an hour. Nope, it’s not an April Fools joke. It’s just the first day of April in Colorado.

Thankfully, I recognized what was about to happen about five minutes before it actually happened, and accordingly left the office a bit early in a failed attempt to beat the storm home. In the span of three miles and ten minutes, I went from no snow whatsoever, to near whiteout conditions, to creeping along in several inches of wet snow at 20 mph in second gear, to making left turns of faith because I couldn’t see farther than 50 feet in front of me. Then, I was home. At which point I immediately ran upstairs, grabbed a camera, and started shooting photos (of course).

Given my storm chasing past, I’ve experienced my fair share of unusual weather. I’ve had close calls with tornadoes. I’ve done television interviews from the eyewalls of typhoons. I’ve driven through barrages of softball size hail. I’ve dove for cover to avoid being stuck by lightning.

And, I have to say: this one is definitely going on my, “what the fuck was that all about?” list.

Time lapse video of this past Thursday’s blizzard as viewed from my living room window. I used a ten year old webcam, so the quality isn’t stellar. I’m amazed the thing still works.

Ah, Colorado.

For a few hours this afternoon, it got pretty ugly - snow coming down at 2-3″ per hour, winds gusting to 40 mph, and visibility measured in hundreds of feet.  A full blown blizzard.  The snow continues to fall as sunset approaches, but the worst appears to be over.

The damage?  A foot of accumulation, give or take, with two to three foot drifts in spots.  Honestly, it got blown around so much that there’s a little snow here, a lot of snow there, and who knows how much in between.  All in all, it’s a fine mess.

Another view from out back…

There are hints of another storm coming late Sunday, and perhaps yet another by the middle of next week.  This is our snowy season, after all.

Is it Spring yet?

These photos take on an entirely different character when I start pushing the blue tones.