Colorado: Storm rolling in …

Posted on March 9, 2013 by Bob Berwyn

Forecaster still uncertain for high country snow totals

asdf

A big Pacific trough is working its way inland, bringing snow to much of Colorado.

asdf

asdf

By Summit Voice

FRISCO — A winter storm rolling out of the Four Corners toward Colorado is billed as having the potential to drop several feet of snow in parts of the state, but even late Friday night, forecast models were still not in complete agreement as to where the heaviest snow will fall Saturday through Sunday.

National Weather Service forecasters have issues winter storm watches and warnings, as well as blizzard watches for almost the entire state, but the Denver-based forecasters warned that, “Summit County could very well get sheltered again in this Front Range storm.” The forecasters also said the upper low might eject farther south than previously anticipated, which would push the heavier snow amounts farther south. Click here for the latest updates and links to all the warnings. (more…)

Filed under: climate and weather, Colorado, Snow and weather, Summit County snow and weather | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Colorado: High Park Fire uncontained at 37,000 acres

Posted on June 11, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Front Range wildfire behaving unexpectedly; firefighters hope to gain a toehold on containment Monday

High Park Fire footprint and perimeter as of early Monday morning. MAP COURTESY MARK NEWBY. Click on the image to visit the map on the web. The map is based on data from an overflight at 12:20 a.m. and data released by the USFS 6:52 a.m. The fire has burned another seven hours since then, so it has likely grown even larger.

By Bob Berwyn

SUMMIT COUNTY — After two days of watching the High Park fire spread and even double back on itself, firefighters late Sunday night said that with lower winds forecast Monday, they hope to at least gain a toehold against the fire which grew to 37,000 acres in just two days, according to the latest InciWeb update released Monday morning.

Get the latest updates on the fire at Larimer County emergency services website and at the InciWeb.org national fire information website. Real-time updates are also streaming on Twitter from @LarimerSheriff and at the #HighParkFire hashtag. (more…)

Filed under: pine beetles and wildfires, Environment, US Forest Service, forest fires, climate and weather, Colorado | Tagged: , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Climate: South Platte flows could drop by 40 percent

Posted on March 12, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

New Colorado study examines potential impacts to water supplies

New climate report highlights dire impacts to Colorado's river flows.

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY —A new study by the Water Research Foundation projects potential climate change impacts to Front Range water supplies for the next few decades, showing that the total amount of water in several key river basins could decline significantly if temperatures continue to rise.

The Rocky Mountain Climate Organization  highlighted the report in its March newsletter, saying the starkest conclusion of the study is how much river flows could diminish in a hot and dry future — a future that is looking more and more likely as emissions of heat-trapping gases increase. (more…)

Filed under: climate and weather, Colorado, Environment, global warming, rivers, water | Tagged: , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Report focuses on value of water to headwaters counties

Posted on March 5, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Nonconsumptive recreational and environmental values must be factored into the economic equation

Recreational and environmental uses of water in headwaters counties must be accounted for in the development of statewide water policies, according to a report from the Northwest Colorado Council of Governments.

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Equitable water policies in Colorado must weigh the economic benefits of nonconsumptive water uses in headwaters counties, a recent report from the Northwest Colorado Council of Governments concludes, pointing out that transmountain diversions are 100 percent consumptive from the standpoint of the basins of origin.

The report, released in January at a Denver water conference, takes a fresh look at the critical importance to the economy of water in West Slope rivers, and why Colorado leaders may want to take careful thought before making future transmountain diversion policy decisions. Visit the NWCCOG website for the full 95-page report. (more…)

Filed under: Colorado, economy, Environment, Summit County Colorado, Summit County news, water | Tagged: , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Colorado: Front Range forest thinning may be misguided

Posted on February 24, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

A classic ponderosa pine forest landscape. PHOTO COURTESY USFS.

New study shows historic fire conditions much more variable than previously thought

By Bob Berwyn

SUMMIT COUNTY — Many recent forest management efforts along Colorado’s Front Range ponderosa pine belt have been aimed at creating widely spaced stands of trees, based on the conventional wisdom that those forests were historically shaped by low-intensity ground fires.

But severe, high-intensity fires were probably much more common in the region than previously believed, said Mark Williams, one of the University of Wyoming researchers who found that at least 80 percent of the ponderosa pine forests in the region were subject to moderate-to-intense fires that destroyed stands and created a patchwork structure, leaving some dense stands and some open forests.

The study, conducted by William Baker and Mark Williams, used extensive land survey data as well as physical evidence of fires, and covered about 4.1 million acres on the Mogollon Plateau and Black Mesa in northern Arizona, in the Blue Mountains in northeastern Oregon, and in the Colorado Front Range. (more…)

Filed under: climate and weather, Colorado, Environment, forest fires, Forest health, forests, Summit County news, US Forest Service | Tagged: , , , , | 3 Comments »

Weather: Storm sets Denver snowfall records

Posted on February 5, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Georgetown holds the state and U.S. record for a 24-hour storm total

Snowfall distribution across the Front Range and southeaster Colorado from the record-setting Feb. 2-4 storm.

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — The early February upslope storm that pounded the Front Range set several snowfall records, including the all-time maximum 24-hour total, with 12.5 inches at Denver International Airport on Feb. 3. Visit this National Weather Service storm summary for details and more weather maps.

According to the National Weather Service, another Colorado town holds the all-time U.S. snowfall record for a 24-hour storm total — Georgetown, with 63 inches from an early December storm in 1913. (more…)

Filed under: climate and weather, Colorado, seasons, snow, Snow and weather | Tagged: , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Weather: Front Range whopper in Colorado

Posted on February 4, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

More light snow, then clearing by Saturday evening.

Upslope storm hammers areas east of the Continental Divide

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — One of the biggest snowstorms in recent memory dropped more than 4 feet of snow in a few spots along the Front Range, but left the high country mostly high and dry, with just a few inches reported at most mountain ski areas.

The exceptions are Eldora, reporting 31 inches for the 48-hour storm total, Echo Mountain, with an amazing 55 inches in 48 hours, as well as some of the areas in the San Juans, including Telluride (8 inches), Wolf Creek (9 inches) and Purgatory (12 inches). (more…)

Filed under: climate and weather, Colorado, seasons, Snow and weather, Summit County snow and weather | Tagged: , , , , | 2 Comments »

Weather: Classic upslope

Posted on February 2, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Hope for the best …

A deep trough, developing to a closed low, is swinging south and east of the high country.

SUMMIT COUNTY — Lots of hype with this incoming storm, which will probably turn out to be a classic spring-like upslope, with heavy snow along parts of the Front Range and foothills, and hopefully some spillover for the local mountains, especially those near the Continental Divide. (more…)

Filed under: climate and weather, Colorado, snow, Snow and weather, Summit County snow and weather | Tagged: , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Climate: Hail may disappear from Colorado Front Range

Posted on January 15, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Hail could become a rare event in the Front Range mountains of Colorado.

Warming climate may significantly alter mountain weather events

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY —Increasing concentrations of atmospheric greenhouse gases could result in significant changes to precipitation patterns along Colorado’s Front Range, potentially eliminating some forms of mountain hail. Other types of extreme weather events could become more frequent and intense, according research conducted by NOAA and U.S. Bureau of Reclamation scientists.

Under some climate models, hails storms along the mountain slopes west of Denver could  all but disappear by 2070 as the hailstones melt in a warmer atmosphere.

Less hail damage could be good news for gardeners and farmers, said Kelly Mahoney, Ph.D., lead author of the study and a postdoctoral scientist at NOAA’s Earth System Research Laboratory in Boulder, Colo. But a shift from hail to rain can also mean more runoff, which could raise the risk of flash floods, she said. (more…)

Filed under: climate and weather, Colorado, Environment, global warming, Summit County news | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Colorado: Winter storm watch starting Tuesday

Posted on October 23, 2011 by Bob Berwyn

A winter storm watch will go into effect Tuesday night. Click on the map for the National Weather Service forecast.

Potent system likely to bring several inches of snow to high country

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Unseasonably mild autumn weather will end abruptly this week as a strong storm out of the northwest is set to move across northern Colorado starting Tuesday night.

A winter storm watch has been issued for the north-central mountains, the northern Front Range and northeastern Colorado effective Tuesday night through Wednesday. Forecasters say the potent winter storm will start generating snow and rain across the high country during the day Tuesday, with a chance of heavy snow Tuesday night into Wednesday. (more…)

Filed under: climate and weather, Colorado, snow, Snow and weather, Summit County Colorado, Summit County snow and weather, Weatherblog | Tagged: , , , , , , | 4 Comments »

Next Page »
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 5,553 other followers