‘Extreme’ drought expanding in Colorado

Posted on June 4, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Snowpack is gone, streamflows forecast to be well below average

Some level of drought conditions encompass all of Colorado in this Ma9 update from the U.S. Drought Monitor.

By Bob Berwyn

SUMMIT COUNTY —Extreme drought conditions are expanding in northwest Colorado, covering most of Garfield, Rio Blanco, and Routt counties as well as portions of Moffat, Pitkin, and Mesa counties — encompassing about 10 percent of the state in a region with critical watersheds for downstream water users.

Eagle and Summit and Grand counties are designated as being in a severe drought, with streamflows forecast to be well below normal across the region.

The latest update from the U.S. Drought monitor shows all of Colorado now experiencing some level of drought, with Eagle County, for example, experiencing pre-drought, moderate drought and severe drought conditions, depending on the exact location. (more…)

Filed under: climate and weather, Colorado, Drought, Summit County snow and weather | Tagged: , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Summit County: 5th-driest March on record

Posted on April 4, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Temperatures averaged 6 to 8 degrees above average

By the end of March, most of the valleys were snow-free.

By Bob Berwyn

SUMMIT COUNTY — This past month may not have been the driest March ever in the high country, but it was very close. At the official National Weather Service in Dillon, there was measurable precipitation on only four days (March 2,3,4 and 19), adding up to just 3 inches of snow and a paltry 0.20 inches of water, compared to the average 1.42 inches of water and 22 inches of snow.

Temperatures at the Dillon site veered even farther from average, with the average maximum temperature for the month soaring all the way to 47.6 degrees, more than 8 degrees above the long-term average of 39 degrees. The average low temperature for the month was 13.9 degrees, compared to the average 7.6 degrees. (more…)

Filed under: climate and weather, global warming, La Niña, seasons, Snow and weather, Summit County Colorado, Summit County snow and weather | Tagged: , , , , , | 1 Comment »

This year’s La Niña a ‘head-scratching enigma’

Posted on February 15, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Weird winter continues with spring storms in February

An interesting seasonal precipitation picture in Colorado.

By Bob Berwyn

SUMMIT COUNTY — With the latest outlook calling for La Niña to fade away during the next few months, some climatologists are scratching their heads over this winter’s somewhat unusual weather pattern in Colorado, which saw a reversal of historic snowfall trends.

“It’s an enigma,” said Klaus Wolter, with the CIRES Climate Diagnostics Center. In an email updating the SWCasts website, Wolter wrote: Record-snow around here in early February is not  something I would typically associate with La Niña, but will come in handy if the mountains west of us remain starved for moisture (despite some minor storms during the upcoming week).” (more…)

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

Weather: Another wind storm … really?

Posted on January 17, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

High winds expected over northern Colorado mountains and foothills tonight. Click on the image to visit the National Weather Service website.

Strong jet stream to usher in some needed Pacific moisture along with some dangerous travel conditions in the high country

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — For the third time this fall and winter, Colorado’s north-central mountains could get blasted by another round of unusually high winds this week, with winds blowing at 30 to 50 mph and gusts of 90 mph and stronger over the peaks and ridges of the high country.

The strongest winds are expected along the Continental Divide and in the Front Range mountains and foothills, according to the National Weather Service, which issued a high wind warning covering Summit County and eastward. The warning is in effect from 12 a.m. to 12 p.m. Thursday. (more…)

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

Weather: The storm door is open

Posted on January 16, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

A juicy storm is lining up to drop several inches of new snow across Colorado Monday.

Prolonged period of wet weather possible for Colorado

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Dust off your snow shovel and powder skis, because all the forecast models are now in agreement that the Colorado mountains will see widespread snow this week, with the heaviest precipitation ( 1 to 2 feet) initially over the San Juans and West Elks, where a winter storm warning is already in effect.

The big ridge of high pressure that shoved early seasons storms north and south of Colorado is gone for, and the subtropical jet stream and polar jet stream are converging over Colorado to fuel what could be the biggest storm of the season so far. (more…)

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

Colorado weather: Hang on to your hat!

Posted on December 28, 2011 by Bob Berwyn

The main storm track is just north of Colorado, with strong winds forecast Thursday night and Friday in the Colorado mountains.

High wind warning issued for high country, foothills and Front Range

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — We’re printing the shirts right now — “La Niña came to town and all we got was a lousy windstorm.”

That’s the weather story for the next few days, as a strong northwest flow returns to the West. Unfortunately for the Colorado Rockies, the storm track will stay just to the north, bringing powder to the Pacific Northwest, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, but mostly bypassing the resorts along the I-70 corridor.

After a few passing waves brush the area through the weekend, high pressure returns for the start of the new year, potentially lingering right through the end of the forecast period. (more…)

Filed under: climate and weather, Colorado, La Niña, Snow and weather, Summit County snow and weather | Tagged: , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Weather: Brrrrrrrr!

Posted on December 5, 2011 by Bob Berwyn

A storm centered over Colorado dropped almost 3 feet of snow at Wolf Creek during the weekend.

Arctic air brings low temps below zero; mostly dry weather forecast through next weekend

By Bob Berwyn

SUMMIT COUNTY — Our vaunted La Niña continues to behave more like her big brother this year, with a persistent split-flow  that has dumped copious amounts of snow in Canada and looped the southern branch of the jet stream far down into Southern California and the southwestern deserts.

The weekend storms ended up dropping plenty of snow around Colorado — just not in Summit County. Storm totals ending Sunday afternoon include:

  • Wolf Creek: 30 inches
  • Echo Mountain: 18 inches
  • Silverton: 13 inches
  • Purgatory: 9 inches
  • Steamboat: 9 inches
  • Telluride: 8 inches
  • Sunlight: 6.5 inches
  • Aspen Mountain: 6 inches
  • Vail: 10 inches
  • Beaver Creek: 7 inches (more…)

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

Summit County: Autumn snowfall close to normal

Posted on November 16, 2011 by Bob Berwyn

November one of the driest months in the high country

November often brings the formation of spectacular lenticular clouds over the Continental Divide, as the overall weather pattern changes.

By Bob Berwyn

SUMMIT COUNTY — October snowfall in Summit County was close to average in October with 12.4 inches at Rick Bly’s official observation station in Breckenridge, compared to the historic average 12.3 inches. But between the snow and some rain during the month, the snow-water equivalent for October ended up at 1.55 inches, about 22 percent more than the average 1.27 inches, according to Bly.

For Bly, October has long been an indicator month, when above-average snowfall often — but not always — portends continued snowy weather during the rest of the winter. This year’s middle-of-the-road total might suggest average snowfall for the winter, a forecast that’s in line with official predictions, based on moderate La Niña conditions.

In Dillon, where Denver Water records precipitation and temperatures, 7 inches of snow piled up during the month, compared to the historic average of 7.7 inches, based on records going back to 1909. The weather station moved once during that period, so the stats are from two different locations. Similarly, the water content of the snow was above average, at 1.49 inches compared to the normal 1.07 inches. (more…)

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

Summit County: Windstorm caused widespread damage

Posted on November 16, 2011 by Bob Berwyn

Cleanup continues around the county; insurance companies registering numerous wind-related claims this week

Cleaning up downed trees near Frisco after a Nov. 13 windstorm generated gusts of up to 115 mph in isolated spots, with winds between 70 to 90 mph common across much of the state.

High winds last weekend snapped this dead lodgepole pine near Frisco, Colorado.

By Bob Berwyn

SUMMIT COUNTY — Local residents continued to clean up downed trees and damaged homes early this week after winds of up to 115 mph raked the area late Saturday night.

Weather experts said it’s unusual to have such high winds across much of the state at the same time. The strong gusts are not unprecedented, but they’re often confined to a small part of the state.

Some of the most significant damage was reported from the Gold Hill neighborhood near Summit High School, where one home reportedly lost its roof, and many others had siding stripped way and lost shingles to gusts equal to winds found during a Category 3 hurricane.

“It was like a war zone up there,” said one resident, describing the scene Sunday morning, when scored of uprooted and broken trees littered the area. (more…)

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

Summit Voice: Most-viewed and weekend recap

Posted on November 14, 2011 by Bob Berwyn

Oil drilling and high country windstorms …

This Summit County skyline was one of the pics in our November photo gallery. Click on the image to visit the page and help choose the November photo for the 2012 Summit Voice calendar.

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — A good mix of stories in the most-viewed post today, with an update on plans for new oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico at the top of the list, followed closely by Sunday’s crowd-sourced story on the wind storm that blasted the Colorado high country with hurricane-force gusts of wind Saturday night. A technical story on groundwater mapping in the Denver Basin got some good social media play, and Jenney Coberly’s black-and-white photo essay from the Breckenridge woods rounds out the list. Click on the headline to read and use the share buttons at the end of the post to spread the word about independent online journalism in Colorado via your own favorite network.

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

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