You know that old saying, if you don’t like the weather, wait a minute…. Well, in Colorado, that saying is quite relevant, and was literally true last week. We had experienced a very warm and dry fall right through October and into the first ten days of November. Those of us who live for winter recreation (yes, Leslie the diehard skier), despaired about the ski season, and projected tales of woe and ski days lost for the future. It didn’t look good… On Monday, November 10, the weather was literally changing by the minute — the local news reported the Denver metro weather was in the low 60s as the sun rose and the temperature dropped a degree every minute, and by noon was in the 20s. The overall temperature swung from 64 degrees that morning to 13 degrees that night. Last Wednesday here in Nederland, we had a high of -3 degrees, and a low of -15 degrees, low temperatures we hadn’t experienced since January, 2011. After going 11 days with no snow, the central mountains of Colorado picked up 30-50 inches of snow over the last week, to bring the snowfall averages to 80% of normal, and bring a smile and a glimmer of hope to the ski resort business. The Weather Service is forecasting more snow for this weekend right through Thanksgiving week, and with luck, the state may finish the month with above average snowpack. Amazing!
I think weather can be a great metaphor for life in general, you can prepare for certain things, but in the end, we really don’t know what’s going to happen, and frequently the things we most worry about, is not what actually happens. Since I was one of those in the doom and gloom camp of projecting a crappy ski season, I am more than happy to eat some crow now. As a meteorologist, Bryon is always cautioning me not to look at weather forecasts more than 3 days out, because even though they can make general forecasts, things can change quickly. As in life, it’s best to take the weather one day at a time, and make the best of whatever comes your way.
