Sun Emits 4th X-Class Solar Flare in One Week

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Deer-Vehicle Collision near Salida

November is the month with the highest number of wildlife-vehicle collisions in Colorado as the deer and elk migrate to lower elevations for the winter.
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Mama Bear and 2 Cubs Open Car Door, Get In, and Destroy Car

This happened in Indian Hills. Bears go crazy trying to find food before they hibernate, so lock those cars up at night!
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Moose Wanders into Castle Rock

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Update - The moose has been tranquilized and relocated to the mountains.
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A Different Hazard from Wildfires

A study by the National Resources Defense Council shows 2/3 of Americans were exposed to unhealthy levels of smoke from wildfires in 2011. 2011 was a slow year for wildfires compared to 2012 and 2013.  It is interesting that most of the smoke settled over tornado alley in the south-central US.
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Natural Gas, Water and Sewer Restored in Lyons 1 Month after the Flood

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Rabid Kitten Found in El Paso County

The area around Colorado Springs has seen an increase in rabid animals this year - 4 cats with rabies, a skunk, and a man attacked by  a rabid fox.
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Rare Triple CME Flare on Sun Sends Northern Lights into the North Central US

The largest, an M.9 class flare is not big enough to cause disruption to satellites or electronics. Disruptive flares are generally stronger in the X class.
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Update - an X.2 flare went off this morning.
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I've been wondering if sunspot activity increases the chance of hurricanes. It's late in the year but I guess we will see.

The Largest Known Asteroid Strikes on Earth

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Bear Wanders into Boulder, Gets Tranquilized and Relocated

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Dengue Fever Mosquito Spotted in California

With climate change, tropical species have gradually been migrating northward over the past 50 years. I don't expect they will be coming to Colorado anytime soon, but some things like deer ticks that carry Lyme disease may get here in the future.
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Longmont Man Attacked by Coyotes

Only the second case of this happening in Colorado that i am aware of.
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The Flood that got Lost in the News

Durango also flooded during the September floods.
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West Nile Cases Continue in SE Colorado

Colorado leads the nation in West Nile Cases this year with 197.
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Grappling with Rebuilding Decisions After the Flood

It's starting to dawn on Colorado's officials  that much of the damage from September's floods was because houses were built in the flood plain.
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Motorcyclist Killed in Deer Collision near Steamboat Springs

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Why Colorado Has the Most In-Shape People in the US

It's not because they go on diets, it's because they are outdoor enthusiasts!
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High Winds Down Trees and Power Lines Across the Denver Metro Area

Winds up to 80 mph were clocked near Boulder.  This is a typical occurrence in winter when low pressure storms on the eastern plains and high pressure west of the Rockies send howling winds down the eastern face of the Rocky Mountains. This one was earlier in the season than usual.

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"Possible" Tornado Hits Eads

There were high winds at least.  This has been a very quiet year for tornadoes in Colorado.
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I am going to look into whether there is a correlation between tornadoes in Colorado and the number of hurricanes in a season.

Bear Creek Lake Does It's Job During September Floods

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Multiple Deer-Auto Collisions Injures Woman near Woodland Park

This story is from the paper copy of the Denver Post.

A woman hit a fawn on eastbound US 24. She got out of the car to inspect and a vehicle coming in the opposite struck another deer which flew though the air and struck the woman.  The woman sustained serious injuries.  About a month ago, a woman was struck by a vehicle and killed after getting out of her car to inspect a deer she had hit.

Pueblo Commissioner Identifies Only Solution to Flooding Hazard

Pueblo County Commissioner calls for flood control dam on Fountain Creek.
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The damage from this year's flood is the result of 50 years of building houses, buildings, roads and bridges in the 50 year flood plain. Colorado will re-build roads and houses in the same locations. Either build above the 100 year floodplain or build flood control dams on Boulder Creek, Fourmile Creek and the St Vrain River if a repeat performance of this year's flood damage is to be avoided in the future, quite possibly the near future.

As West Nile Season Winds Down, Larimer County Hits 100 Cases

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2 Students Getting Preventative Treatment for Rabies

2 University of Northern Colorado students in Greeley are being treated for the possibility of rabies after caring for an injured bat.  Bats and skunks are the predominant carriers of rabies in Colorado. There have been 25 animal cases of rabies detected in Weld County this year. A Platteville man is also being treated for rabies after being bitten by a rabid cat last week.
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3 New Cases of West Nile in Pueblo County

Worst West Nile season since 2007.
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Moose Wanders through Rifle

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Steamboat Springs Woman Attacked by Moose

Third incident in Colorado this year.
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11,940 Deer-Vehicle Collisions in Colorado during the Past Year

About 1 in 300 Colorado licensed drivers hit deer according to State Farm Insurance.
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Wildlife Officials Euthanize Mama Bear in Boulder

Looks like a bad decision to me. The sow has 2 cubs that will be relocated.
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What Are the Odds of Being a Rockfall Casualty in Colorado?

Monday's tragic rockslide in Chalk Creek Canyon highlights the random nature and low probability of rockfall causing casualties. What if the hikers had started 10 minutes earlier or 10 minutes later than they did? What if the rockfall happened later in the evening?  There are no answers for why the rocks let loose exactly when the hikers were directly below at that same moment in time. My book, Colorado Natural Hazard Events has a chapter on rockfall that covers where rockfall has caused casualties in the past in Colorado. Steep rock slopes of more than 40 degrees are found throughout the mountains of Colorado and virtually every canyon where creeks drain from the mountains in Colorado has slopes that steep. Rockfall is more likely in the non-summer months when rain or snowmelt penetrates cracks and fissures in the rock and freezes overnight. The ice expands and causes "ice-jacking", which can loosen a large block of rock off the side of a cliff face and get a rockslide started. At least 500,000 people climb or hike in rockfall-prone areas in Colorado each year. Between 1998 and 2011 there were 25 hikers or climbers killed and 18 injured, which works out to an average of 1 casualty for every 190,000 hikers and climbers in rockfall-prone areas. So, in the 2 years since 2011, 5 or 6 casualties would be the number expected based on the historical rate. Two hikers were injured by a rockslide in Deer Creek Canyon west of Littleton in January, making 8 casualties total after Monday's tragedy and 2013 isn't over yet, but the historic rate continues on at more-or-less the same pace. Should  you avoid hiking in rockfall-prone areas? Life is full of risks that aren't in your control. Visiting beautiful places that give people a great deal of pleasure involves a low level of risk, like driving an automobile to get there. You are about 1,000 times more likely to be a casualty in an automobile accident than being hit by rockfall in Colorado.

5 Family Members Killed by Rock Slide Hiking near Mt. Princeton

One hiker survives. The recent heavy rains may have been a factor in causing this rockslide.
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