Friday, May 30, 2014

2-Year-Old Boy Hospitalized After Rattlesnake Bite

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A young mom with a 6-year-old and 2-year old was more than a mile up the trail in Devil's Backbone Park near Loveland when the rattlesnake bit the 2-year-old.  A good samaritan ran carrying the child down to the trail head to waiting med evac.

Flash Flood Watch for NE Colorado

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Snow melt has also led to a Flood Watch for the Colorado River and the Cache la Poudre.

Lake Forming at Head of Landslide

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Water is filling the void created at the top of the Colbran landslide and could cause a catastrophic failure similar to the failure of a dam. People downstream all the way to the town of Colbran are being told to be ready to evacuate.

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Denver Post Live Blog Update on Colbran Landslide

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Photos of the landslide show it is located in remote unpopulated area. Does not look good for 3 missing men.  They are a family of ranchers who were inspecting damage to an irrigation ditch from the first movements of the slide when the big one let go.

Friday, May 23, 2014

Denver Post Puts Together Nice Interactive Graphic on Tornado History in Colorado

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Gives a very good representation of where tornadoes have happened. There are a few minor errors in the database. The map shows an F3 tornado near Fowler Colorado on October 20, 1953.  There is a tornado in the NOAA database for this location and date but it was never confirmed nor classified. A tornado shown as an F4 in the very southeastern corner of Colorado on May 18, 1977 was almost entirely in New Mexico and may have just crossed the state line at an unknown F rating. The article states that 3 people have been killed by tornadoes since 1950 but the total is 5 - 2 were killed near Holyoke in an F3 tornado on June 27, 1960.

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Mountain Lions Dine on Deer in Boulder Backyard

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This happens all the time in foothills residential areas adjacent to open space. After a kill, the cats usually drag the deer to a nearby secluded location. The cougars are very protective of their food and dogs or humans that get too close are at risk of being attacked.

Larimer County Leads the State in Viral Diseases Carried by Wildlife

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Monday, May 12, 2014

Mother's Day Winter Storm Could be in Top 10 May Snowfall Events for Denver

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Th record event was a 5 day storm in 1898 that dumped 15.5 inches.

Snow in May is normal for the Front Range but this is the first time in the 30 years I have lived here that I have seen a full blown winter storm with below freezing temperatures during the day. There are 2 hummingbirds that camped out in this tree overnight that might not make it.


Saturday, May 10, 2014

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Thursday, May 1, 2014

Mountain Lions Sighted Numerous Times in Glenwood Springs

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Look at the photo of the mountain lion.  This is a young one. As I've said many times before, mountain lion sightings like this are common when 18 month old cubs are sent off by their moms in the spring to find their own territory. Some of them have not developed any fear of humans and seem "bold".  It is true that the few mountain lion attacks that have occurred in Colorado have been young ones that have not figured out what they are supposed to do, like this one, so it is wise to keep your distance.  Mountain lions usually have 2 or 3 cubs, so the multiple sightings make sense for a batch that have just been let go by the mother. Usually, they figure things out in about a month or less and are not seen again.