Tuesday, January 30, 2018
Monday, January 29, 2018
Sunday, January 28, 2018
Friday, January 26, 2018
Wednesday, January 24, 2018
Tuesday, January 23, 2018
Monday, January 22, 2018
Sunday, January 21, 2018
North Platte,NB Declares Snow Emergency for 8" of Snow
News Link
In Colorado we are praying for 2 feet to end the drought.
In Colorado we are praying for 2 feet to end the drought.
Bottom Line - Don't Approach Wildlife
News Link
A way to defuse a moose about to charge not mentioned in the article is to stay facing the moose and quietly and slowly walk backwards on the trail until you no longer see the moose. This has worked for me with both moose and bear encounters and I know several people that have used this technique successfully with mountain lion encounters.
A way to defuse a moose about to charge not mentioned in the article is to stay facing the moose and quietly and slowly walk backwards on the trail until you no longer see the moose. This has worked for me with both moose and bear encounters and I know several people that have used this technique successfully with mountain lion encounters.
Wednesday, January 17, 2018
Tuesday, January 16, 2018
Monday, January 15, 2018
Sunday, January 14, 2018
Saturday, January 13, 2018
Friday, January 12, 2018
Another Small Quake (2.5) West of Trinidad
News Link
Shallow depth, another wastewater injection well induced quake.
Shallow depth, another wastewater injection well induced quake.
2 Moose Spurring in Breckenridge
The rutt continues. Check the video out. The moose tower above and look larger than the compact car parked nearby.
Drought Conditions Throughout Colorado
It's been the driest fall and winter season I can remember. Drought level corresponds with average temperature map shown in previous post.
Thursday, January 11, 2018
Wednesday, January 10, 2018
Monday, January 8, 2018
Texas Woman Dies from Flesh-Eating Bacteria After Eating Raw Oysters
News Link
A number of reports from the Gulf of Mexico in recent years indicates that flesh-eating bacteria are thriving in the warm sediments of the Gulf.
A number of reports from the Gulf of Mexico in recent years indicates that flesh-eating bacteria are thriving in the warm sediments of the Gulf.
Sunday, January 7, 2018
Saturday, January 6, 2018
Friday, January 5, 2018
Pine Beetle Gaining Ground in San Juan Mountains
News Link
Last year the forest service declared an end to the pine beetle epidemic along the Front Range and Rocky Mountains because most susceptible trees had already been infected.
Last year the forest service declared an end to the pine beetle epidemic along the Front Range and Rocky Mountains because most susceptible trees had already been infected.
Snow Business Suffers in Colorado's High Country
News Link
Ski country workers aren't paid salaries and resorts have put many on standby leaving them unable to buy food or pay rent.
Ski country workers aren't paid salaries and resorts have put many on standby leaving them unable to buy food or pay rent.
Thursday, January 4, 2018
Colorado Snowpack Lowest in 33 Years
News Link
It is very dry here on the Front Range similar to the drought years of 2002 and 2012, the worst wildfire years. Snowpack in southwest Colorado is only 21% of median. Let's hope for a wet spring.
It is very dry here on the Front Range similar to the drought years of 2002 and 2012, the worst wildfire years. Snowpack in southwest Colorado is only 21% of median. Let's hope for a wet spring.
Colorado Dept of Health Says Radon Responsible for 500 Lung Cancer Deaths Each Year in Colorado
News Link
Radon is a decay product of uranium naturally present in the granites and some sandstones in Colorado. Mostly a problem in mountain homes on granite that are super-tight insulated, radon accumulates in the lower levels of the home. This problem has been known for a long time and is easily mitigated with a venting system. There are several companies that offer radon testing and mitigation services.
Radon is a decay product of uranium naturally present in the granites and some sandstones in Colorado. Mostly a problem in mountain homes on granite that are super-tight insulated, radon accumulates in the lower levels of the home. This problem has been known for a long time and is easily mitigated with a venting system. There are several companies that offer radon testing and mitigation services.
Wednesday, January 3, 2018
Lightning Deaths in US at Record Low Number for 2017
News Link
Education efforts, such as this one, credited for low number. 2 of the 17 deaths were in Colorado. The average number of lightning strike deaths in Colorado is 3 and the average number injured is 13. Only 2 reports of injuries in 2017.
Winter Storm Warning Issued for Florida
News Link
Gives and idea of just how far the arctic blast has moved through the US.
Gives and idea of just how far the arctic blast has moved through the US.
Monday, January 1, 2018
Alamosa Records Warmest Year on Record
News Link
I guess that if anywhere else in Colorado had the warmest year ever that would have been reported.
I guess that if anywhere else in Colorado had the warmest year ever that would have been reported.
2017 - A Record Year for Climbing Tragedies, Hailstorms, Wildfires, High Winds and Bears
Reviewing the annual summary for 2016 has convinced me I need to get completely out of the prediction business. I stated "No 2 years of weather have ever been the same in Colorado. I have no predictions for 2017 other than it will be different than 2016." I was partially right, many hazards came to prominence in 2017 that were insignificant in 2016 but there was plenty of the same from 2016 in 2017. All I can say after many years of observation is the West Slope of Colorado is generally a far safer place to live than the rest of Colorado.
2017 was the year of people falling off cliffs and mountains in Colorado. 20 people died in 2017 hiking, climbing 14ers, or rock climbing, far surpassing what I thought was a record year in 2016. Another 18 were injured. Most fell off cliffs, rock faces or trails in icy or otherwise bad weather conditions. Many died rock climbing with insufficient experience and inadequate equipment. It is truly sad what a combination of ignorance and exaggerated belief in one's abilities can produce. An article from August summarizes 11 fatalities on Colorado 14ers. 6 of the 11 climbers fell to their death off Capitol Peak's infamous knife edge alone. Anyone interested in the details of each individual tragedy can read the individual posts on this blog.
Lots of snow in the mountains in January through March gave skiers delight while causing many avalanches and traffic accidents. At the same time the lower foothills and eastern plains experienced high winds, record warmth, drought and wildfires. A 32,000 acre wildfire in Logan County March 6 and 7 was the largest. Drought, record warmth, dry windy conditions and wildfires continued from September through December. Massive wildfires throughout the western US and British Columbia sent heavy smoke and health advisories to Colorado. I found and posted over 100 reports of wildfires in Colorado for 2017 and may have missed some. Most were small and put out quickly but high winds fanned several large wildfires throughout Colorado.
12 people were killed at Colorado ski resorts after hitting trees. In the backcountry there was only 1 fatality and a few injuries in 2017. There were no reports of treewell incidents and only 3 avalanche incidents. The Colorado Avalanche Information Center attributes their education efforts for the low number of backcountry incidents.
Lots of snow along the Front Range in Late April and May temporarily ended drought conditions and put a damper on wildfires while downing power lines and producing a few landslides in the state and some rockfall. Snowmelt caused high waters in Colorado's rivers that resulted in injuries and death for ill-advised rafters and swimmers. A May 8 severe hailstorm in Denver Metro with up to baseball-sized hail destroyed thousands of cars and damaged thousands of roofs including the entire Colorado Mills Mall roof which had to be shut down for repairs until November. The most costly hailstorm in Colorado history at over $2 billion, far surpassed the previous record July, 1990 storm. My daughter had the bad luck to be shopping at Colorado Mills on May 8 and her car was one of the many unfortunate victims.
Up to 100 mph winds and sporadic snowstorms in January, February, March, October and December knocked over semi-trailers, downed power lines and dropped large trees onto houses and cars. An elderly woman and a man in Colorado Springs were killed in separate incidents by high winds. Oddly enough, there were very few tornadoes in Colorado this year and none above EF0. The wild swings in weather along the Front Range during the winter months produced dangerous ice conditions on ponds. Many dogs, horses and a few children were rescued after falling through thin ice. An Aurora boy was not so lucky in January and was unable to be saved.
2 people were killed and 2 injured by lightning strikes in 2017. A Littleton woman and her horse were killed by a lightning strike during a storm in May. A teenager riding next to her was injured and hospitalized. A Durango mountain biker riding with his girlfriend near the Lizard Head Wilderness during a lightning storm was struck down in August. His surviving girlfriend was hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries. It is not a good idea to elevate yourself above the ground surface in an open and exposed area during a lightning storm. If you ever find yourself in this situation, dismount and get to the lowest spot in nearby terrain and lay or crouch down until the lightning stops. Do not seek shelter under a tree. If you are with a group of people, do not huddle together.
It was a relatively mild season for West Nile, 68 cases with 2 fatalities centered mostly in the Fort Collins-Greeley-Longmont area. There were no reports that I could find of human cases of any tick fever in Colorado in 2017. Colorado DOH reports 3 cases of tularemia, no human cases of plague and 1 non-fatal case of hantavirus.
There were 4600 wildlife-vehicle collisions as of October. 3 people were killed and 4 injured when an SUV collided with a bear on I-70 near Rifle. None of the occupants in the SUV were wearing seat belts and all were ejected from the vehicle. 2 were injured in a collision with a bear near Mancos. Coyote attacks on pets along the Front Range increased dramatically in 2017 and far surpassed mountain lion attacks on pets for the first time. Off-leash dogs provoked 6 moose attacks and one elk attack on their owners, who in some cases were hospitalized.
Bears got into lots of trouble breaking into cars, pizza shops and homes looking for goodies. A woman near Aspen and a teen near Boulder were attacked by bears while in their tents. Both survived with minor injuries. Aspen area bear problems tripled in 2017 from 2016. Over 170 bears were euthanized in Colorado in 2017 by wildlife officials under the 2 strikes and out law, a record number. Over 110 were tagged and relocated after their first strike for bad behavior. A few communities mandated bear-proof garbage containers to avoid bear incidents.
There were 49 small earthquakes of Magnitude 4 or less in Colorado in 2017. Activity was centered around oil and gas operations near Rangely, the Roan Plateau and Trinidad. A swarm of 15 small earthquakes occurred near Marble in January.
3 large asteroids flew by earth in 2017. NASA's Planetary Defense Office has kept track of most large asteroids, but several smaller asteroids that could do considerable damage if they hit the earth were discovered only a few days before they flew by.
It is my hope that people will read and learn from the relatively few unfortunate encounters with nature in Colorado each year. To all the outdoor enthusiasts in Colorado, have a Safe and Happy New Year.
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