Saturday,
March 18th - Winter Storm Watch Sunday
Afternoon...
The National Weather Service in
Denver has issued a Winter Storm Watch for the
front range foothills, including the Drake, Glen
Haven and Storm Mountain area, beginning
on Sunday afternoon.
A POTENT WINTER
STORM IS GATHERING STRENGTH OVER THE DESERT
SOUTHWEST TODAY AND WILL MOVE ACROSS COLORADO
SUNDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT. THE WINTER STORM WILL
CONTAIN ABUNDANT MOISTURE AND COOLER TEMPERATURES
WHICH WILL RESULT IN SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL ON THE
NORTHEAST COLORADO PLAINS SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY
MORNING.
SNOW SHOWERS ARE
EXPECTED TO DEVELOP SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND THEN
CONTINUE SUNDAY NIGHT. SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 4 TO
8 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE BY MONDAY MORNING.
REMEMBER, A
WINTER STORM WATCH MEANS THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR
A HAZARDOUS WINTER WEATHER EVENT IN AND CLOSE TO
THE WATCH AREA. SIGNIFICANT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS MAY
OCCUR THAT COULD IMPACT TRAVEL. STAY TUNED TO THE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OR YOUR LOCAL NEWS MEDIA
FOR THE LATEST UPDATES AND POSSIBLE WARNING
CONCERNING THIS POTENTIAL WINTER STORM.
Area residents are advised to be
prepared for difficult driving conditions late
Sunday night and early Monday morning. Big
Thompson Schools will be closed for Spring Break
this week, saving many area resident's a slippery
drive down FDR 128 to the bus on Monday.
The latest official information
direct from the National Weather Service can be
found via the link provided below.
One of the lesser known facts
about the Storm Mountain area is the number of superb
mineral specimens to be found throughout, making this
a
mineral collector's paradise.
One does not have to venture far
from the road to find these natural treasures.
Some of the finest specimens have come literally
from the shoulder of the road. For the more
adventurous, a hike up one of the many trails or
old mining roads often leads past prospect holes
and mines from days gone by. Beautiful pieces like
the rare "Purpurite" pictured above can
be found in tailing piles from these old digs.
Other area minerals sought by
collectors include Garnet, Tourmaline, Beryl,
Magnatite and Rose Quartz. All of these minerals
are very common throughout or area. Garnet
crystals the size of tennis balls have been found
along the roadsides of CO 43, east of Glen Haven,
and Magnatite crystals found in the
Pole Hill area south of Estes Park are some of the
largest found in the world.
When collecting minerals in this
or any area a few basic rules should be obeyed:
Always respect property
rights and no trespassing signs.
Always ask permission before
collecting on private land.
If permission is granted,
always leave gates as you find them.
Never leave trash or debris
behind on public or private land.
Law enforcement
agencies across Colorado will be joining forces in
kicking off the St. Patrick's Day "Heat Is
On" campaign beginning at 6PM this evening
and continuing until 3AM on Monday.
The "Heat
Is On" is a joint effort of several law
enforcement agencies statewide to remove drunk
drivers from Colorado roadways. Sixteen law
enforcement agencies are planning saturation
patrols with another thirty-five agencies planning
increased patrols throughout the weekend. Several
DUI checkpoints, both roving and fixed, will also
be set up.
Last year 521
drivers were arrested on suspicion of drinking and
driving during the St. Patrick's Day campaign,
with only one person dying in an alcohol related
accident on Colorado roads. The goal is a zero
fatality weekend.
A major concern
of law enforcement is that this year St. Patrick's
Day falls on a Friday, and during the March
Madness college basketball tournaments. It is
feared that this combination could lead to an
excessive amount of drinking, and drunk or impaired
drivers on the roads.
As many people
do celebrate St. Patrick's Day with alcoholic
beverages, it is highly recommended that plans be
made in advance to avoid drinking and driving
situations. Motel rooms, taxis and designated
drivers are all suggested ways to stay safe and
out of jail this weekend.
DON'T
BECOME A STATISTIC!
Listen
to this article
Current
Regional Radar
Thursday,
March 16th - Large Winter Storm Approaching
Area...
A large Pacific storm system is
moving steadily towards northern Colorado, with
some forecasters anticipating our largest snowfall
of the season.
This storm system is expected to
arrive Sunday evening or early Monday morning,
with current models showing the brunt of the storm
hitting the northern foothills, including the
Drake, Glen Haven and Storm Mountain area.
The current weather statement on
this storm reads as follows:
IT APPEARS THAT THE HIGHEST
THREAT OF ACCUMULATING SNOWFALL WILL BE FROM
SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY OF NEXT WEEK. IT IS TOO
EARLY TO PREDICT THE EXACT TRACK AND INTENSITY OF
THIS STORM. HOWEVER, THE STORM DOES HAVE POTENTIAL
TO PRODUCE HEAVY SNOWFALL, ESPECIALLY IN THE
FOOTHILLS AND OVER PORTIONS OF THE NORTHEAST
COLORADO PLAINS. RESIDENTS OF NORTHEAST AND NORTH
CENTRAL COLORADO SHOULD MONITOR THE NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE OR LOCAL NEWS MEDIA FOR THE LATEST
UPDATES CONCERNING THIS STORM AS IT DEVELOPS.
Area residents are advised to be
prepared for heavy snowfall and difficult to
impossible driving conditions should they develop.
It is recommended that adequate food, water and
medical supplies be stocked prior to the storm's
anticipated arrival on late Sunday evening.
All watches, warnings and
advisories will be posted on this site as they are
issued. The latest official hazardous weather
outlook for our are is available via the link
provided below.
Weather permitting, the snowy
hillsides across our area will tonight be lit by the light
of the Full Worm Moon, which
officially occurs this afternoon at
4:35PM MST.
In March
the temperature begins to warm and the ground
begins to thaw, earthworm casts appear, heralding
the return of the robins, hence the name Full Worm
Moon.
The more northern tribes knew
this Moon as the Full Crow Moon, when the cawing
of crows signaled the end of winter; or the Full
Crust Moon, because the snow cover becomes crusted
from thawing by day and freezing at night. The
Full Sap Moon, marking the time of tapping maple
trees, is another variation. To the settlers, it
was also known as the Lenten Moon, and was
considered to be the last full Moon of winter.
As a bonus, a rare penumbral
lunar eclipse will be underway as the Moon rises,
just after 6:00PM. This type of eclipse occurs when the
Moon passes through the Earth's penumbra shadow,
partially blocking the sunlight from reaching its
surface. From Earth the eclipse will appear as a
slight shadowing or darkening of one portion of the
full Moon.
Geometry of the
Sun, Earth and Moon During an Eclipse of the Moon.
Earth's two shadows are the penumbra and the
umbra.
(Sizes and distances not to scale)
Resting on a branch during last
Wednesday's snowstorm, a male Oregon Junco is
featured as our photo of the week.
The Oregon Junco (Júnco
oregánus) is a common bird throughout our
area often seen in large flocks near feeders in
the winter. Juncos are rather tame sparrow size
birds with light pink bills, gray or black hoods
and white outer tail feathers.
The Oregon Junco is
distinguished from our other area Juncos, the
Slate-colored Junco and the Gray-headed Junco, by
its black head contrasting sharply with its rusty
colored back. However some races of Oregon Juncos
have a gray head with a more pink back showing
much less contrast. The three types of Juncos in
our area are now considered to be the same
species, Dark-eyed
Juncos (Junco hymenalis).
These lively territorial birds
are ground dwellers and feed on seeds and small
fruits in the open. They also move through the
lower branches of trees and seek shelter in the
tangle of shrubs.
