Friday, July 23rd - Work On Access Road Pushed Back... Work on FDR 128 that was scheduled to begin next Tuesday, July 27th, has been pushed back and is now scheduled to begin the week of August 2nd... This project may last up to three days... Delays can be expected... Residents are advised to plan accordingly, allowing extra time to get up and down the mountain during the roadwork...

County Residents Treated For Rabies Exposure From Bats... The Larimer County Department of Health and Environment reports that an individual from the Fort Collins area exposed to rabies after handling a bat on July 17th, is now undergoing a series of injections to prevent rabies... The patient was exposed after handling a sick bat which was then tested and found to be positive for rabies... So far this year, a total 5 people have undergone rabies treatment because of exposure to rabid bats... The Health Department has investigated a number of situations in the past two weeks in which sick bats were found and caught...  Children and adults who attempted to rescue the animals were bitten or otherwise exposed to saliva from the bats... The complete news release including tips on bat handling and removal can be found by following the link below...

Thursday, July 22nd - Tractor-Trailer Sticks In Switchbacks... Late this morning a tractor-trailer got stuck in the switchbacks of FDR 128 delaying traffic... The truck was apparently on it's way up the mountain to pick up a large Caterpillar tractor when the trailer bottomed out, high-centering on the sharp curves... As of Noon, the road was reported as obstructed with one narrow lane passable... Residents are advised to use caution and expect further delays this afternoon until the truck can be moved...

Flood Watch Issued 2pm Through Midnight... The National Weather Service in Denver has issued a "Flash Flood Watch" for parts of the Front Range, including the Storm Mountain area, from 2pm through Midnight tonight... THIS IS A WATCH AND NOT A WARNING!!!  A cold front will move into Northeastern Colorado early this afternoon allowing increasing moisture to upslope into the foothills developing into thunderstorms this afternoon and evening... Storms could produce rainfall amounts up to 3" an hour setting the stage for possible flash flooding... Please note that this is a potentially dangerous situation developing... People in and close to the watch area are advised to stay informed and be prepared for quick action should flooding occur... 

Wednesday, July 21st - Smooth Ride Up Mountain... Workers yesterday put down road base and graded sections of FDR 128 making for a much smoother ride up and down Storm Mountain... Residents are urged to respect the work being done by abiding speed limits and keeping 4WD locked to prevent unnecessary spinning of tires... Grading will continue today with more work on FDR 128 scheduled to start next Tuesday, July 27th, with the project lasting up to three days during which delays can be expected...

Tuesday, July 20th - Moon And Planets Visible In West... Weather permitting, residents may be able to step outside tonight and see Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, and our own Moon all shining in the Western skies just after sunset... For a full size map of where to look, click on the image below...

Tonight's sky looking West at 9:00pm - Image generated with "Starry Night Astronomy Software"

Evening Rainbow Over Mountain.... Area residents were treated to a spectacular double rainbow Monday evening... The rainbow occurred around 7:30pm and lasted only a few minutes... This was one of the best displays so far this year, with the color saturation being remarkable...

Rainbow over Palisade Mountain on Monday evening

Monday, July 19th - Severe Thunderstorm Warning Issued... The National Weather Service in Denver has issued a "Severe Thunderstorm Warning" for South-central Larimer County until 1:15pm... At 12:17pm, "Doppler Radar" indicated a severe storm 3 miles Southwest of Estes Park... Large hail and cloud-to-ground lightning are possible in and near the warning area... 

Greyrock Trail Open Again... As of Sunday, July 18th, the "Greyrock Trail" in the Poudre Canyon is again open... The trail was closed due to last week's 28 acre wildfire in the area...

Friday, July 16th - Glen Haven Pancake Breakfast Tomorrow... Then Glen Haven Volunteer Fire Department will hold their annual "Pancake Breakfast" tomorrow, Saturday, July 17th, from 7am - 11am, at the Glen Haven Fire Station... This is a fundraising event and area residents are encouraged to attend... The GHVFD has been very generous with equipment and other supplies to our own station in Drake and this is a great way to show our support and gratitude...

Flash Flood Watch Noon Thru 10pm... The National Weather Service in Denver has again issued a "Flash Flood Watch" for parts of North-central Colorado including the Storm Mountain area from Noon until 10pm tonight... THIS IS A WATCH AND NOT A WARNING!!!  Another round of storms are expected to develop this afternoon along the Front Range and foothills... A very moist atmosphere and slow storm movement will allow stronger storms to produce 2" - 3" of rainfall in a short period of time... The complete watch text can be found below...