Wednesday, September 22nd - Fall Begins Today... The Northern Autumn will begin this morning at 10:30am MDT... This will also mark the start of Spring in the Southern Hemisphere... Forecasters are predicting a continuation of recent our wet weather through this Fall, will slightly lower than normal temperatures expected... Above average snowfall amounts are also possible...

Frosted trees on Palisade Mountain this morning	View from Storm Mountain looking southwest down FDR 128

Tuesday, September 21st  - Winter Weather Advisory Issued... The National Weather Service in Denver has issued a "Winter Weather Advisory" for the Northern mountains and foothills including the Storm Mountain area through 6am Wednesday... Snow showers will continue along the foothills as well as South Park County overnight... An additional 3 to 6 inches is expected tonight with total snow accumulations by Wednesday morning ranging from 4 to 8 inches...

Residents Angered Over Sub-Standard Utilities... Several residents of the Storm Mountain area are angered at Poudre Valley REA and Qwest Communications for what they feel is sub-standard utility service provided to the area... "Our power goes out constantly...It used to be only during extreme weather but now the power goes out at the first drop of rain or the slightest breeze", states one angry resident, "and our telephone lines are the absolute worst I know of anywhere... Third World countries have better phone service than we do"... It is a fact that the power situation has gotten progressively worse over the past couple of years, with Poudre Valley REA taking no steps we know of to resolve the issue... It is also a fact that after Qwest Communications took over the providing of telephone service to our area, that quality has dropped substantially... While promising better service and DSL to the area, neither has occurred with connection speeds for dialup users in the area actually being cut in half immediately after Qwest's acquisition... Dialup users now struggle to get even a 26.4K connection... Residents are being urged to write their Congressmen and to file complaints with the Colorado Public Utilities Commission, demanding that our utilities be brought into line with other communities... "There are hundreds of residents affected by these problems and it's time we made our voice heard... We pay as much, if not more, for our utilities as residents of other areas and we deserve an equal quality of service"... Information on contacting the Public Utilities Commission can be found below...

Colorado Public Utilities Commission

E-Mail the Public Utilities Commission
1580 Logan Street, OL 2
Denver, CO 80203
(303) 894-2000 - General Issues Phone
(800) 888-0170 - General Issues Toll Free
(303) 894-2070 - Consumer Issues Phone
(800) 456-0858 - Consumer Issues Toll Free
Complaints E-Mail
(303) 894-2065 - General Fax
(303) 894-2071 - Transportation Fax

Snow Forces Closure Of Trail Ridge Road... Snows last night in the high country forced the National Park Service to close Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park... More snow is expected throughout the area today and tonight with levels possibly dropping to 6000 feet... As of 7:30am, snow mixed with rain was falling over the Storm Mountain area...

Monday, September 20th - Special Weather Statement Issued For Area... At 6:03pm, the National Weather Service in Denver issued a "Special Weather Statement" for the Front Range Foothills, including the Storm Mountain Area... Sharply colder temperatures along with snow in the high country is expected Tuesday and Wednesday... Total snow accumulations of 3 to 6 inches are expected by Wednesday morning, with the highest totals east of the divide... 

Sunday, September 19th - Autumn Winds Of Change... With the coming of Fall next week also comes the winds of change... Snow is in the forecast with the possibility of awakening to a "White" first day of Fall... The "Autumnal Equinox" will occur at 10:30am MDT, on the morning of Wednesday, September 22nd...

Time Lapse of clouds moving across the area this morning...

Thursday, September 16th - Volunteers Needed For Trail Projects... Autumn in Larimer County's Parks & Open Lands is a great time to volunteer!!! The County is currently seeking volunteer help on various trail projects throughout the area... If you enjoy being outdoors and would like to give back to the community, your help would be appreciated... Complete information on volunteer activities and dates can be found below...

Wednesday, September 15th - Surplus Equipment Auction Saturday 25th...  The annual multi-public-agency, "Surplus Equipment Auction", takes place on Saturday, September 25 at 10:00am at Larimer County’s The Ranch, on the east side of  I-25 directly across from Fort Collins-Loveland Municipal Airport at the Crossroads Boulevard exit... The sale features trucks, cars, vans, pickups, tractors, trailers, heavy equipment and more, offered by: Larimer and Weld Counties, the Cities of Loveland, Fort Collins, Windsor, and Longmont, the  St. Vrain School District, the Greeley-Weld County Airport, and the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District... Inspection opportunities are Friday, September 24 from 9a.m. to 4p.m. and Saturday, September 25 from 8a.m. to 10a.m. at The Ranch... Complete information can be found below...