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Publisher’s Letter: Stepping into Spring

Publisher’s Letter: Stepping into Spring
By Blaine Howerton, Publisher
North Forty News

My annual spring fever is kicking in.

Snow on, snow off. Welcome to mid-winter in Colorado! As I write this, some forecasters say that we will get 3 inches, the National Weather Service says 6 to 8 inches, and some websites report up to 12 possible inches. All we can do is anticipate snow and then get ready for it.

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Last year, during spring break in March, we got nailed with a significant snowstorm. I was fortunate enough to be in the desert with 70-degree weather at the time.

According to the National Weather Service, the most moisture in our area comes in May. On average, over the past ten years, Fort Collins has seen an average of 2.7 inches of precipitation in May. I wondered, how much snow does that equal? A quick search on the internet brought me to a snow depth calculator. According to omnicalculator.com, that’s equivalent to 27 inches of snow! So, I’m not complaining. Bring it on. We need the moisture for our crops, drinking reservoirs, and forests.

In my experience (as a Colorado native), April and May are the craziest weather months. I NEVER plant my outdoor garden before mother’s day. But by now, I’m almost desperate to see some plant life, so I resort to my indoor Aerogarden and put outdoor plants in pots, so I can move them inside if it freezes.

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I hope the bitter cold is behind us. The bone-chilling sub-zero temperatures make me want to take off on a flight to a warm place like Nevada. Oh wait — I’m doing that this weekend! Thanks to Avelo airlines, you can now take a 1-hour flight direct from Fort Collins / Loveland Regional airport to Las Vegas without the hassle and time consumption of the madness at Denver International Airport.

Annie, our new VP of Community Engagement, took off for the desert. She has been “taunting” me with pictures of the desert near Lake Mead.

All this leads us to our cover story. Hopefully, it gives some of our readers some ideas to keep yourself “stepping” right into spring.

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March 20 2026 Edition