Fall snow covers Northern Colorado with first significant seasonal accumulation

North Forty News Journalists live throughout our Northern Colorado coverage area. We have team coverage from several of them about the first snow of the season.

Wellington

Gary Raham

Yesterday, I could enjoy balmy temperatures while admiring leaves turning gold all around. Today, as a CoCoRaHS volunteer (Community Collaborative Rain, Hail & Snow Network), I put on boots to measure rain and snowfall in my Wellington back yard. The gauge told me 0.58” of a combined rain/snow mix fell between about 6 pm yesterday and 7:20 am this morning.

The Weather Channel calls for a Winter Storm Watch until Monday at 6 pm, a Winter Storm Warning until Monday at 3 pm and a Freeze Warning until Tuesday at 10 am. Such is Colorado. But snow forms a beautiful topping to the warm colors of fall. Enjoy—and take care on the roads. It should be sunny and 68 degrees by Thursday!

PHOTO BY Gary Raham. Daisies were covered by snow in Wellington, if you didn’t cover them in your yard, they are probably done for the season.

PHOTO BY Gary Raham. A rain guage shows just how much snow and moisture we received overnight on October 8, 2017.

Laporte

Theresa Rose

So it’s 40 degrees out, wet and soggy, the first snow of the season. Where are my hat and gloves? Why didn’t I cover my roses? As the skiers celebrate, the rest of us grumble as we slog through the slop, digging the snow shovel out of the shed and facing the cold fact of the coming winter. This, fortunately is a mild snow, not too cold and not like some of our early blizzards which leave broken branches in the streets and cars stranded on the side of the road. This time we got off easy.

40 degrees out. Soggy, wet and dripping. The first snow of the season in LaPorte.

30 miles west of Bellvue

Matthew Bartmann

“Snow is coming.”

That was on my mind yesterday as I was making sure all preparations were made prior to the storm’s arrival. Not so easy to think of while cutting and covering firewood, temporarily insulating some unfinished projects from the summer, even simple things such as making sure cars are pointed down hill and clear of obstructions that would be hidden under snow in the morning. Hard to concentrate on such tasks in the sunny T-shirt weather outside with butterflies flitting about as they were.

The snow started about 9pm, and by midnight, it was up to 3 inches. This morning at 6am, we had 6 inches. And by noon when the snow slowed, about 9 inches. The weather forecasts had said 6-15″, and they were about right this time. Sometimes they are not.

Best to be prepared. Expect the worse, and expect to enjoy whatever weather you get.

PHOTO BY SALLY ROTH Snowing hard at daybreak, 6:30am.

PHOTO BY MATT BARTMANN. A magpie eyes the last leaf on an aspen tree.

Fort Collins

Blaine Howerton

I spent the day yesterday getting ready. The announcement came that the Front Range was under Winter Storm Warning and I went to work! As I cranked over the engine on the old snow blower, turned off the sprinklers, covered the plants, picked the pumpkins and the tomatoes, emptied the water fountain, and got out my winter clothes, I realized yet again – THIS IS COLORADO!

I have been here all of my life and I know what the weather forecasters say is very seldom what happens. But at least I’m ready now for the winter!

Snow in Fort Collins has stopped (as of writing at 1:25pm), and I am looking forward to a warmer week!

PHOTO BY Blaine Howerton. There is a BEAUTIFUL purple mum under that pot. When it warms up tomorrow, hopefully it will still be in great shape.

→ Read the full story: Fall snow covers Northern Colorado with first significant seasonal accumulation