Our weather services are telling us to be prepared for some snow flurries, with an inch or two accumulating on unpaved surfaces, Wednesday night and Thursday. Temperatures are also expected to plunge into the single digits on Friday night.
Summer’s over folks – let’s break out that cold-weather gear and have a great winter!
Well, here we are one day before Fall begins, with our first snow of the season in Silverthorne. Just enough on the landscaping to be pretty, and get that excitement for winter going, but only wet on the roads so far. We have another day or two of cool snowy weather until the sunshine comes back for the weekend.
The next few weeks we will be getting the plows put back on our trucks and reviewing routes. Our customers may see us at their properties, making our pre-season inspections. For what they’re worth, forecasts are calling for another above-average winter, with some significant early-season storms in November. Of course, we never know until we look out the window, but it sounds good!
Wishing everyone a happy fall. This coming weekend will probably be your last chance to see the aspen colors at their peak, and it’s supposed to be sunny weather. Maybe one last drive over Trail Ridge Road or Independence Pass, or a trip into the back-country . . .
Steve & Karen
Being Summit County, our spring weather was reversed. March came in like a lamb with very warm, spring-like days, but went out like a lion with one of the biggest storms of the year on April 1. April was the 3rd snowiest month of the season, after December and January.
Overall, the season ended a little above average. We plowed over 14 feet of snow, and the Colorado River watershed reported the snow pack at 104% of average at the end of April.
Our existing customers should have received contract renewals this past week. We have discount deadlines this year of June 1, July 1, and August 1.
All the ice was off Lake Dillon on Sunday, May 10. It looks like a great summer shaping up.
Karen will be participating in the Bolder Boulder 10K event in Boulder on Memorial Day. This is her first event of this kind, so she’s excited.
We will be attending the SIMA symposium in June for the trade show and educational sessions. Karen is presenting two workshops this year, the first is on how to successfully integrate lifestyle changes, and the second is a panel discussion on women in the snow and ice industry.
Get outside and enjoy the summer, whether you garden, hike, bicycle, boat, camp, or shop – have fun!
Steamboat was the winner for this storm, with about a foot of snow. It fizzled out for Silverthorne though. We just had a few flakes swirling around in the wind. Tomorrow night may do better for us.
If last year was the winter of no sun, this is the winter of wind. Berthoud Pass had wind gusts over 100 mph last night, and the high winds are causing blizzard conditions of blowing snow at the high elevations over 10,000 feet.
Right now, Berthoud Pass, Rabbit Ears Pass, Loveland Pass, and Vail Pass are all closed due to adverse conditions, with no estimate of reopening according to CDOT. Eisenhower Tunnel, Hoosier Pass, and Fremont Pass require chains for all commercial vehicles.
I just tallied up our season so far. In November we plowed about 2 feet of snow. In December, about 5 feet. A total of 85 inches to date, just over 7 feet.
Of course this is about half of what the ski areas are reporting, but they are measuring mid-mountain, so another couple of thousand feet in elevation.
But for Silverthorne, 7 feet is not too shabby!
So, the snow is great – get out there and enjoy it! Be sure to check avalanche conditions before you head into the back country though – be safe.
Oh, one more piece of trivia – Lake Dillon was frozen over this year on December 25, which is about average.
10 PM with 4″ on the ground and still snowing lightly. The forecast is calling for light snow through tomorrow mid-day, then a 12-hour blizzard is supposed to hit bringing 6 – 9 inches over the weekend.
If you are going to be traveling the I-70 corridor this weekend, my advice is to leave early Saturday morning or else stay home. I predict traffic and road conditions will be a real mess by Saturday night. So drive safe, and remember, 4-wheel drive does not = 4-wheel stop.
Several waves of snow are supposed to come through over the next week. YAY!
After some very mild extended fall weather, winter finally got here on Black Friday. Between Friday and Sunday, we had about 9 inches in the bottom of Silverthorne, and two feet up at the top of Wildernest.
The storm came in with some extreme winds which made driving conditions very bad. The traffic jam in Silverthorne from cars trying to get on Eastbound I-70 extended all the way past Dillon.
Our suggestion for people traveling East from Summit County on Sundays: leave early, leave very late, or wait until Monday morning. From about noon until 7 PM, the traffic will be heavy, and if the weather is bad like today, it will be one solid parking lot.
And don’t forget, you can check the road conditions anytime at www.cotrip.org or call 303-639-1111.
While not quite “plowable” yet, we did get another nice early-season snow storm today, with two to three inches that stuck on the grass and deck.
Today marks the first snow of the season. Snow levels were down to around 11,000 feet.
Here is a view towards the Continental Divide:
From traffic, it looks like quite a few of our Front Range visitors are enjoying a cool respite from the 90+ degree weather they have been having.
We’ll be watching for the first yellow aspen leaves after today. We’re hoping for one more 4-wheeling trip into the back country before we settle in for the winter.
