Welcome, Autumn! The heater is back on :)

On Labor Day weekend, summer officially ended. Not per the calendar, but per nature. That weekend, we had a cold front roll in, complete with precipitation (a rare thing, these days)! Since then, temps got into the low 80s once, maybe twice in the 80917 zip code. Only yesterday, the 14th of September, we had record breaking rain fall amounts. It rained over 4 1/2 inches in Colorado Springs in 24 hours. Keep in mind, we generally get around 17 inches of precipitation per year. We basically got a fourth of our yearly rainfall amount in 24 hours. My poor sister's basement flooded as a result of this deluge. Today, we were graced by beautiful fog, and periodic rain. It was lovely.

One HOT Summer!

This summer has been miserably hot, like much of the U.S. this year. From Mike Madson's blog, http://cordillerablogs.com/mmadson/, he states that, "The weather service tells me that the average high for the summer (in Colorado Springs) to this point has been 88 degrees. If it stays that high when August is over, (no guarantees), it WOULD make it the warmest summer on record." Holy cow! I guess global warming isn't fiction, after all - LOL.

Today, however, is the first of September, the first Burr month of 2012. And sadly, the highs are predicted to be in the lower 90's. On the plus side, the temps at night and in the evening/morning have been getting cooler.

A La Nina March, aka, Dry and Warm

Because of the la nina, our fall, winter, and spring have been very mild. March is typically the snowiest month of the year in Colorado. Not this time. In fact, we did not have single snow "storm" this month! Sure, there were flakes on occasion, but nothing to write home about. As I write this, the high today is predicted to be 73 degrees. It has been very windy this month, but that is typical of spring. The majority of trees in COS are still gray, but buds are on all of them. There is one type of tree that has actual leaves on them, but that is it. Grass is starting to turn green, the iris plant has shoots popping up, measuring about 4-5 inches high. Spring is definitely here!

On a different note, I am not suffering at all with seasonal allergies thanks to the allergy immunizations I've been taking for the past 9 months. Woo hoo!

Rain...in January AND February?

January's and February's weather was marked by record highs and lows. January started out extremely cold with some precipitation. But, by the months end, a strange thing happened - it rained! Of course it rained as soon as I drove the car out of the car wash, thus ruining the wash job. The fact that it rained in January, in Colorado Springs, is bizarre. Typically, because of our high elevation, when it precipitates, it turns to snow. Not this time.

February was also extremely cold in the first week due to an arctic blast that came down and froze most of the country. But, like January, a couple weeks later, and suddenly it was in the upper 60's! Only a few nights ago, clouds gathered one evening and it rained - again! Complete with lighting and thunder. The fact that we got rain in winter/spring is too weird. The fact that it rained after dark is too weird.

Goodbye, 2010!

On the second to last day of 2010, we finally got a real snow storm, and what a storm it was! On youtube.com, there is a video of the 20+ car pile-up on South Carefree and Powers, due to the icy, freezing cold conditions. Today's high was around 12. Tonights forecast says to expect a low of 9 below! Brrr! Despite the icy roads and numerous road closures, our total snowfall amount around here was about 3 inches. Not much, but when combined with arctic cold it made for very treacherous road conditions. My plans for visiting my sister this New Years Eve have been cancelled. Alas, we will be staying at home where it is safe and warm.

On another note, local meteorologist Mike Madson, reported on his blog, http://cordillerablogs.com/mmadson, that the reason this fall/winter has been so very dry is because we are in an el nina. Ocean temperatures are lower than normal, which make the great plains of the Rocky Mountains dry and mild. In fact, we are back in drought status thanks to the excessive dryness. My skin can attest to that.

First Snow 11/10/10

We finally got our first snow on the 10th of November. It was a mere dusting and melted off as soon as the sun burned away the clouds. But, it was exciting!

The Heater Has Been Turned On!

On October 12th, the heater had to be turned on for the first time this Fall! Summer lasted a loooong time this year, and I'm happy to have cool weather back again.