Do You Remember What Happened One Year Ago Today in Colorado?
I know you have slept since then, but do you remember what happened in Colorado on May 18, 2017?
If you are like me, you don't even remember what happened one month ago, let alone an entire year ago, so let me refresh your memory.
May 18, 2017 was the day a record-breaking spring storm dumped large amounts of snow in Colorado's high country and along the front range. Wyoming and several other states were also impacted by the late storm.
In Estes Park, 25-36 inches of snow was reported with 26 inches in Breckenridge, 42 inches at Allenspark, over 8 inches at Steamboat Springs, while Denver was getting up to 5 inches of white stuff. A winter alert was issued in Denver for just the fourth time this late in May since 2006.
In Cheyenne, Wyoming, 11 inches of snow fell, which was the most snow they had received this late in the season since WWII. A large stretch of Interstate 80 was closed in southern Wyoming due to blizzard conditions from Winter Storm Valerie.
May snowfall is not unusual in Colorado's high country, but it was the lower elevation cities that unexpectedly felt the effects of the storm. In Boulder and Jefferson counties, thousands of customers were without power.
What I remember about that day is traveling to Grand Teton National Park and having to deal with road closures in Utah and Wyoming due to the blizzard.
Meanwhile, in Grand Junction, the 49-degree high temperature on Thursday, May 18, 2017 was nearly 30 degrees below normal and we received .03 inches of precipitation. The cool weather was short-lived as it was back up to the 70s by Sunday, and a high of 88 degrees the following Wednesday.
What a difference a year makes. Look at today's weather.
Grand Junction 80
Steamboat Springs 68
Estes Park 65
Denver 70
Cheyenne 64
A look back at what happened one year ago is enough to remind us that it's not too late for some cool and wintery weather. But, for now. at least, it looks like it's smooth sailing.