Northwesterly Winds

It doesn't seem to matter how long I live in Colorado, I am still amazed at the weather and what the clouds do around here.

It amazes me how quickly the weather changes here...As I walked the dog at the lake this afteroon, I noticed the gathering clouds to the Northwest (where most of our weather comes from). The ominousness of it all still makes me wonder how the pioneers made it here, with the weather changing so quickly, and their shelter to be sure, less substantial than my home.

We're expecting anywhere from a foot to 2 feet of snow in the next couple of days. The pioneers here sure didn't have the benefit of radar satellites to warn them of the impending storm.

Late spring storms like this are a boon to Colorado's water supply, and fairly common. In fact, it's a myth that we get hit with a lot of snow through the winter...most of it hits in March and April. It is amazing to me how quickly Coloradans are able to out like ants whose farm has been destroyed, although people will be late for work on Monday, it won't be because the highways aren't cleared.

The weatherman has been earning his keep these days. The only thing I wish he or she would do differently is not say things like "Northwesterly winds will be 15-25 miles per hour." Does that mean the wind is coming out of the Northwest, or headed in that direction? It's a mystery to me. Not a big one, mind you, but a mystery nonetheless.

I wonder if my escape artist cat will be quite so anxious to be outside tomorrow if it snows 2 feet.

I'm going to have to get him on a leash and find out.