The wind has been rocketing along the sides of our home
and howling around its corners for over twelve hours,
driving horizontal snow before it.
We have experienced a "bomb cyclone" blizzard,
and some eight inches of snow has accumulated in Aurora.
Accumulated seems a misnomer though,
because the fierce winds have stripped some areas bare
and have swirled the snow around and around and around in the air.
Drifts are piling up in odd areas; and, of course in front of our garage door.
Terry watches out the window
as the blizzard moves in.
Aurora, Colorado, USA
March 13, 2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
A blizzard is a snowstorm with winds of 35 miles/hour (56 kilometers/hour) or more,
and visibility reduced to 1/4 mile (0.40 kilometer) for at least three hours.
We had winds that blew steadily at 45 mph (72 kph)
and gusted to 60 mph (96 kph).
At Denver International Airport a few miles north of us,
the top wind gust recorded was 80 mph (128 kph).
Terry and I watched in amazement at the total whiteout conditions
that lasted well over an hour.
At other times during the blizzard, the snow would thin briefly,
and we could see a hundred yards or more (91 meters),
catching glimpses of ghostly conifers and indistinct houses.
Whiteout!
Aurora, Colorado, USA
March 13, 2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
We also watched in amazement, as winds ripped past our windows nonstop for hours,
and this one little sprig with four berries lying on our deck
never moved or disappeared in a drift of snow.
It's still out there now.
never moved or disappeared in a drift of snow.
It's still out there now.
Tenacity
Aurora, Colorado, USA
March 13, 2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
A bomb cyclone is a storm with rapidly plunging atmospheric pressure,
defined as a drop of 24 millibars (units of atmospheric pressure) in 24 hours or less.
According to a number of sources, including CNN,
our storm intensified explosively,
as the atmospheric pressure fell 33 millibars in some eighteen hours.
Usually these storms occur near large bodies of water like the Atlantic Ocean
and rarely in places like Colorado.
Burrr!
Aurora, Colorado, USA
March 13, 2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
While I spent time making baked beans and blueberry lemon bread,
working on a jigsaw puzzle, and running outside to take pictures,
Terry hung out close to the fireplace.
I Hate Winter!
Aurora, Colorado, USA
March 13, 2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
We're lucky because we spent the day in a warm house,
and we didn't lose our electricity or get stranded on a highway.
Others were not as fortunate.
Our Colorado State Patrol lost a trooper today
as he attempted to help a driver who had slid off the road.
Corporal Daniel H. Groves was stuck by by another car
and he died later in the hospital. cbslocal
The dedication and sacrifices of our first responders are remarkable,
and they should never be forgotten or taken for granted.
Snow begins to pile against our garage door.
Aurora, Colorado, USA
March 13, 2019
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
Hug your loved ones!