Much of Colorado experienced my favorite kind of snowstorm this Friday and Saturday: heavy, wet snow that sticks to the trees and melts within a day or two. It snowed 11 inches here in Grand Lake and just 24 hours later there was only a trace of snow remaining.
To be honest, I was hoping for a big snowstorm during my visit here. I’ve been telling people for a few years now that I’m sick of Minnesota winters and dream of moving somewhere warmer. Perhaps Colorado. Naturally, people think I’m nuts. “Colorado still has winters, Eric!” True. But I’m pretty sure it often melts right away instead of turning into ice and sticking around for months as it does in Minnesota.
I was giddy all last week knowing the weekend forecast called for up to 18 inches of snow here in the mountains. Being this late in May, with high temperatures in the upper 60s every day leading up to the snowstorm, I knew whatever amount of snow we got wouldn’t last long. Plus, how often do I get to say I was in a snowstorm on May 20-21?
It’s been a drier than usual May throughout Colorado—and, sadly, wildfires have been popping up around the state—so this storm provided much-needed precipitation throughout the area.
The sun was back in its full glory Saturday morning. Being at such a high elevation with intense sun, I knew it was only a matter of hours before the freshly-covered white landscape would be green again.
I ventured out a couple of times during the storm and again Saturday morning to capture the beauty of this late May snowstorm. I’ve created a photo gallery of my favorites. Enjoy!
