As recently as 10 years ago, Boulder weather reporting was reliable and precise. While Boulder Valley has always presented a prediction challenge, even in Boulder the question was more along the lines of demarcation of different areas of moisture, temperature and wind. BUT since then, weather prediction has been poor. Rain might come as predicted, or might never come, or might come days earlier or later than predicted. Keep in mind that weather prediction has been primarily based upon models, and the models are based upon historical data. The Shear Quantity Of The Data Is Beyond Comprehension Climate... Read More

Boulder has an ideal climate and geography for the formation of Virga. Virga is a captivating weather phenomenon in Boulder and elsewhere, that presents itself as streaks or wisps descending from a cloud but evaporates or sublimates before reaching the ground. This meteorological marvel occurs when precipitation falls from a cloud into a layer of air with significantly lower humidity, causing the droplets or ice crystals to evaporate or sublime into water vapor. Virga is not just a beautiful spectacle in the sky; it also offers insights into the atmospheric conditions of an area, such as air humidity... Read More

Living in Boulder, Colorado means being no stranger to extreme weather, but one phenomenon stands out as particularly awe-inspiring: thunder snow. This rare and dramatic event combines the intensity of a thunderstorm with the serene beauty of falling snow, creating a spectacle that captivates all who witness it. Understanding the science and experiencing the wonder of thunder snow is a unique privilege for residents of Boulder and a reminder of the astonishing power of nature. The Science Behind Thunder Snow Thunder snow occurs when a layer of warm air is sandwiched between two layers of cold... Read More

  Fact or Fancy? Avalanche or Anticipation? I think we get a PILE of Precipitation!  I am not licensed to be a meteorologist or any other type of ologist. As a Boulderite and a Buff,  I can’t be a tourist, so I am by definition a fool. No shockers there. Only fools and tourist predict the weather in Boulder.   I’m going to predict the weather. DISCLAIMER: nothing in this blog is to be taken as a prediction  of the weather. The following sentence is WRONG. It is based upon a weather map that was at least an hour old. I do not see an upslope storm, is WRONG. NOW I do see... Read More

  Weak Fern Wall. ?                     pic Lenny Lensworth Frieling Boulder Blizzard Imminent? Perhaps not. What’s missing? For one, a nicely defined long “fern wall.” This hot dog shaped cloud runs North and South between the Front Range and the Continental Divide. To me, fhis possible fern wall, to this fool’s eyes, looks weak and disorganized. Perhaps that indicates a weaker storm. Our biggest storms are almost always “upslope” snow storms. That means that instead of the storm coming down the front range from the North, it circles... Read More

  As always, the lighting on the mountains  and the lighting on clouds is never the same. If we insist on being technical, this is a sunrise, not a sunset. BUT I love the image. And if a reader were to see this in the morning, Friday morning for example, then we’d have the sun coming up at sunrise. That is just the type of astonishing coincidences that intrigue me. I mean what are the chances that the sun will rise daily, and that this daily event will occur, with astonishing regularity, at sunrise?. What are the odds??? Welcome to another Friday! Friday has to be, for so many of us,... Read More

Sunday Sunrise Spectacular! The Boulder sunrise red can take over the sky! I suspect it is a physiological-sociological phenomenon. If sunrises were not often beautiful, uplifting, inspiring, and colorful, as well as accompanied by coffee, would we ever get out of bed in the morning? Of course we would! But it would not be as easy, would not be as fun, and would certainly not be as colorful! Color For Our Coffee And Boulder is treated to another glorious sunrise, laying down a red carpet for the day to stroll in on! The interplay between color and mood is a fascinating aspect of human perception,... Read More

Boulder has had the honor and privilege of being watched over by the majesty of Longs Peak. Towering 14,259 feet,  4350 meters above sea level, and almost 10,000 feet, 3000 meters above Boulder. We’re mile-high, with the 5280 topo line going through our back yard, right where our Buddha stands. The top of Longs, which is a LONG walk for some, and a three hour jog for others is a high point in the lives of anyone who has seen it from the bottom, made it to the top, or who have looked at it and admired it over decades. It really does never look the same.   Longs Peak from Peak to Peak... Read More

Photo Lensworth         Fern Wall on the  Divide shouting “impending snow.” Boulder’s fern walls and juncos (the bird) are our own Boulder harbingers of snow. Photo Lensworth    Black-eyed Junco, predictor of snow, ground-feeder. The Black-Eyed Junco has a dark top half and a light bottom half. Boulder welcomes them with open arms, since moisture is probably close on the heels of the bird. While we rarely see them “normally,” we see them in significant numbers a day or two before it snows. To show off, you must learn the Latin name of the Black-Eyed Junco. Junco hyemalis.... Read More

Boulder, Colorado, has long been a world-center for computers, hosting the world’s most powerful, fastest computers right down the road from us. NCAR has had a long list, since predicting weather and monitoring climate change requires massive computing power. The most massive on earth much of the time. CHATgpt and Siri and even Alexa are not people. Yet. By the hour we see CHATgpt becoming more human in its interactions with us. Data of Star Trek is not “human,” but acts like a human in most ways. His neutrality and lack of feelings apparently define him as a “robot.”... Read More