Just Got Back from Shorts and T-Shirt Bike Ride

[ProudLib72]

Ahhh, low 50s and oh so sunny. Sorry all you east coast people, but here in CO it's global warming. I'm sure the snowball congress is out collecting batches of snow to store in their freezer for the next time someone brings up global warming. To bad they can't come out here to the front range and enjoy the sunshine and sultry (for January) temps.

Of course, come summer, we won't have any water. That means wildfires everywhere causing airborne pollutants so that it's unsafe to be outside. Better get my biking in during the "winter". Up is down, left is right, and winter is summer.

[BigmanPigman]

1. It is 74 outside in San Diego and now no rain

in over 6 months! Two small brush fires were in the area the other day. Mosquito bites and allergies all year now.

[ProudLib72]

3. Sorry CA, you aren't going to be getting any of our water

Did you know that it has been illegal for CO residents to collect and store rain water? The government passed a law in 2016 that allows residents to collect and store two barrels full per year.

https://www.denverpost.com/2016/08/05/colorado-household-rain-barrel-law-takes-effect-tuesday/

The whole point was that downstream users were not getting their fair share of water. The article talks about CO farmers, but this has extended to the rights CA has over water from the CO River.

I think CA is ahead of CO in climate concerns, but we are catching up rapidly. The thing is, you guys could resort to desalinization plants, but we can't. All we can do is xeriscape as much as possible, try to manage wildfires with controlled burns, and pray for a decent snowpack.

[BigmanPigman]

5. I didn't know such a law existed.

We all collect rainwater in barrels and trashcans here. But now there is no water to collect. Last winter we had over 150% of average rainfall. Two extremes...the "new normal". People born after 2010 will never know what normal weather was.

[ProudLib72]

6. We had torrential rain that became a natural disaster in 2013

I remember it well. There was a four lane street near us, a main thoroughfare, that became a river. After the rain let up, there was a six foot deep trench where one of the lanes had been. A park we used to go to was situated in this sort of hollow. During the rain, that park was under 12 feet of water. It was even worse just north of us. You can still see the damage the rains caused in some areas.

The thing is, when we don't have enough vegetation (because of wildfires) to slow the rainwater, the erosion and mudslides cause enormous damage. It's a no-win situation.

[Glorfindel]

2. Lucky you. It's sunny here in the southern Appalachians of north Georgia, but cold

the thermometer struggled up to a blistering 27 degrees F. earlier today, but is already down to 20 and dropping. But I won't complain.
My relatives in Virginia and New York are enjoying blizzard conditions.

[ProudLib72]

4. It feels good today, but I would prefer some snow

No snow means horrible, horrible wildfires in the summer.

When I was young, there was a tiny ski area in the foothills just a few miles from where we lived. It was never anything great, but it was cheap. In fact, I think it's where the US Olympic team trained in the 70s. The point is, we got enough snow that a ski area at a fairly low altitude could stay open. That ski area disappeared in the mid to late 90s. Nowadays, we might get enough snow that that area (if it were open) could be used for maybe a month.

Again when I was young, my family would go to Steamboat over Thanksgiving vacation to ski. The few times I remember doing this, we had excellent snow, a good base with lots of powder. As of today, Steamboat is reporting 28" at its summit. That's at least half of what it was during those Thanksgivings years ago.

I'm in my mid-40s, and these memories are about 30 years old. Three decades of climate change has made a HUGE difference. If the change is accelerating, I shudder to think what CO will look like in another 30 years!