CBS4 Weather Blog

 What were you doing Saturday at 11:32 AM ? Shoveling a little snow from Friday's storm? Making a snowman with the kids? Watching Basketball on CBS4? Well, whatever it was, at that same time the center of the Sun was passing over the Equator from south to north. The "Vernal Equinox". The word equinox comes from the Latin lanquage meaning "equal night".

From here on through the Summer Solstice, the length of day will grow longer than the length of night. The majority of people consider the Vernal Equinox to be the first day of spring, and for some this may or may not be true. Climatologists look at spring as being the three months of March, April and May when compiling records. So you could say climatologically spring has been around for 20 days already. But, astronomically , for those who follow the equinoxes and solstices, spring arrived at 11:32 in the morning on Saturday.

Anyway, you look at it I am looking forward to spring! Here's hoping if we have any big Spring snowstorms that they hit and the next day is sunny and warm like this last storm that went through.

Did a weather visit this morning with the 4th grade at Stony Creek Elementary. If you remember they were the school that all the kids from Deer Creek Middle school were evacuated to during the shooting last month. We had to cancel our visit that was scheduled the day after after the shooting. Both schools were closed the next day.

I am glad we got it in, Stony Creek is a great school in Littleton. And the 4TH GRADE ROCKS! Weather balloon, tornado machine, and making snow. It was a great morning in the library.
Hoping to get the video on the 6 pm show on Monday, since we didn't have a show today because of March Madness. By the way, as of this writing I am tied for second in the CBS4 VIP bracket. Come on GA Tech!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow. After three days of 60 and 70 degree temperatures its time to get back to reality.

Heavy snow will be dumping for most of the day Friday for the Front Range mountains, foothills and adjacent plains. There will be a slight drop in intensity across the area late Friday into Saturday morning.

Final snowfall totals by Saturday morning could be 6 to 12 inches for Denver, Fort Collins, and Boulder. For the Foothills 10 to 18 inches, with some isolated spots seeing as much as 2 FEET! The Northeastern Plains will be around 3 to 8 inches.

Be careful out there.

Let me know what season is your favorite and why. I received an email from a viewer from Eagle:xm who told me that when winter begins everyone in her office starts the countdown to spring-she says it’s something cheery to look forward too. Spring officially begins at 11:32 am Saturday and will run through May. The transition between winter and spring can be quite active in Denver. We’ve seen just about every type of weather condition during this time of year from blizzards to severe storms. Just in time for the first day of spring it looks like we will have to shovel 5-10 inches of snow blanketing the area. I love spring because I can spend more time outdoors walking but first we'll have to get through the winter storm that will hit Friday.  

This year St. Patrick's Day will feel like the middle of Spring, warm and sunny. But, in 2003, there was no "Luck of the Irish" when it came to the weather. One of the worst blizzards in Denver history began burying the Front Range with 3 to 7 feet of snow from the city on up into the foothills. Beginning on the 17th and continuing through the 19th.

Mayor Wellington Webb called it "the storm of the century....a backbreaker, a record breaker, a roof breaker." 41 mile an hour winds created 6 to 7 foot drifts of snow. Two people died from heart attacks after shoveling snow in Aurora. The National guard was called out to rescue stranded people on several highways. Everything from roofs, power lines and trees were crushed or knocked down. Over 100 thousand people lost power and DIA was closed, stranding around 4 thousand people. The weight of the heavy wet snow ripped open the tent portion of the airport roof , leaving a 40 foot tear.

Official snowfall from the storms was 31.8 inches of snow at the former Stapleton Airport. That turned out to be the most snow from one storm since the All-Time Record Snow fo 37.5 inches in 1913. This blizzard lasted from March 17th through the 19th, and made March 2003 the snowiest march on record, the 4th snowiest month on record. On the 18th and 19th the city picked up 22.9 inches of snow that was the Greatest 24 Hour Snowfall ever recorded in Denver for the month of March.

Here are some of the snow amounts from the 2003 Blizzard that began on St. Patrick's Day.

While most of Colorado’s mountains saw plenty of moisture during the fall and early winter season the last couple of months the central and northern mountains have experienced below normal snowpack. Since the moisture tap has been somewhat limited the risk for flooding along Colorado’s rivers is expected to be below normal this spring. Even though most of the state will see a lower than average risk of flooding, flooding can be a pretty big deal. The National Weather Service says flooding causes more damage in the United States than any other severe weather related event, an average of $5 billion a year. Flooding can occur in any of the 50 states at anytime of the year. Because floods are the most common hazard in the U.S. here are just a few tips to keep in mind…

Do Not Walk Through Flowing Water

Drowning is the number one cause of flood deaths. Six inches of moving water can knock you off your feet.

Do Not Drive through a Flooded Area

Most people drown in their cars than anywhere else. Don't drive around road barriers.

Stay Away From Power Lines and Electrical Wires

Electrocution is also a major killer in floods. Electrical current can travel through water.

Turn Off Your Electricity When You Return Home

Some appliances, such as television sets, can shock you even after they have been unplugged. Don't use appliances or motors that have gotten wet unless they have been taken apart, cleaned, and dried.

Watch for Animals, Especially Snakes

Small animals that have been flooded out of their homes may seek shelter in yours.

Look Before You Step

After a flood, the ground and floors are covered with debris including broken bottles and nails.

March 15th begins what was known on the old Roman calendar as "Ides of March". The term "Ides" refers to the 15th day in March, May, July, and October. And the 13th in other months.  But it wasn't considered a bad luck day, until the death of Julius Ceasar. As the story goes a fortune teller told Julius Caesar to "Beware the Ides of March". He was then assasinated on the 15th of March , 44 B.C.

Later, William Shakespeare made the phrase popular by putting it in his play about Julius Ceasar.

No bad luck for the Ides of March this time around. Skies will clear Monday and we have a few 60 degree days lined up for Tuesday through Thursday.

Keith Whitaker from Meeker emailed me this question.

What is the second largest natural lake in Colorado?  Everyone seems to agree that Grand Lake is the largest, but different sources claim that Trapper's Lake(in the Flat Tops Wilderness Area), and Lake San Cristobal(Lake City)are the second largest natural lake in Colorado.  Can you please clarify this?  Thanks.

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 Good morning Keith, Your right Grand Lake is the largest "natural lake" in Colorado.  The second largest natural lake is Lake San Cristobal with approximately 350 acres. Trapper's Lake comes in with 320 acres. The largest lake by volume of water is Blue Mesa Reservior and the largest lake in overall acreage, with 9503 acres is John Martin Reservior.

Here are the top 21 biggest lakes measured in acres, according to Lakelubbers.com

John Martin Reservior 9,503

Blue Mesa Reservoir   9,000

Lake Granby           7,256

Lake Meredith         5,509

Adobe Creek Reservoir 5,029

Lake Pueblo           4,000

McPhee Reservoir      4,470

Neenoshe Reservoir    3,770

Neegronda Reservoir   3,490

Lake Dillon           3,233

Vallecito Lake        2,720

Twin Lakes            2,440

Horsetooth Resevior   2,040

Boyd Lake             1,674

Chatfield Reservior   1,479

Shadow Mtn. Lake      1,346

Jumbo Reservoir       1,200

Standley Lake         1,200

Steamboat Lake        1,011

Cherry Creek Res.     844

Aurora Reservoir      820

That’s a lot of water and lots of good fishing!

Dave Aguilera

CBS4 Meteorologist

With sunny skies and warmer temperatures Saturday I can't think of a better way to spend my morning than taking part in the CBS4 Fit 4 Colorado community walk in Denver. If your up for a 2 mile walk tomorrow morning join Denver Bronco Daniel Graham and myself at 9 in the morning at Scheitler Recreation Center at 5031 W. 46th Ave.  Because physical activity is so important CBS4 has teamed up with America On the Move to let people know that small behavorial changes can help improve your health.  If you don't live in Denver don't worry each month we put on a community in different Denver Metro area cities. To check out some of our previous walks here's a link See Images From Previous Community Walks