Major snow storm hits Lyons 3/14/21

March is the snowiest month of the year in Colorado, so it’s no wonder that it seems to be a part of almost every conversation. For a few days, several weathercasters predicted three to seven feet of snow in the Lyons to Estes Park area. People posting warnings on Facebook to… charge your phones, stock up on buckets of water, bring in your pets, park close to the road, and more. People were told to stay home if they didn’t have an emergency to go to. There were warnings of power outages. The grocery stores were mobbed with people buying food and water.

The weather maps showed the Front Range was the bullseye of a massive storm coming off of California’s coastline. So, when we got one day of snow instead of three, and that amounted to about two feet of snow, it was a bit of a letdown… oh, that’s all?!  But then, the next day on TV, they said it was the 4th worst snow storm in Colorado’s history! So, it goes to show you that you can scare someone so bad with a prediction that when the real “disaster” hits, it can look wimpy in comparison.

Pinewood Springs also experienced a black out, with electricity going out Sunday, and coming back on Monday. The folks had fun cooking on camper stoves, fireplaces, inside wood burning stoves and wood heaters. Some boiled water for tea or coffee. Most “meals” were just soup or a baked potato wrapped in foil, but, boy, they were the best tasting meals! Ha!

In the end, it benefited Colorado’s water reservoir supply. It is currently, overall, only nine percent below normal. The amount of precipitation that fell was 1.7 trillion gallons. Nearby Nederland got 36 inches, and Glen Haven 36, Allenspark 22, and Estes Park got 21 inches. Longmont and Boulder got 18 inches. The official report is from the Denver International Airport, which got 27.1 inches. Lyons was not on the National Weather Report list, but reports are that they got around 15 inches.

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All the beautiful photographs are taken

by Hazel Smith, in Lyons.

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