Remember back in November when it seemed like the snow would never fall?
Now, after a month of storms, it seems like another era altogether. Then again, so does a winter that reminds us of a somewhat distant past, when snow fell early and often, and then kept falling well into what the calendar optimistically labelled spring.
To borrow from another bygone era – that of the classic spaghetti western – we might dub this the winter of the good, the bad and the ugly.
Good, of course, has fallen in spades, thanks to what meteorologists call an “atmospheric river,” a narrow corridor of concentrated moisture that has barreled out of the Pacific straight at the California coast. We know this pattern as the “Pineapple Express.”
It has been generous. If a mountain view does not convince you, look at the San Juan Basin snow graphic on page 10B of Sunday’s Herald.
Previous years’ averages climb tentatively toward peaks of around 15 inches of snow-water equivalent by April. This year’s plot, fueled by tropic moisture, has taken a trajectory akin to a rocket leaving a launch pad. As of Friday, with an average of 20.3 inches, the line is heading right off the graph. This snowpack promises plenty to recharge aquifers, top off reservoirs and irrigate fields come summer.
Too much of a good thing can be bad, of course, when the flakes fall faster than plow crews can clear them, and slides close mountain passes. Driving as an adrenaline sport is not everybody’s cup of tea.
Things can turn ugly, too, as in case of Costilla County, where snowdrifts 10 feet deep stranded residents and forced an emergency declaration.
And worse, closer to home, where a propane leak is suspected in a fatal explosion that destroyed a house in Rico.
That’s a grim reminder that while it is prime time for skis on slopes and sliding in the park, it is also time to dig out fire hydrants and propane tanks, clear snow from chimneys and vents, and make sure smoke detectors and carbon monoxide alarms are fully charged and working.
Enjoy all the snow. Safely.
