Ramblings of a Graduate Student

One consequence of a moderate-to-strong El Nino is a decrease in snowfall for the central and northern Rockies, including northern Colorado.  On the flip side, the southern Rocky Mountains receives above normal snow fall, such has been the case throughout New Mexico.

Tonight northern Colorado, including the cities of Denver and Boulder, is in the midst of a significant winter storm.  Anecdotal evidence indicates that 6 inches of snow has accumulated in parts of Denver in less than 5 hours (1.2 inches per hour).  In fact, a friend of mine living near Boulder, CO summarized the storm with a FaceBook posting stating, “This snow storm has gone from zero to holy cow in about 60 minutes.”

Examining regional radar images leads me to believe that the snow should continue to accumulate quickly for the next several hours.