In the Aftermath of a Bombogenesis

Thursday, 14 March 2019
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Temps: 25F (-4C) / 13F (-11C)

We’ve experienced many-a blizzard over the years.  I’ve also dug myself out of quite a few … Mui seemed to always be overseas when these storms hit … especially when we were living in Virginia.

The last blizzard that I can recall hit the MidAtlantic of the US in 2010 … before we began full-timing in the motorhome.  It was so bad that the media dubbed it “Snomageddon” … blog post at this link.

Here I am making myself comfortable on our back deck in Virginia after the Snomageddon of 2010.

A storm must meet some specific criteria in order to be called a blizzard.  The official description says that a blizzard is a storm with “considerable falling or blowing snow” — 4-6 inches (10-15 cm) was projected for our area yesterday, though it will be hard to get a real measure of what fell due to the snow drifts; “winds in excess of 35 mph (56 kph)” — we had steady winds climbing at times to 50 mph (80kph) with at least one gust reaching 97 mph (156 kph); “visibilities of less than ¼ mile (.4 km)” — for a while we couldn’t see past the edge of the deck … let alone a ¼ mile; “lasting at least 3 hours” — the storm was raging by 10:00a … still blowing when I checked before going to bed around midnight.  Yup, I guess we had a blizzard yesterday.

Scenes while the storm was raging yesterday.

Actually, what we experienced yesterday was more than a blizzard.  It was a bomb cyclone — aka a bombogenesis.  Frankly I’d never even heard of the word until this morning.  Apparently, though, it is a popular term used by meteorologists to refer to a rapidly intensifying area of low pressure.  (More info here if interested.)  Whatever the term, the winds were ferocious, swirling the soft, light snow hither and yon … piling it up in one direction while sweeping it clear in the other direction.

During and after the bombogenesis.  You decide which is which.

We actually fared quite well thanks to the way our house is situated on the lot.  No loss of power during the storm … no damage.  Others were not as lucky.

View of the neighborhood when we first open the garage door.  That’s a
two-foot (60 cm) snow drift in front of us … much higher across the street.

By 11:00a the landscaping company that is responsible for clearing the snow from not only the streets but our driveway as well had plowed us out.  By late afternoon, the sun had melted the rest and dried out the driveway.  The only major accumulation that remains on our property is in a corner of the patio downstairs.  With the forecasted warming trend, that pile will be gone in a day or two as well.

The front-loader shows up first … then the plow … then the guys with shovels.

We’re dug out … now for the sun to do its part.

Mui and I donned our polar gear and went for a short walk around the neighborhood.  Here are a few of the photos I took.  If you want to see more, click this link to go to my online gallery.

This neighbor got the brunt of the drifts.

Peaceful scene … contrasts dramatically with yesterday’s storm.

The antelope are back on the prairie.

A closer look at the arroyo nearby.

Not much snow on our deck … an entirely different story on the patio.

Friends who’ve been living in Colorado for a number of years have told us this is the worst they’ve seen in six years.  Others have said that it’s been ten years since a storm of this magnitude hit the area.  Regardless, a bombogenesis is apparently not that common an occurrence.  I guess Mother Nature just wanted to welcome us to the state and give us a taste of what she can dish out if the mood strikes ;-)

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