The only action generated by the snow season thus far are the side wagers being exchanged between a few employees at the city of Longmont’s Public Works division.
“There are some who are betting when the snow is finally going to arrive,” Matt Ream, operations support specialist for the city of Longmont and a veteran snow plow driver, said with a slight smile. “At this point, it is anybody’s guess.”
The National Weather Service predicts that the next real chance for measurable snow in Longmont and the metro area arrives Thursday through Friday. The warm weather trough that blocked snow and cooler temperatures from entering the area for most of the fall appears to be weakening, the NWS said in its daily forecast.
“...This event looks much more promising than the last few events of weak troughs,” the NWS said.
November ended up being the third warmest November on record as well as being tied for the ninth driest and the second least snowiest on record, according to the NWS.
Colorado continues to be locked in an abnormally dry pattern, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, which puts over 50% of the state in the severe drought category including portions of Boulder County.
Ken Huson is not worried about Longmont’s water supply, at least not yet. Huson is the city of Longmont’s water manager who tracks water levels at the reservoirs feeding the city.
Huson said the first real gauge of Longmont’s water fortunes for the new year is the January-through February snow pack. “While we are very dry now it’s still too early to be terribly concerned,” Huson said.
Longmont collects its water supply from the St. Vrain Creek watershed, and from the Colorado and Fraser Rivers in Grand County, via the Colorado-Big Thompson (C-BT) project, operated by the Northern Colorado Conservancy District, according to WaterZen, an online service that tracks water supplies across the United States.
“Our water supply is doing pretty well right now,” Huson said. The C-BT system is now at 84% capacity while Button Rock Reservoir and Carter Lake — along sources for the city’s water — are also doing well, he said.
He does hope the La Nina weather pattern that is keeping temperatures high and moisture low shifts in early 2022 to usher in a more seasonal winter.
“We can hope La Nina moves in mid-winter, which is really critical to us,” Huson said.
When a storm does arrive, Ream is among 40 or so snow plow drivers who put their regular work aside to work 12-hour shifts to clear 140 miles of city roadways choked by snow. They use 13 trucks of different sizes to plow streets and drop deicing fluid and salt based on conditions.
Ream said snow plowing can be exhausting, especially on long dark nights when the snow plows scrap over ice and pavement, shaking the truck. Heavy snows can also get disorienting.
“You are driving along, and the snow hits your front window and it looks like a scene out of Star Wars,” Ream said.
Plowing is also the most gratifying part of his job. “I like plowing because you are clearing the streets for the public so they can get to work or home. I feel like I am doing the ultimate public service,” he said.
