Winter Cyclone - A Blizzard's Aftermath

A winter cyclone

Over the past month, the Front Range foothills have been battered by a series of severe storms. The latest of which has been appropriately deemed an historic weather event.

The winter cyclone came spinning into our state from the southwest, dumping buckets of heavy, wet snow. A vicious wind came blasting down through the valley at 70 miles an hour leaving 10 foot drifts in its wake.

The only saving grace during this unique system was the warm temps that pumped much needed precipitation into the parched landscape. After the blizzard subsided and daylight broke, Bergen Peak was a black mountain frosted with white dust.

The big mountain loomed solemnly over a barren meadow of smooth, polished snow. The fresh pack was about knee-deep and required a great amount of physical exertion in order to plow through.

The exposed ponderosa pine were blown clean of any pale lace but in the more protected pockets, the trees were plastered with snow. The silence was eerie as no one else was crazy enough to venture into the frozen woodland.

While it’s much more enjoyable to tramp through the mountains on a warm, summer day there’s something invigorating about experiencing the wilderness after such a fierce snowstorm.

The foothills have been battered by storms

A barren meadow of snow

The cyclone was an historic event

A black peak frosted with snow

Ponderosa pine

The big mountain looms solemnly

The silence was eerie

Drifts were left in the wake

Trees were plastered with snow

Much needed precipitation

After the blizzard subsided

The fresh pack was knee-deep

A fierce snowstorm

A frozen woodland

An invigorating experience

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