As light snow continues to fall along the Colorado Front Range and overnight lows dip near twenty degrees F, the signs of spring are few and far between. During our brief warm interludes, the lawns and pastures harbor the greenery of the season but the shrubs and deciduous trees remain barren. By now, the pears, wild plums and crab apples should be in full bloom but flowering is limited to the grape hyacinths, dandelions and purple mustard.
Some summer birds, including cormorants, western grebes, bluebirds and tree swallows grace the Front Range but seem out of place in the snowy landscape; other summer songbirds have likely been stopped in their tracks or turned back by the wintery weather. While April snowstorms are common in this region, the intense cold, courtesy of recurrent atmospheric troughs across the Intermountain West, has essentially put spring on hold; unfortunately, for areas to our east, these same troughs have directed severe thunderstorms and flooding rains across a broad swath of the Midwest.
For those of us in Metro Denver, recovery is in sight. Following another day of snow showers and a near-record overnight low, a significant warmup is forecast for the coming week. The high April sun and a southwesterly breeze will push our afternoon highs into the seventies and the sights, sounds and fragrance of spring should spread across the Front Range. Of course, within a month or so, we'll likely be fretting about the heat and drought.
