As if on cue, a swarm of severe thunderstorms ignited along the Front Range yesterday afternoon, dropping torrential rain and large hail and, in one case, spawning a brief tornado. Fortunately, our Littleton farm was sparred any damage but we also missed out on the rain.
While severe weather usually begins to decline across the Great Plains and Midwest by early June, it is ramping up in northeast Colorado. Indeed, tornados are most common during this month, primarily affecting the High Plains of the Colorado-Wyoming-Nebraska Tristate. Of course, the Front Range urban corridor is not immune to these storms and hail damage can be significant.
How global warming will affect this traditional weather pattern and the Southwest Monsoon that follows remains to be seen. While the moisture is almost always welcomed, we could do without the powerful winds and large hail that June too often delivers.
