If there is one thing I love about living on the Front Range of Colorado at over 6,000 feet elevation, is the beautiful open sky that is over our community.
I never tire of seeing the expanse of changing cloud formations.
We see weather systems in the eastern distance that are over 40,000 feet high...
...and they often lead to beautiful sunset reflections.
August is called the "monsoon season' in Colorado, and many afternoons we see storm clouds gathering west from the Rocky Mountains. Most times they pass right over, bringing thunder and lighting, but no rain.
Other times we are deluged with quick and powerful rainstorms, as you can see by the rain falling in this photo and...
...this photo was taken from an eastern view of the Front Range foothills, where we live.
Usually, we are happy for the rain, as our climate is considered "high desert" and the sun is very drying and intense. But every so often, hail is part of the thunderstorm, and last evening we had what was called a "perfect storm," as two different storm cells met and collided directly over our community, with high winds, torrential rain, and hail.
This storm brought golf ball sized hail to us, and as it moved east towards Kansas and Nebraska, I heard the hail became the size of tennis balls!
The hail accumulation looked like snow in August! This was the view from my front door. If you'd like to watch a video of the hailstorm you can see it on my Mille Fiori Facebook page at this link.
The sound of the hail hitting the grounds and house roofs was unbelievably loud! Thankfully, we did not sustain much damage. We had tree damage and loss of leaves and some branches, my flowers were pretty much destroyed, and some water came in through a window well, but I saw that happening right away and we redirected the water away from the well as I soaked up the water with towels. Our house's roof is brand new, and still under warranty, so our roofer is coming out to check it for the damage this afternoon. All in all, we felt very fortunate!
Wild weather for the wild west? You betcha! There is never a dull moment living here, in more way than one, and I have a feeling I'm going to see a lot more I'll be writing about in future years. Hopefully, our luck will hold out!
How is the weather where you are? I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
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36 comments:
Wow. That is some pretty intense weather! I couldn't believe your yard all covered in hail that way. Hope that your roof is fine. The only good thing about this weather is those cloud formations. Yes, I imagine that the weather will be a big player in Colorado.
One of my fond memories of living in New Mexico was the thunder storms ... nothing like a thunderstorm in the mountains! Quite a show. We never got hail this size .. perfect storm indeed!
Wow, that was some hail storm. Glad you did well other than the loss of flowers. xo
Wow! And in summer too! Glad you are all ok! Hopefully it's lovely clear skies and calm weather for the rest of the summer! Take care
x
We just saw the hail and flooding on the news tonight. And of course the terrible fires out West. It's been a terrible month. I hope you stay safe and enjoy your weekend. It's been nice here in Florida this summer...not too hot and enough little pop up showers to keep things watered and green. We can't complain! Sweet hugs!
The hail does look like snow! Glad you didn't have any major damage:@)
Hi Pat. I have been seeing footage on the news about the storms there. Crazy! Stay in and stay safe!!!!
Beautiful pics!
xo Kris
That hail was huge. Crazy weather does make for an interesting time and at least it isn't boring!
Hi Pat, Those are some amazing photos of the clouds! At least you are having a truly wild west experience! We're having pretty nice weather back here right now and it should continue through the weekend. I'm glad you at least were able to get some rain. Hopefully your flowers and trees will recover. Linda
Those skies and clouds are incredible, Pat. I love seeing cloud formations like that and did see some while in Alberta where the land is flat before the foothills of the Rockies. That is a bad hail storm! We will get hail here once in a long while. It almost started to hail yesterday during a thunder storm for about 30 seconds. The storms lasted until midnight and it just poured. We have had an unusual lot of thunder storms this summer. Great pictures.
Pat, hail storms are the most destructive storms here. It is amazing how large some hail stones become and the damage they can do. Glad you were safe and that the roof is under warranty. From the looks of the pile up it will likely need some repair. Thanks for sharing the gorgeous photos of the changing sky.
Stay safe!
Nothing anywhere near so wild here, just continuing hot, sunny days. Some rain would be a nice change, even lightening and thunder, but not gigantic hail stones! I'm glad all is well with your new house.
That's some wild weather, alright. Glad you "weathered" the storm well. We rarely have thunderstorms here on Vancouver Island and I miss them. Our weather is still mostly sunny, but starting to cool down.
Love those glorious clouds. Sorry about that damaging hail, though!
Pat your cloud photos are wonderful! I saw a news piece about the hail storm out west--they even showed snow plows moving away the piles of ice! Amazing, What a year of weather. Hope you are having a pleasant weekend!
Thanks for sharing the beautiful cloud pictures, and the perfect storm. I can't imagine being there in person. I never experienced hail that size and intensity. What a change from your NYC life!
Love the dramatic skies and the hail storm is amazing. I am sorry about the damage it causes. Wishing you a happy weekend, Pat!
Your sky pictures are beautiful Pat and that hail wow. So big, it indeed looks like show. What a wonderful country you live in and the best is that you live with your family now. Have a Nice weekend.
Your sky pictures are beautiful Pat and that hail wow. So big, it indeed looks like show. What a wonderful country you live in and the best is that you live with your family now. Have a Nice weekend.
Pat, you are doing an excellent job of describing Colorado!! I "enjoyed" your video (as much as one can enjoy such an unnerving experience). Here in Castle Rock we had only pea-sized hail during that same storm. But I have had golf-ball sized hail in another house years ago. If sounded like hammers falling on the roof and it was awful. Keep up the great reporting! I enjoy your blog posts so much!
Welcome to Colorado, Pat... ha ha ... You have had your taste of many kinds of weather already....
Love your photos --especially the sunset reflection one.
Hope your roof is okay.
Hugs,
Betsy
Wow...that definitely looks like snow in August! You got some beautiful sky shots there. Keep reporting on your Wild West weather...as it happens...and we'll keep coming back to read all about it!
It's incredible the weather you experience there. Hail in August is amazing. Your photography is always spectacular Pat. I would have a hard time saying which photo today is my favorite.
Sam
I wondered where the hail hit. Our girl moved north to Arvada and didn't know where it was happening. She was just thrilled to have some thunder an lightening. She says more rain hits the east side of Denver than where she used to live. She misses her storms. I saw some pictures that were crazy as hail moved in rivers of the rain water....crazy. Sometimes it doesn't take much to damage a roof, hope it all turns out okay. Your cloud pictures are beautiful.
The weather in the west can be intense. One afternoon's 10 minute hailstorm can keep roofers busy for months.
Those are certainly beautiful skies and goodness, I've never seen hail like that!
sooo MUCH variation where you are living now, Pat... it's amazing to see! You're living on the wild side now... ;o) It's been the best summer here in years, and the best summer since I've lived here all of 13 years. It's been sunny so much, we've been able eat meals out on our deck daily--sometimes twice a day! Just really savoring the days right now. There's subtle hints of summer slowing down and autumn sneaking in though. It's a good time to observe the small changes of seasons. Happy Days ((HUGS))
Yikes. WHen I saw that photo on FB, I could hardly believe it. August? hail that large? Wow, it sure gets a little scary with the weather out there. Glad your roof is still under warranty. Hope the rest of the summer is calmer meteorologically speaking.
OMG Pat, That was some storm. When my friend lived in Colorado she complained about the crazy weather a lot!!! I love your pics on the different clouds etc. The hail does look like snow. That was a huge hail storm. We get very little hail here in the Western Carolina mountains. I'm glad. Our weather this summer has been WET. They say our Fall will not be very good color. The moisture makes the leaves turn brown. Such is life. And we love our life here.
Happy days to you and yours,
Jeanne xo
Everything about the West is Wild. I too love the wide open spaces, both desert and ocean. They make for the best sunsets and most 'interesting' weather.
Woweee... that was some storm! Our weather has been hot in the high 90's and very little wind and certainly NO hail. I'm glad you weathered the storm without any real damage.
Cindy
I am always captivated by the big sky in my area, so I can just imagine how it is where you are. It's pretty terrifying though when those skies go dark and deluge you with Mother Nature's ping-pong balls!
Amazing photos! I can't believe the last one with flower pots and hail covered driveways and lawns.
It's been very hot here lately and pretty dry too.
I shared the hailstorm photos with my husband earlier this week and we marvelled at the amount of damage that must do to the trees and plants. I'm glad you didn't sustain any serious damage.
The storm clouds are quite amazing. I am one who loves to watch clouds when they darken and develop.
I am so sorry about the loss of your son in law's brother. Will keep them in my thoughts and prayers.
We won't discuss weather in Phoenix.
However, I will tell you that I'm sending prayers and hugs your way.
I'm sorry for your loss.
Dear Pat, I have been so busy this month, sorry not commenting. This morning I read about your Son in -laws brother, this is just awful. God bless his family.
PS- I want to let you know I love .
yvonne,
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