9News discusses the difficulty in forecasting Colorado’s turbulent weather

Colorado's weather can be challenging to predict with all four seasons being seen in a single day across the state.
Colorado’s weather can be challenging to predict with all four seasons being seen in a single day across the state.

Weather forecasters have come under fire in recent weeks due to over or underestimating the amount of snowfall from our winter-like weather.  Colorado presents very unique challenges, particularly with snow estimates, and 9News tried last night to address some of those.

In conversations with the station’s meteorologists Kathy Sabine and Marty Coniglio, reporter Chris Vanderveen tries to explain the hit or miss forecasts.

“It’s now not good enough to say ‘it’s going to snow.’ It’s not enough to say ‘it’s going to snow from this time on this date to this time on this day.’ Now, it’s the exact amount of snow in the exact location.”

It’s that expectation that doesn’t mix well in particular with forecasting snow accumulation. Coniglio says it’s realistic to give a range, but Colorado’s varying terrain and unpredictable winds make it virtually impossible to guarantee a particular accumulation in a given area.

It is certainly an interesting topic and one which many Coloradoans upset about snowfall estimates being inaccurate should watch.  The story does fall short with only being 3 minutes long and failing to adequately explain the challenges with the weather in Colorado.

Check out the video below.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *