Why is There Still Snow on the Ground in Colorado?
I used to live in the frozen tundra of North Dakota, where it snowed in September and didn't melt until April.
When I moved to Colorado, I was pleasantly surprised to see that our snow usually melts around two to three days after falling.
But considering it's barely snowed here since November, I have to ask...why in the heck is there still snow on the ground?!
It does not make sense. In the month of January, Fort Collins has had fairly warm temperatures, going all the way up to 58 degrees.
That's warm enough to possibly forego wearing a jacket outside. But not warm enough to melt two-month old snow, apparently.
According to The Denver Post, the culprit behind the steadfast snow is a lack of sunlight.
January has the lowest sun angles of the calendar year, while the winter solstice (December 21) has the lowest sun angle of all.
In December and January, the sun only reaches around 30 degrees above the horizon at its highest point in the day.
Thankfully, sunlight will increase in March and April, with the star's highest point rising as much as 65 degrees.
It's possible that the snow might even melt in mid-February, when the sun's highest point reaches around 40 degrees.
But until then, Colorado is stuck lookin' like a fool with its snow on the ground. Especially since we might be getting snow again next week.