Most readers of The Mountain-Ear have been in the area long enough to know all about that special “gift” we endure every year as we transition through fall and into the long winter. It’s not a subject we like to call by its true name to avoid invoking its wrath, but it is a part of nature that is integral to living in the region whether we like it or not. I figured I would get this touchy subject out of the way this week so we might move on to more amiable topics as we settle into the colder seasons.

This phenomenon in a very basic description is caused by the uneven heating of the earth’s surface by the sun, creating areas of warm air in some places and cooler air in others. As warm air molecules rise and spread out, their departure creates a low pressure center in its wake. Molecules of cooler air are tightly packed together, and thus tend to sink, creating force on the air below known as a high-pressure center. The air molecules from high pressure centers always move into the low pressure areas to make up for the rising warmer air, a force which meteorologists call a “pressure gradient force.” It is this rush of air molecules that long-time locals tend to refer to as “population control.”

Logically, the greater the temperature difference, the greater the forces involved. In the summer we don’t tend to see as much of a temperature variation between the mountain tops directly to our west and the flatlands below. Come winter, the change can be quite drastic, thus on one end of the spectrum one’s hair might be slightly stirred, and on the other, parts of one’s roof ends up in Kansas. We also have a number of hills and valleys between our little town and the grand peaks which tend to “stall” this force by way of friction, greatly exacerbating the force once it overcomes these obstacles in what we see as (often great) gusts.

As we continue down the path of climate change, logic would say that we might see a decrease in this phenomenon as global temperatures rise, but studies show this is not accurate. Scientists believe we saw a decrease globally after the eighties known as “global stilling” but more recent studies revealed that this “stilling” reversed in 2010, and we have since seen an increase of the global average from 7 mph to 7.4 mph. In my own memory from over 25 years living in the Peak to Peak region, we appear to have trended to less days per season of this “gift.” However, when it does blow in it tends to be a bit fiercer than the past. In my first years here, it seemed like once winter settled in, if it wasn’t snowing, it was always blowing. As the old saying goes, less is more… (?)

This week’s image comes from a “blustery” day in early November of 2013. The reservoir had barely diminished after a summer of daily rains that culminated in a “100 year storm” that infamously flooded much of the northern front range that September. While we do see whitecaps on Barker from time to time, it was quite impressive to watch as the waves blew east and crested the dam, similar to what one might see on the great lakes or the ocean. The gusts were even large enough to pick up a small rock and break one of the screens on my brand-new camera (new folks take note, this really was a rock, not a piece of gravel).

If you are new to the area, just be prepared for all manner of flying debris from rocks to trees, a spring clean-up in the yard of fencing, yard furniture, parts of your neighbors houses, etc., and know that it’s not REALLY bad unless the water in the toilet bowl is sloshing. For the long timers, I’m proud to say I wrote this without saying its name (wink wink)! Good luck to all. Here we go!

Information for this article came from https://www.treehugger.com/ what-causes-wind-to-blow-5119396.

For additional information about James DeWalt Photography, check out https://jamesdewaltphotography.com.