68 degrees F and 6 inches of snow!

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The 68 is tomorrow. The 6 inches is for Saturday night.
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Well bigj I have seen Denver, Colorado go from low 70s for a high temp down to the mid teens with snow in 24 hrs. The plains east of the Rockies have the biggest temperature swings anywhere in the continental US. Exceptionally cold arctic air from Canada dropping down east of the Rockies can cause quite the roller coaster in temperature. The reverse is true too when the Chinook winds come from the Rockies Eastward to the plains. Compression of air causes the air to heat up very, very quickly at times. In one place somewhere in North Dakota or South Dakota it went from -4°F to 49°F within 2 minutes. Crazy indeed.
 
Yep. I have been to 27 countries, and lived all over the U.S. I have always heard "If you don't like the weather, wait five minutes it'll change...", but here it is actually the truth.
 
True indeed. I follow weather forecast and patterns across the US. I've been truly surprised to see how things are out west in the upper plains and east of the Rockies. Volatile weather changes are very common out that way. Not that it doesn't happen east if there. It does. But not quite as regularly or as dramatic in nature. Here in southeast Va in March of 2014 I saw it go from the low 70s on a Sunday afternoon to the low 20s 24 hours later and snowing. That 50°F drop was the biggest I have ever seen in my area. Surpassing the 46°F drop in early February 1989 when it went from 82°F to 36°F in 24 hours. Though 40-50 degree temperature drops are very uncommon in this area of the country. Out your way they are far more common to happen.
 
Originally Posted By: bbhero
Well bigj I have seen Denver, Colorado go from low 70s for a high temp down to the mid teens with snow in 24 hrs. The plains east of the Rockies have the biggest temperature swings anywhere in the continental US.


I experienced something similar riding my Shovelhead from Seattle through Denver on my way to Texas.

I really was NOT expecting to ride through a friggin' snowstorm in August!!
 
In the 80's I was driving a bobtail with a 22' trailer across West Texas heading for California. Got hit by a blizzard that blew across the flat landscape and dropped the temp from the 70's to -20F (not including wind chill). It went from perfect driving weather to feeling like 20mph was pushing it way too fast in less than an hour. The only thing I could see was the dotted white line. The right side of the cab was covered in ice and snow and it was a struggle making the truck go straight ahead. I pulled into the first motel I saw and was very lucky that next door was a wide parking area free of any obstacles and level. Touching the brakes did absolutely nothing so I just coasted to a stop. I know a lot of you would say no big deal but it was my first time dealing with weather like this on my own. The wind was blowing really hard which made it feel much colder. I had a difficult time closing the truck door. When I pushed on it the wind caught it and took me right off my feet. I fell several times heading for the lobby and could only see the lights. When I approached the lobby door several men reached out and grabbed me. It took all of them to close the door. My lips and one eye were frozen shut and my nose was plugged up. I can't tell you how good the washcloth soaked in hot water felt on my face that the manager gave me. He kept giving me wash clothes soaked in more hot water. I felt bad giving them back with blood stains. I took a shower and a bath together for a long time that night and it took a while to thaw out. When I first turned on the hot water I had difficulty telling how hot it was. I stuck my hand in the cold water and could not at first tell the difference. Finally, I worked it out and climbed in. I had a black eye, a bloody nose and white blotches on my skin that were stiff and sore and took a long time to heal. I was lucky to have been wearing a stocking hat. I think the wind chill got me in that 100 yards or so from the truck to the lobby. I stayed put until the storm blew over and followed the locals advice on when it was clear to go.

I don't care what anyone says about how wonderful the seasons are. You can have cold weather. It's not for me. I would have never believed how bad wind chill can be until I experienced it first hand.
 
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