The inhabitants of the State of Colorado passed, Friday, May 20, from summer to winter in 24 hours. In this state in the midwestern United States, the landscape varies between large plains, rocky mountains, canyons and arid deserts. There are also big cities like Denver, the state capital. So last weekend it was summer: 30 degrees! A heavy heat, the lack of rain and then all of a sudden, a real shift.
Denver weather: How Coloradans reacted on twitter to the May snow storm https://t.co/9ncJzZcABz
— The Denver Post (@denverpost) May 21, 2022
In the Denver region, hitherto marked by drought and the risk of fire, in one day, a sudden drop from 30 degrees to zero degrees. It’s winter ! Snow is falling heavily, up to 50 centimeters in some areas. The leaves of the trees, which had grown well, are covered with snow. Branches give way. Power lines fail. Result: 100,000 people are plunged into darkness. Denver International Airport is disrupted with flight delays and cancellations. The inhabitants publish with a vengeance photos and videos of the phenomenon on social networks. In the end, no injuries and snow that melted quickly.
Snow in Colorado in May, it happens. This part of the United States can experience brutal climatic variations. Moreover, an article from the newspaper denver post starts like this: “Colorado weather is notorious for being unpredictable, and this May snowstorm is just the latest example.” As if it were impressive certainly, but not exceptional. But still, the last snowflakes are rather expected in general at the end of April. This storm is, according to American meteorologists, the ninth latest on record. A rare phenomenon.
Is climate change directly responsible? Or at least in part? It is not absurd to think so even if it is complicated to affirm it as such, answer several meteorologists. To be sure, as with every climatic disaster, we would have to embark on long calculations. What we can say, if we remain cautious, is that according to the work of the IPCC, snowfall must decrease on average in the Northern Hemisphere, according to a scientist who follows these questions closely . But the extreme, brutal falls will increase. Nothing illogical then and nothing contradictory with what has just happened in Colorado.