Photo from pix4free.org.
By Cole Walters
The Ramspondents
Every year, as temperatures begin to fall and days become shorter, residents of Fort Collins are anticipating the one thing they either hate or adore: snow. As we reach the end of October, the looming thought of snow that was once an afterthought starts to become a reality.
According to information sourced by Allie Mazurek at the Colorado Climate Center, on average, Fort Collins has its first snow above or equal to 1 inch on Oct. 31. However, this is not consistent, and can vary wildly from year to year.
“If we use the most recent several decades as a guide, there is a high probability that we will see measurable snowfall by mid-November. However, we have had a few years – 2008 most recently – where we did not measure any snow until December,” said Peter Globe, an assistant state climatologist at the Colorado Climate Center.
The same goes for average annual snow – Fort Collins boasts an average of 51.4 inches of snow per year, however, the city has seen as low as 8.5 inches and as high as 114 inches in one year. Fort Collins isn’t exactly a reliable city when it comes to snowfall dates and totals.
Though residents of Fort Collins sometimes have to wait until December for their first snow, measurable snow can come as early as Sept. 8.
On Sept. 8, 2020, Fort Collins received 3 inches of snow, with some portions of west Fort Collins getting blanketed with up to 6 inches of snow. This was an incredibly rare event, especially considering the previous days sported temperatures exceeding 90 degrees as the Cameron Peak Fire raged just west of town.
Though we are approaching the date of average first snow, Oct. 31, with no snow, there is potential for that to change this week.
“Right now, weather models are hinting at some cold air impacting the state between Monday and Wednesday, October 27th-29th,” Globe said. “The weather will almost certainly be much cooler then, but we cannot quite yet say with much certainty yet whether or not we will see measurable snow then. If we do, it would be right on schedule.”
However, if Fort Collins does not get any snow this week, it is uncertain as to when the city will get its first snowfall.
“Our numerical weather prediction models are only good at forecasting individual storms up to 10-14 days in advance, so if we do not see a snowstorm (this) week, predicting when it will happen becomes hazier,” Globe said. “If we use the most recent several decades as a guide, there is a high probability that we will see measurable snowfall by mid-November.”
Though there may not be high confidence in when Fort Collins will get its first snow, it is probable that there will be a measurable snowfall in the next month.
Cole Walters is a junior at Colorado State University majoring in Communication Studies and minoring in Science Communication. He has a diverse background in journalism and communication, including social media, written journalism and photojournalism.=
Killing of Paul Gallenstein remains unsolved
By Bailey Borkowski
The Ramspondents
Billboards across Fort Collins memorialize Paul Gallenstein. Since his death two years ago, his wife and investigators haven’t stopped looking for the person responsible for Gallenstein’s death.
In an Instagram post honoring Gallenstein, the Larimer County Sheriff’s Department stated, “Paul is more than just a 2D photo. To those who knew him, he was a best friend, an avid fly fisherman, a travel buddy, a beloved brother, and a cherished husband.”.
Gallenstein died from a fatal gunshot wound in Reservoir Ridge Natural Area while hiking the Foothills Trail alone. According to his wife Cindy Gallenstein, he often hiked by himself.
Cindy Gallenstein has tried to keep the case from going cold, with billboards requesting people with any information to reach out. Paul Gallenstein’s family is also offering up to $50,000 to anyone with leads to help close this case.
There was no weapon on the scene when officers found Gallenstein; neither was there anything missing from his body or car.
The Larimer County Sheriff's Office is treating this case as a homicide and additional details on this case have not been released. Officials ask anyone with information to call the tip line at 970-498-7331 or use the tip website
Bailey Borkowski is the station manager at CTV 11 and a journalism student at Colorado State University who focuses on reporting the full and accurate truth and keeping the Fort Collins community informed.