Mother Nature’s The Boss

Late Spring Snowstorm Snaps Branches, Delays Garage Sales

A May 20-21 snowstorm dropped and plopped several inches’ worth of heavy wet stuff in Park Hill, snapping limbs and inspiring neighbors to find creative ways to cover their vulnerable plants and shrubs.

It was not a record-breaker by a long shot and a minor pass-through compared to the foot of snow that dumped on Colorado Springs, in Evergreen and other parts of Colorado from the same system. Though temperatures were soaring near 90 degrees just the day before dropping  below 30, the general rule of thumb is that every year Denver is more likely to get a late-season snowstorm than not.

And with the snow comes downed branches, which left many parts of the neighborhood without power. There were a few reports of car damage — the result of parking on streets under mature tree canopies.

As bad luck had it, the snowstorm collided with the planned Saturday, May 21 Park Hill neighborhood-wide garage sale. Some 65 households signed up to participate this year. Organizers opted to move the sale to Sunday, after the storm had passed.

— Photos by Cara DeGette