06/29/2026
Please consider your pets as well in case of evacuation in the future!
Yep, itās dry as hell. Itās been windy all winter, and if you actually dig into the climate analog data, weāve seen an increase in the number of windy days in a calendar year since around 1990, so yeah, that checks out lol. Add in the fires weāre already dealing with, including the tragic loss of life in Nebraska, and yeah, itās been a lot.
I get it. I really do. And I hear about it every single day. Not in a bad way, but when youāre in my position, and youāre accessible with eyes and ears everywhere and constantly reporting on whatās happening, you see the best and the worst every day, and that takes a toll.
Thatās exactly why I choose to lean into positivity when I can. Thatās a conscious choice. Life has taught me that being an optimist, mixed with being a realist, is a far better place to live than sitting in pessimism.
Iām just being real with you, my neurospicy brain, the way itās wired, the stuff Iāve been through. you guys think you know me, but you havenāt even scratched the surface yet lol. Thereās a method to my madness. Maybe someday Iāll tell the full story, but not right now.
What matters right now is this, as we head into spring and eventually summer, itās pretty obvious winter packed its bags and dipped out. So for the time being, weāre dealing with drought, wind, and elevated fire danger. I donāt know exactly when that changes. My lane is meteorology, I can confidently take you out 7ā10 days, maybe two weeks if the atmosphere cooperates, and on rare occasions a seasonal outlook works out, but I donāt hang my hat on those.
One thing I am not is a climatologist. One thing I am not is a politician. I will rarely if ever entertain those two things on my page because thatās not how I best serve my communities and this is not the page for those debates. There are 1 million other corners where people can engage, and argue but this isnāt one of them.ļæ¼
So hereās the deal, 10% of life is what happens, 90% is how you respond. Yeah yeah, didnāt plan on turning this into a Tony Robbins moment š but some of yāall forced my hand. The 10% is a crapshoot, weāve already established that. So letās talk about the 90%.
If you donāt have an evacuation plan, you need one, like yesterday. Every climate has its hazards, this is one of ours.
Thereās no need to panic if youāre prepared and know exactly what youāre going to do. There are roughly 70,000 homes sitting in the urban/wildland interface just in the Denver metro alone. Every single one of those should have defensible space. At least 30 feet. Clean your gutters, clear out dead vegetation, move anything flammable away from your home, pull weeds, anything that can catch and carry fire needs to go. If possible.
In 2024, a fire threatened my home town and many people I know. Burning hundreds of thousands of acres. Many homes were saved not just because of our firefighting heroes local volunteers. Also because most of them had defensible space around their homes.
Also, starting July 1, new regulations will require more fire resistant materials in remodels. Thatās not random, thatās reality adjusting to what weāre dealing with.
On top of that, build your people circle. Make a group chat, call it āwildfire bestiesā if you want š but seriously, have people you trust, communicate your plans, know who youāre checking in with if things go sideways.
Harden your home where you can. Installing 1/8 inch metal mesh over attic and crawlspace vents helps block embers. If itās in the budget, consider upgrading to dual pane tempered glass windows, they hold up better against heat.
And donāt forget the six Pās which are people and pets, papers like IDs, insurance and prescriptions, personal items you canāt replace, your phones and hard drives, and your plastics like cards and cash. If youāve got animals or livestock, take the time now to look into evacuation plans specific to them.
Look, I know Iām not covering everything here. Thatās where this community comes in. There are people here who have lived through loss, learned the hard lessons, and are more than willing to share what they know so others donāt have to go through the same pain. That matters.
We canāt control everything. We canāt fix stupid. Accidents are going to happen, people are going to keep doing human things, thatās not changing anytime soon. But what we can do is prepare, educate ourselves, and stay level headed instead of panicking.
So yeah, itās dry š„ itās windy šØ and yeah, itās a tinderbox right now.
But youāre not powerless. Focus on the 90%.