03/22/2026
Always important to have a plan!
Yep, it’s dry as hell. It’s been windy all winter, and if you actually dig into the climate analog data, we’ve 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 we’re already dealing with, including the tragic loss of life in Nebraska, and yeah, it’s been a lot.
I get it. I really do. And I hear about it every single day. Not in a bad way, but when you’re in my position, and you’re accessible with eyes and ears everywhere and constantly reporting on what’s happening, you see the best and the worst every day, and that takes a toll.
That’s exactly why I choose to lean into positivity when I can. That’s 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.
I’m just being real with you, my neurospicy brain, the way it’s wired, the stuff I’ve been through. you guys think you know me, but you haven’t even scratched the surface yet lol. There’s a method to my madness. Maybe someday I’ll tell the full story, but not right now.
What matters right now is this, as we head into spring and eventually summer, it’s pretty obvious winter packed its bags and dipped out. So for the time being, we’re dealing with drought, wind, and elevated fire danger. I don’t know exactly when that changes. My lane is meteorology, I can confidently take you out 7–10 days, maybe two weeks if the atmosphere cooperates, and on rare occasions a seasonal outlook works out, but I don’t 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 that’s 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 isn’t one of them.
So here’s the deal, 10% of life is what happens, 90% is how you respond. Yeah yeah, didn’t plan on turning this into a Tony Robbins moment 😂 but some of y’all forced my hand. The 10% is a crapshoot, we’ve already established that. So let’s talk about the 90%.
If you don’t have an evacuation plan, you need one, like yesterday. Every climate has its hazards, this is one of ours.
There’s no need to panic if you’re prepared and know exactly what you’re 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. That’s not random, that’s reality adjusting to what we’re dealing with.
On top of that, build your people circle. Make a group chat, call it “wildfire besties” if you want 😂 but seriously, have people you trust, communicate your plans, know who you’re 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 it’s in the budget, consider upgrading to dual pane tempered glass windows, they hold up better against heat.
And don’t forget the six P’s which are people and pets, papers like IDs, insurance and prescriptions, personal items you can’t replace, your phones and hard drives, and your plastics like cards and cash. If you’ve got animals or livestock, take the time now to look into evacuation plans specific to them.
Look, I know I’m not covering everything here. That’s 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 don’t have to go through the same pain. That matters.
We can’t control everything. We can’t fix stupid. Accidents are going to happen, people are going to keep doing human things, that’s not changing anytime soon. But what we can do is prepare, educate ourselves, and stay level headed instead of panicking.
So yeah, it’s dry 🔥 it’s windy 💨 and yeah, it’s a tinderbox right now.
But you’re not powerless. Focus on the 90%.
