"Welcome to beautiful Denver Colorado" said the man who gave the connecting flight information when our plane arrived at the gate. He was met with a murmur of polite sarcastic laughter.Our final approach included the flight attendants telling us that we were "on the honor system" to put our seats and tray-tables in the upright and locked position and re-stow our carry-on items. The reason? They were two scared to get out of their seats to check - OK, I don't know whether they were scared, but they weren't getting up.
We skirted the edge of a big thunderstorm (coming down steadily then suddenly dropping, then the engines back at full blast, you can picture it I'm sure). After we landed we were informed that we were the last plane allowed to land and the airport was now closed - just as well we were 30 minutes early landing. Later we found out that hail the size of golf-balls had to be swept off the runway before take-offs could start again. As for us, we spent at least 30 minutes just back from the gate because they weren't allowed to use the jet-way while there was lightning striking nearby.
The picture shows what looks like snow - it's actually the remains of the hail storm. Also gridlock and lowering skies are pictured - all adding to the attraction.
Did you know that Denver is prone to spurious weather in the spring? According to the all knowing wikipedia…
ReplyDeleteSpring brings with it significant changes as Denver can be affected by air masses on all sides. Arctic air from the north can occasionally combine with Pacific storm fronts bringing snow to the city. In fact, March is Denver's snowiest month, averaging 11.7 inches (29.7 cm) of snow. Additionally, warm air from the Gulf of Mexico can bring the first thunderstorms of the season, and continental warm air can bring summer-like warm and dry conditions.
Hope the conference goes well.
Adrian