They say, in Colorado, if you don’t like the weather, wait fifteen minutes, it will change.  While it has felt extremely hot for too many consecutive fifteen minute intervals to me, the adage holds year after year.  In fact, only a month ago heavy snow filled my sidewalks to be melted by afternoon sun.

Perhaps one of the greatest part of living in Colorado are the number of sunny days each year- over 300 annually to be exact.

Yet on days that the weather hits, it helps to be prepared.  Here are a couple tips for Colorado residents to be prepared for snow, rain or even tornadoes, all of which occasionally hit “home”

1. If you’re planning on driving, it’s often your best bet to check the Colorado Department of Transportation‘s website for road conditions.  This foresight is helpful for choosing your highway route, or postponing driving depending on the road restrictions.

2. Local television and radio stations are good at alerting Colorado residents year round of imminent weather.  When the metro cities and counties such as Denver or Boulder are on ‘accident alert’ for winter driving, you’re sure to learn about it on your TV screen or radio, but can visit websites such as Newsradio 850 KOA.

3. As we are currently in tornado season, its worthwhile to know what to do in the case of your neighborhood emergency alarms going off.  Just a few years ago the city of Windsor was hit hard with hundreds of houses damaged or demolished by a giant tornado.  Further South on the Front Range, Parker, and surrounding cities were taunted by a funnel cloud that did less damage.

While we’re not Kansas, it is important to know what to do during a tornado watch or warning in your community.  A tornado watch indicates that you should be on a lookout for funnel clouds while a warning indicates that a funnel cloud has been detected by site or radar.  Should you be in the path of a funnel cloud, go to a basement room of your house, if there is no basement, protect yourself by staying in the bathtub.  If you are outside in the open, leave it to professionals to chase the tornado storm, but make yourself small, and away from large objects that could be thrown in the funnel cloud’s fury.

Hopefully these words of advice are not necessary this season for Colorado residents, but when the weather is likely to change as quick as a coin toss, it helps to be prepared!