Forecast + Food: April 22

Written By Emily Schuitema

Good morning and hello from Colorado! It occurred to me while driving through the mountains yesterday that there are times when having a meteorologist as a family member/friend is beneficial (i.e., when there’s a tornado barreling toward your house) and there are times when it could potentially be annoying (i.e., when the meteorologist has to identify and explain every cloud type and weather phenomenon spotted while road tripping). In my defense – we spotted lenticular clouds, graupel, virga, heavy snow, rain, and a rainbow all in one three-hour drive. Best road trip ever!

WEATHER TO WATCH

  • Today is Earth Day! If you’re hoping to celebrate this fabulous chunk of rock we call home by spending the day outside (which is absolutely how you should celebrate), the forecast high temperatures across the country are shown below. Some rain will be possible from the central Great Plains into the Upper Midwest, as well as a small chance of strong storms in southeast Florida. Otherwise, it looks like a quiet day for much of the country. This article has a list of meaningful activities to consider if you’re looking for ways to love the earth today (and every day!)

The high temperature forecast for Monday, 4/22/24, from the National Weather Service.

WEATHER IN THE NEWS

  • The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) confirmed last week that a global coral bleaching event is currently taking place. This is the second global bleaching event in the last decade and the fourth on record. Coral bleaching takes place when things like warm ocean temperatures, low tides, or pollution put too much stress on coral and they lose their color. In this case, a combination of climate change and El Niño conditions have led to extremely warm ocean temperatures and consequent heat stress on coral in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Ocean basins. You can read more about the bleaching event in this article from BBC News.

  • In international weather news, record-breaking rain fell across the United Arab Emirates last week. It was the heaviest rainfall recorded since data collection began 75 years ago. The heavy rain caused massive issues at the busy Dubai International Airport and shut down schools and businesses - you can check out pictures of the flooding and impacts in this article from NPR.

FROM MY KITCHEN

I’m currently in Colorado with my husband visiting my sister and brother-in-law. It’s always fun to come to Colorado as a weather nerd – the topography creates all sorts of interesting weather and microclimates. Michigan can have some pretty wild swings in the weather, but Colorado is right up there with it in the wild weather competition.

Case in point – we arrived in Denver on Saturday morning to temperatures in the 30s and a few inches of fresh snow on the ground. A few hours after landing in Denver, we hit the road to Salida, a town about three hours southwest of Denver. Heavy snow was falling as we drove out of the city and visibility was low. We eventually drove out of the snow but encountered some fog, then drove out of the fog and saw some blue sky. Next up was some rain as temperatures began climbing back into the 50s. By the time we got to the final stretch of road leading to our Airbnb, we spotted a rainbow over the mountains.

We needed some cozy foods to enjoy in Denver while we watched the snow fall. First up was a top-notch cappuccino made by my sister, followed by an incredible veggie breakfast sandwich and some pastries to share at a local café.

A celebration was necessary when we arrived at our destination and the sun popped out. I had a mini Manhattan while enjoying the view of the mountains. A tasty drink inside is good, a tasty drink outside with a mountain view is better! We made some eggplant parmesan for dinner with asparagus and a Caesar salad for sides – perfect fuel for the next day of fly fishing.

Other highlights from the weekend in the mountains include this giant no-flip blueberry pancake and some pub mix by the river.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the fact that my sister, in true Schuitema fashion, packed nine different kinds of cheese for a three-day trip. Nine! Will we use all nine? We’ll see, but I’m feeling very optimistic about our cheese-eating abilities.

And finally, I caught four fish! They were all brook trout. We did catch and release so no fish dinners for us, but it was quite exciting.

RECIPE INSPIRATION

Here are some recipes from across the internet that caught my eye this week, as well as what type of weather I think they’d pair well with.

Breakfast

Lunch

  • Italian Sub Sandwich from Simply Recipes – this recipe is relatively easy to throw together. Approved for a nice afternoon when you want to make a quick lunch and get outside.

  • Caponata Flatbread from Good Housekeeping – best enjoyed while sitting in the sunshine!

Dinner

Dessert

Thanks for making it to the end of the Frost Bites Newsletter! I’ll be back in your inbox next Monday with the weather forecast and recipe suggestions. In the meantime - get outside, eat good food, and remember all weather is ice cream weather.

Emily Schuitema
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Forecast + Food: April 15