Summer Weather

     Weather, it affects us all. But those whose lives and jobs are outdoors are particularly effected by it. Weather generally comes in from the west, here in Owyhee County. But apart from the standard fronts coming in from the ocean and over the mountains, we have another phenomenon.
      To the west of Owyhee County seems to be a fairly dry place, the hot days of early summer can cook up some pretty fierce weather. Turning these...

     Into these...

     Thunder storms, cloud bursts, squalls, gully washers, we have many names for them. They're all the same thing though: concentrated weather. For all their lack of size (as far as weather goes) they're quite potent. Along with potentially damaging and dangerous amounts of rain, they also can carry hail and almost always cause a bit of lightning. Flash floods are mostly a danger up in the hills (primarily to ranchers), while hail can destroy crops and lightning will start fires in the rangelands and is just dangerous in general. These little storms can become especially powerful when they combine or join with a weather front.
     Owyhee County's farmers and ranchers work around their storms as best they can, just as the farmers and ranchers of other regions do the same with their natural phenomena. It's part of the job, but often times it means losing money. Next time you're having inclement weather you should ask yourself: "Wouldn't it be much worse if this were costing me money?"