The challenge of forecasting Colorado weather

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DENVER - People working for the City of Denver like to boast the city routinely receives more than 300 days of sun every year.
Let it be said that most meteorologists in Colorado don't receive any hate mail when they accurately predict the next sunny day. It's the 60 or so days of rain that can occasionally lead to the nasty correspondence.
"We don't notice when the weather forecast is right. We always notice when it's wrong," said the National Weather Service's Nezette Rydell.
The Meteorologist in Charge in the Boulder office says it's the nature of the weather prediction game.
Her office was hardly alone in feeling the wrath of some Coloradans during what turned out to be a very snowy April.
"It's still predicting the future. I think sometimes people forget that, even with all of the fabulous technology that has evolved over the years. It's still predicting the future," 9News meteorologist Kathy Sabine said.
"Even the groundhog struggled this year," she said with a smile.
9News meteorologist Marty Coniglio admits the expectations of the public are occasionally outpacing the realities of weather forecasting.
"It's now not good enough to say 'it's going to snow.' It's not enough to say 'it's going to snow from this time on this date to this time on this day.' Now, it's the exact amount of snow in the exact location."
It's that expectation that doesn't mix well in particular with forecasting snow accumulation. Coniglio says it's realistic to give a range, but Colorado's varying terrain and unpredictable winds make it virtually impossible to guarantee a particular accumulation in a given area.