Becky Ditchfield

I have some life news to share... next week will be my last week at 9NEWS. It feels very weird, and sad to say that!

This was a very difficult decision for me, one I did not take lightly. I’ve spent 18 years in the news business, thirteen at 9NEWS.

During my time here, I have learned so much about myself personally and professionally. I have stretched and grown more than I ever expected, and I will forever be grateful for that. But that growth has also caused me to look forward to the path ahead of me, look hard at what I wanted... and that lead to the decision that it was time for me to move on.

I love being a meteorologist, and I love working in a creative environment, but I want that to look different as I move forward. I have some ideas, but at this time I’m purposefully leaving my options open. My family needs my attention right now, and I need to make sure I can give it to them. Eventually, I will be working towards finding that balance!

To everyone who has watched, thank you for allowing me into your homes for all these years. My family has no immediate plans to leave Colorado... you’ll still see me around. Plus, I’ll be keeping my social media pages updated, so you can see what I’m up to!

Thank you to my coworkers, past and present, for being phenomenal individuals. You are a huge part of my personal and professional growth. I wouldn’t be the person I am today without you.

And most importantly, thank you to my family for supporting me and allowing me to make this leap. I’m excited about this new adventure ahead!

Looks about right...

Highs near 80 today, less wind and a better chance for storms this afternoon. We're seeing the last of a storm system that will move away from the region this evening. Wind gusts will be out of the north (bringing in that cooler air) and between 20 and 25 mph. Rain has been falling on the northeast plains of Colorado since early this morning, it will take longer for those storms to develop along I-25.

Windy and warm this evening with storms out east Sunshine and 90s today with scattered storms on the eastern plains. Cooler tomorrow with a better chance of showers and storms as a storm crosses eastern Colorado

Good afternoon! How's your Wednesday going? It's warming up quickly outside. We'll have very few chances for rain along I-25 today. Expect breezy conditions, sunshine and highs near 90. Thunderstorms are more likely near the Kansas and Nebraska state lines. Some of those storms could be severe. The main threats include large hail and damaging wind, with a very small chance for an isolated tornado.

Hot and mainly dry for the metro area Wednesday There is a small chance for a gusty thunderstorm along I-25 this afternoon. Severe weather more likely near the Nebraska state line.

COVID-19 news can be stressful, but at least you're not stuck in traffic! Does that give you some extra time in your new morning routine? Tell me about it! I'm sharing them on 9news this morning. :)

Something really cool may be happening in Thursday night’s sky... if you live on the east coast. Colorado, we may see a couple of meteors on the horizon, but we (and the rest of the western U.S.) are a little too far west to catch the full event.

'Unicorn meteor storm' to be triggered by mysterious comet Thursday night This is not your typical meteor shower. On Thursday night, stargazers may get to see several meteors per second during a rare event known as a meteor storm -- an event not seen from this shower in nearly 25 years.

More pictures out of Strasburg! These storms will continue on the eastern plains until midnight. We'd love to see more of your photos and videos of these storms. Send them into [email protected]. And ALWAYS, safety first! Photos are great, but it's not worth risking your safety to get them.

It’s a boy! We welcomed little Jeffrey Thomas on Friday, April 5. He weighed in at 5 lbs 12 oz. Other than a little jaundice and being 5 weeks early, he has been doing great! It’s been a slightly tougher road for me, but thanks to some wonderful, fast working nurses and doctors I am recovering. We feel very blessed!

When I wrote my post yesterday, I wrote it as a way to stand up for myself. It's not something I'm very good at. Your overwhelmingly positive responses made doing that a little easier and I cannot thank you enough.

Becky Ditchfield says, 'Thank you, Colorado' Thank you, Colorado, for the overwhelming support and love you have shown me in the last 24 hours. It's never been easy for me to stand up for myself. Your support has helped make me a stronger person.

Earlier this week someone wrote in telling me that I looked like a “freak with (my) belly sticking out 2 miles...” Today, I brought my handy tape measure to work to verify if this was, in fact, true.

Let’s begin.
1 mile = 63,360 inches. According to picture #1 my belly sticks out approximately 6” from where my stomach normally sits, when I’m working out, and in great shape.
Therefore, the 2 mile assessment is FALSE.

However, I also understand that perception is everything. So I asked our maintenance guys for measurements of our blue screen in the backyard and green screen inside. For comparison purposes, I’ve decided to go with the blue screen measurements since the camera never captures the entire indoor chroma key.

The blue screen measures 8’ 4” wide by 2’ 5” tall.

8’ 4” = 100 inches
Since my belly measures an extra 6 inches out from my “normal” stomach, then that means it’s only taking up 6% more blue screen space when I stand, facing the side.

Now, I’ve also included a map that shows our typical statewide view. From west to east, this measures 770 miles.
If 100” = 770 miles on the map, then 1 inch would equal 7.7 miles.
So if I’m standing in front of the statewide map, then my belly is taking up a whopping 46.2 miles. 😍 And that means this person MUST be giving me a compliment because that is A LOT more than 2 miles!

The reality is, the bump is just a little bigger than a basketball that’s been cut in half.
The official circumference of a basketball used in the NBA is 29.5”
C= 2🥧r
As seen by my back measurement and measurement of the belly, the radius of the bump is somewhere between 5.75” and 6”.
That makes the circumference of my baby bump between 36.11 and 37.6 inches.
And if you want to measure it’s volume...
V= (4/3)🥧r^3
If r=6”, then the volume of my baby belly is 904 cubic inches... or approximately 1/2 a cubic foot.

So to the people out there who are offended by the (giant) life growing inside me, let’s please be accurate when sending me your hate mail.

BTW. Still Pregnant.

Hey guys! I know Facebook was down yesterday so you might have missed it... Denver had a blizzard. 😉
.. But for real I hope everyone is ok this morning!

LOL... I'm apparently terrible at hiding my reactions. Tom Green captured this classic Becky look during the noon show. We both agree my kids know this one well!

LOL! Nom Nom Nom

Snow and wind for Denver tonight... then clearing and calm for tomorrow!

Happy Thanksgiving, from my crazy family to yours!

Highs will be near 60 for Thanksgiving... so no record-breakers for us this year! Hope you all have a great holiday!

I started my blog back up again! In case you're not familiar, I have a rare uterine anomaly that makes my pregnancies high risk. When I was pregnant with my oldest I was scared to death because of all the uncertainties that come with my anatomy. So when I was pregnant with my son, I decided to write this blog to give people at least one perspective on what can happen and how doctors decided to treat me in order to bring a healthy child into this world.

I feel like the more experiences we share, the more we can learn and the more hope we can give people who may be feeling that same sense of uncertainty. The one thing I have quickly come to understand is that no pregnancy is the same. No matter how much I wish things were black and white, the gray always wins. So I've decided to pick the blog back up and write about this very different pregnancy #3.

I'll be sharing my emotions and some graphic descriptions... read along at your own risk. ;) If I reach just one person who needs to see or hear of someone with a similar experience, then I'll consider this a success. (Link in the comments.)

I have a question for all the parents out there...

This morning I had a conversation with my 6-year-old that caught me completely off guard.

H: Mommy, l have some bad news.
Me: (slightly panicked because the last time she said this it ended with "I stuck a jewel up my nose and I can't get it out.")
H: My friend from school has to move out of the state and is never coming back.
Me: That is bad news. I bet you will miss her.
H: Yes. She says she's not moving right away. She says her family has to move because they can't get their green card.
Do we have our green card?
Me: Well, we don't have a green card but...
H: So we have to move out of our house too??? We can't live here anymore??
Me: No... we don't have to have a green card. It's different for us. I promise, we are not moving.
H: What's a green card?

All of this happened while we were trying to get in the car. We ended it by saying that a green card allows some people to live in this country. We were different. We don't need a green card... but other people do... and she didn't ask any more questions. But I have no idea how she processed all that.

We don't talk a lot about politics in our house. The kids know we voted. They know why we watched a lot of news last night and this morning, but we don't talk a lot about immigration, health care, etc. And yet they are exposed to it because their friends are living it.

So how do you talk to your kids about these topics if they come up? My daughter is still learning to read... I certainly don't expect her to understand how green cards work. And this definitely was not a conversation I was prepared for this morning!

Why is it Quiet After it Snows? - WeatherNation

Now we just need some...

weathernationtv.com As snow piles up, the volume turns down– and there’s some nifty science at play that makes it seem like the whole world turned the volume down. It’s similar to the reason snow is white– which makes for an interesting read. Why is Snow White? Fewer People The most obvious reason for the post-...