Golden – Early snowpack measurements show Colorado overall is at 84 percent of normal, with the northern half of the state blessed with snow and the southern half seeking more.
Southwest Colorado, which gloried in snow last year after years of drought, came in Thursday as the state’s driest area, with the Upper Rio Grande basin at 23 percent of average and the San Miguel-Dolores-Animas- San Juan basin at 28 percent.
The Upper Colorado River basin, home to many of the state’s ski resorts, recorded a whopping 123 percent of the 30-year average. The South Platte basin, which provides roughly half of Denver Water’s supply, was at a healthy 118 percent.
Experts cautioned Thursday at a climate workshop in Golden that water managers shouldn’t start converting those flakes into drops yet.
The numbers from the Natural Resources Conservation Service won’t translate into how much water will be available for a growing and thirsty population until measurements are taken in March and April, said assistant state climatologist Nolan Doesken.
Thursday’s measurements are “really a waste of time for water supply; for recreation, it’s great,” Doesken said.
Some resorts measured snow in feet, and others have recorded only inches. Steamboat skiers are rejoicing in what locals call “huge snow,” while dry Durango has delayed its opening from Thanksgiving Day to Dec. 10.
“This is the snowiest November on record,” said Steamboat spokeswoman Heidi Thomp son. “It’s like a winter wonderland up here.”
Colorado’s mountains are expected to get snow through the weekend, a wet forecast that Klaus Wolter, a scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, says should continue through the winter.
Staff writer Ann Schrader can be reached at 303-278-3217 or aschrader@denverpost.com.
