The latest surveys show Colorado’s snowpack well-below average, with only a slight increase last month.
Water suppliers are anticipating weak runoff in the Colorado, Yampa and Platte river basins.
Statewide snowpack increased to 88 percent of average, up from 86 percent at the start of February, according to U.S Department of Agriculture survey data.
Southern Colorado has fared better, with snowpack above average in some areas, while river basins north of Interstate 70 are the driest.
The North Platte River basin’s snowpack registered 72 percent of average; Colorado River, 79 percent; and the South Platte, 78 percent.
By comparison, snowpack in the Rio Grande basin registered 109 percent of average, and the San Miguel, San Juan, Animas and Dolores river basins 106 percent of average.
Overall, statewide snowpack is the lowest since the drought year of 2002. The probability of snowpack improving to near average by the end of winter is less than 10 percent, officials said. Bruce Finley, The Denver Post
