January featured above-normal precipitation and snowfall across southern and southwestern Colorado, continuing to benefit the ski industry.
We look for February to be active as well, with the El Niño-driven pattern bringing multiple systems to the West Coast. The El Niño has reached its peak strength, but the effects of the active pattern in the Southwest are expected to continue with slow-moving southern stream systems.
We are actually thinking that systems may bring moisture farther north in Colorado in February, probably resulting in higher snowfall totals than we saw in January.
February normal temperatures are, of course, on the upswing. Denver’s normal high and low temperatures will rise from 44 and 17 on the 1st up to 50 and 22 on the 29th.
Temperatures will be quite variable in February due to some intrusions of arctic air but also some milder days coming the last half of the month.
Temperatures during February should end up averaging near to below normal levels in Denver and below normal in southern and western Colorado. We expect to get near to above the normal 5.8 inches of snowfall in Denver with well-above normal amounts in the mountains.
