A wet April rescued Colorado’s snowpack heading into the spring melt, pushing the statewide year-to-date precipitation to exactly normal just as water managers begin the tricky task of filling reservoirs for the thirsty state.
shows April snowstorms bolstered the state’s snowpack by 7 percent, pushing the snowpack statewide to 104 percent of normal and marking the first month-over-month improvement in 2016.
Last year at the start of May, the state’s river basins were well below average. This year, the state’s snowpack is 163 percent of last year.
“At this time last year the water supply outlook was grim at best,” Colorado Snow Survey Supervisor Brian Domonkos said in a statement. “Colorado’s current snowpack and precipitation levels are right where we want to be this time of year.”
Last May was exceptionally snowy though — many call it the “miracle May” — and water supplies climbed as snow piled deep in the high country. But water managers don’t need to hope for a miracle this year.
All seven of Colorado’s major river basins harvested 90 percent of normal April precipitation or better last month. Conditions were worse heading into April, but the heavy moisture that fell in the latter half of the month reversed what was looking to be a lean spring melt.
Measurements from the state’s mountain top stations show that the North Platte and South Platte river basins have the deepest snowpack in the state, at 114 percent of normal. The Arkansas River basin logged the most improvement in April, while the less robust southern basins of the San Miguel, Dolores, Animas and San Juan saw little change.
Jason Blevins: 303-954-1374, jblevins@denverpost.com or @jasonblevins
Colorado’s snowpack as of may 1, 2016
Basin / Percent of median snowpack / percent of last year’s snowpack
Gunnison 100 / 191
Colorado 112 / 155
South Platte 114 / 117
North Platte 114 / 177
Yampa / White 106 / 224
Arkansas 110 / 122
Rio Grande 77 / 269
San Miguel / Dolores / Animas / San Juan 85 / 229
Statewide 104 / 163
