The winter storms that marched across Colorado earlier this month dumped enough snow to bump the state’s water supply back up to almost average.
Statewide, the snowpack sat at 92% of the 30-year median on Monday, . That’s a significant improvement from the beginning of January, when the snowpack was sitting at just below 70% of the median.
The storms dumped feet of snow on Colorado’s mountains, finally covering ski slopes that had been patchy with grass and closing highways across the state.
“This was a hugely beneficial storm cycle over the last couple of weeks, both with respect to the water situation and outdoor recreation,” said , the state climatologist and the director of the Colorado Climate Center. “Colorado looks a lot better than it did a couple of weeks ago.”
The measurements quantify how much water is in the snow that blankets Colorado’s mountains. In the spring, the melting snow serves as a primary source of water for the state.
The storms eased drought conditions in Colorado, but significant portions of the state remain dry.
Sixty-two percent of the state was in drought last week, according to the most recent data released by . That’s a slight improvement from 67% before the storms.
Not all areas of the state are faring the same. While the snowpack in the Yampa and South Platte river basins are sitting at 98% of median levels, the amount of snow in the Upper Rio Grande basin is at 69% and the snowpack in the San Juan basin is at 80% of median.
A swath of land in southern Colorado — including Conejos, Costilla, Rio Grande and Alamosa counties — remained in severe or extreme drought, representing 9% of the state.
The snowpack in the Colorado River headwaters measured 99% of the median on Monday as negotiators worked on a solution for the future of the drying river that 40 million people depend upon. Exceptional snowfall last winter granted a reprieve to federal, state and tribal leaders working out how to distribute the river’s water.
But that level of precipitation has not recurred so far this season.
The snowpack could change significantly in the three months before Colorado’s snowpack reaches its maximum, Schumacher said. like this one bring higher chances for big snowstorms in March and April, he said.
Colorado weather over the coming weeks is forecasted to be dry and warm, with some snow expected in the mountains, he said.
“There’s always the wait-and-see component this time of year,” Schumacher said.
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