More than 70% of the state is reporting no drought conditions
Curtis DeVore/Copper Mountain Resort
Spring sunshine and warmth are good — unless you’re a regional water official worried about preserving snowpack as long as possible into the summer.
The good news is that the snowpack around Colorado is looking pretty good heading into spring and summer. In fact, more than 70% of the state is reporting no drought conditions, a significant change from the start of this year, when just less than 35% of the state was in zero-drought status.
Colorado’s long-range forecast for the summer, however, calls for above-average temperatures and below-average precipitation through the summer months.
For now, the region’s snowpack is shimmering white good news.
After a slowish start, the snow water equivalent at measurement sites on Vail Mountain, Copper Mountain and Fremont Pass are all near or just above 100% of the 30-year median. The Copper Mountain site is nearest to the snow fields atop Vail and Shrine passes; the Fremont Pass site is closest to the headwaters of the Eagle River near Tennessee Pass.
The Fremont Pass site is the highest and longest-lasting of those sites. It was also the slowest this season to hit 100% of the 30-year median, not hitting that mark until early March.
All of those high-elevation sites — ranging from roughly 10,300 feet at Vail to 11,300 feet at Fremont Pass — hit their peak accumulation between late April and early May. That means we still have another few weeks to expect spring storms.
Hoping for a cool spring
After that, water officials hope for cool weather and slow runoff to preserve streamflow.
“We’re glad (snow levels) have caught up — we hope they keep accumulating,” Eagle River Water & Sanitation District Communications and Public Affairs Manager Diane Johnson said.
By the numbers
Here’s a look at the snow water equivalent percentages of the 30-year median for river basins around Colorado:
- Upper Colorado: 107%
- South Platte: 107%
- Arkansas: 117%
- Upper Rio Grande: 110%
The average snow water equivalent of the measurement sites on Vail Mountain, Copper Mountain and Fremont Pass — sites closest to snow fields that feed Gore Creek and the upper Eagle River — is 101%.
With warm weather coming, the more snow that can be stored at higher elevations helps streamflows and water supplies the better, Johnson said. But, like accumulation, snowmelt isn’t something humans can do anything about.
“We don’t want it too warm, too quick,” Johnson said.
Layers that melt determine how quickly the snowpack dwindles.
According to the Colorado Dust on Snow Program, we can expect to see wind-driven dust coat the state’s snowpack over the next few weeks. A widespread coating in March will likely melt off in the next few weeks, accelerating the seasonal runoff.
While runoff provides much of the upper valley’s domestic water supply, snowpack across the state also fills Colorado’s reservoirs. Lindsay DeFrates, the deputy director of Public Relations at the Colorado River Water Conservation District, said some carryover from last year, along with healthy snowpack from this season, has officials expecting many area reservoirs to fill this spring.
But, looking at the long-range forecast, DeFrates said, “We always have to plan for … variability and do the best we can. … That’s just life in the Upper (Colorado River) Basin.”
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While many longtime water users are experienced with the potential variability of supply, the river district works to educate both domestic and agricultural water users. The district is hosting an April 11 online educational seminar to discuss the state of snowpack and water supplies for the coming season.
Don’t get used to this
While the winter just finishing up and the previous one was just about average, DeFrates cautioned against too much optimism.
“One good year doesn’t break a trend,” DeFrates said, adding there have been some “really sobering numbers in terms of average temperatures” in Colorado.
“As we plan for the future, we need to set ourselves up for success in our hotter drier climate.”
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