Snowpack levels drop in February

Colorado's snowpack is already sliding downhill, not a good omen for spring runoff. As of Feb. 23, the overall snowpack in Colorado stood at 110 percent of average, compared with 119 percent at the end of January.

The South Platte Basin, which includes the Cache la Poudre and Big Thompson rivers, slid to 96 percent, the lowest basin in the state, compared with 103 percent a month ago. The North Platte was at 104 percent of average.

Mike Gillespie, snow survey supervisor for the state, said there were no big snowstorms in February. The month started out dry, and the smaller storms were not able to make up for the poor start.

Even southern Colorado, which started out the season with a great snowpack, is on the decline. For instance, the San Juan Basin, which was at 135 percent of average in late December, now stands at 110 percent.

Gillespie said he's hoping for good snows in March, typically one of the wettest months. However, he noted, the long-range forecast calls for a warm, dry spring, which would deplete the snowpack instead of adding to it.

"That's particularly devastating for the Front Range and eastern plains," Gillespie said, because those areas count on spring moisture to augment snow runoff and add to soil moisture.