Snowpack improves, but still below average
By Cherry Sokoloski
North Forty News
The warm, dry weather enjoyed by most in the second half of January has
put snowpack in northern Colorado on hold. With half the accumulation period
for this year gone, snowpack is below average, according to Mike Gillespie,
snow survey supervisor for the state.
The South Platte Basin, which includes the Cache la Poudre and Big Thompson
Rivers, was at 85 percent of average on Jan. 24, down from 98 percent on
Jan. 12. Experts have repeatedly said that the area needs an above-average
snowpack this year to get out of the drought.
The South Platte snowpack currently measures 134 percent of last year's
dismal showing. "It's better than it's been in a number of years," said
Gillespie, "but it will take a hefty storm to bring us up to average. We'd
like to see it in better shape." There's still time for the snowpack to
improve, since March and April are historically the big snow months in
this area.
Mountain snowpack is tremendously important to folks on the plains, supplying
80 percent of the water people use for households and for irrigation. Because
of the prolonged drought, Colorado-Big Thompson reservoirs are still below
the norm, standing at 80 percent of average overall. Lake Granby is 90,000
acre-feet below normal, almost the equivalent of Carter Lake's capacity.
The first on-site snow survey on the Poudre drainage was conducted Jan.
26, with the following results: Big South, 74 percent of average; Chamber's
Lake, 40 percent; Joe Wright Reservoir, 81 percent; Cameron Pass, 82 percent;
and Deadman Hill, 103 percent. The three higher elevation sites came in
ahead of last year.
Southern Colorado is in better shape, with most drainages at about 150
percent of average snowpack.
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