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As expected, Colorado’s snowpack reached its maximum level during April, and now that warm weather has returned to Colorado, the snowpack is melting into stream water.
The second half of April brought very little snow to the high country, but Thursday’s squall dumped between 4 to 11 inches on Grand Mesa.
“There’s still a lot of unmelted snow in the high country,” said Mike Chamberlain, forecaster with the National Weather Service. “Depending on what the weather does in the next couple weeks will affect how that comes off.”
Some areas of Grand Mesa above 10,000 feet still have 6 to 7 feet of snow.
“That bodes for potential flooding,” said forecaster Joe Ramey with the National
Weather Service.
Forecasters and water watchers are most concerned about sustained high pressure systems with high temperatures. That’ll make the snow melt fast, said Ramey.
This week, “it looks pretty good,” with 40s and 50s for high temperatures in the high country, with freezing at night, “so we get a slow runoff,” Ramey said.
Melting in the Colorado River Basin hasn’t been as dramatic as it has in southern Colorado.
“I doubt it” will flood in Grand Junction, said Mike Gillespie, snow survey supervisor for the NRCS.
“The best flooding potential is in the Gunnison Basin,” upstream of Gunnison and the East River above Almont, where forecasted streamflow runoff will be 130 to 150 percent of average, Gillespie said.
Peak runoff tends to be around the first week in June for the entire state, Gillespie said.
“Memorial Day is always that weekend when we’re on edge,” Gillespie said.
Despite the runoff to date, the amount of snowpack has remained above the average
of the past 30 years, according to figures released Monday by the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
As of Monday, the snow water equivalent, or the amount of water in the snow, in the Upper Colorado River Basin measured 128 percent of average, while the Gunnison River Basin’s total snow water equivalent was at 130 percent of average, according to the NRCS.
The snow water equivalent of the Upper Rio Grande Basin registered at 110 percent of average.
The San Miguel, Dolores, Animas and San Juan river basins totaled 109 percent of average, and the Arkansas River Basin was at 129 percent of average Monday.
The driest basin in the state measured slightly less than average snow water equivalent. The South Platte River Basin held 106 percent of average.
The Laramie and North Platte river basins had 113 percent of average.
This month’s snow surveys are the second consecutive month the snowpack has decreased.
“Across northern Colorado, snowmelt during April was less dramatic, which has helped to maintain snowpack percentages at slightly above average levels,” said Allen Green, state conservationist with the NRCS.
Reach Marija B. Vader at mvader@gjfreepress.com.
The second half of April brought very little snow to the high country, but Thursday’s squall dumped between 4 to 11 inches on Grand Mesa.
“There’s still a lot of unmelted snow in the high country,” said Mike Chamberlain, forecaster with the National Weather Service. “Depending on what the weather does in the next couple weeks will affect how that comes off.”
Some areas of Grand Mesa above 10,000 feet still have 6 to 7 feet of snow.
“That bodes for potential flooding,” said forecaster Joe Ramey with the National
Weather Service.
Forecasters and water watchers are most concerned about sustained high pressure systems with high temperatures. That’ll make the snow melt fast, said Ramey.
This week, “it looks pretty good,” with 40s and 50s for high temperatures in the high country, with freezing at night, “so we get a slow runoff,” Ramey said.
Melting in the Colorado River Basin hasn’t been as dramatic as it has in southern Colorado.
“I doubt it” will flood in Grand Junction, said Mike Gillespie, snow survey supervisor for the NRCS.
“The best flooding potential is in the Gunnison Basin,” upstream of Gunnison and the East River above Almont, where forecasted streamflow runoff will be 130 to 150 percent of average, Gillespie said.
Peak runoff tends to be around the first week in June for the entire state, Gillespie said.
“Memorial Day is always that weekend when we’re on edge,” Gillespie said.
Despite the runoff to date, the amount of snowpack has remained above the average
of the past 30 years, according to figures released Monday by the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
As of Monday, the snow water equivalent, or the amount of water in the snow, in the Upper Colorado River Basin measured 128 percent of average, while the Gunnison River Basin’s total snow water equivalent was at 130 percent of average, according to the NRCS.
The snow water equivalent of the Upper Rio Grande Basin registered at 110 percent of average.
The San Miguel, Dolores, Animas and San Juan river basins totaled 109 percent of average, and the Arkansas River Basin was at 129 percent of average Monday.
The driest basin in the state measured slightly less than average snow water equivalent. The South Platte River Basin held 106 percent of average.
The Laramie and North Platte river basins had 113 percent of average.
This month’s snow surveys are the second consecutive month the snowpack has decreased.
“Across northern Colorado, snowmelt during April was less dramatic, which has helped to maintain snowpack percentages at slightly above average levels,” said Allen Green, state conservationist with the NRCS.
Reach Marija B. Vader at mvader@gjfreepress.com.
