The recent stretch of warm, sunny weather in northern Colorado is taking a toll on the state’s already lagging snowpack. Despite modest gains from several February storms, forecasters say the snowpack is shrinking with each warm day.
Maggie Skordahl, assistant snow survey supervisor for Colorado’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, says they were hoping for a lot more snowstorm activity in March.
“Typically this is an accumulation month. We should still be accumulating our snowpack. And the fact that it’s been dry also means that our percents of average are going to drop.”
On March 1, the statewide snowpack was at 81% of average -- but as of this Monday that had dropped to just 72%.
There’s very little chance the snowpack will get to where it should be this year, but Skordahl says at least Colorado’s reservoirs are mostly full, thanks to last year’s abundant rain and snowfall.
