From CBS4Denver.com (Alan Gionet):
“We’ve got one thing going for us this year which is a strong or fairly strong La Nina,” said Colorado’s state climatologist Nolan Doesken, talking about the scenario of cold sea surface temperatures in the eastern tropical Pacific. “And if you look at how that’s behaved in the past, that usually favors dry in the Southwest during winter and very dry in Florida and southeastern states, wetter in the Pacific Northwest and then Colorado is sort of in the in-between.” La Nina conditions have traditionally caused slightly warmer temperatures, especially in the southwest part of the state. CBS4 meteorologist Jennifer Zeppelin explained La Nina’s usual effects further. “So it’s colder waters and so most of the moisture and the drier air is really going to be filtering into our area, wheras the moisture is really going to be staying back to the Northwest because of the way the pattern is shifting.”[…]
“La Nina sometimes favors frequent small snows in the northern and central Rockies,” said Doesken. “Fairly favorable from a winter recreation point of view, but not necessarily from a total water supply point of view for next year.” There’s concern that La Nina could exacerbate Colorado’s dry situation. Smaller snows means smaller water loading into the mountains and maybe more dryness. “The thing we’re concerned about though is La Ninas, especially strong ones that last long, tend to bring dry springs with them,” he said.