From the Summit Daily News (Janice Kurbjun):
As of mid-December, the Colorado River Basin snowpack is up more than 67 percent compared to last year, information from the United States Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service Division shows. Compared to average figures for the basin, which includes the Blue River watershed and extends to western Colorado, the snowpack is up about 25 percent above average for this time of year. For all SNOTEL sites in Summit County (areas where the division has automatic snow survey equipment installed), last year’s mid-December snowpack was well below average, but this year the situation has reversed. Copper Mountain’s SNOTEL average is to have snow with the liquid equivalent of 4 inches. As of Dec. 13, the snow water equivalent is at 7.4 inches…
[NRCS spokesman Mike Gillespie] said the Upper Rio Grande Basin is at 43 percent of average and the San Miguel, Dolores, Animas and San Juan River basins are at 71 percent of average.