Here’s the February 4, 2016 release from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (Brian Domonkos):
According to NOAA’s National Operational Hydrologic Remote Sensing Center (NOHRSC) nearly all of Colorado was covered in snow on February 3rd, thanks to two significant snow storms that graced Colorado near the first of the month. Statewide Colorado mountain snowpack on February 1st was 111 percent of normal, up from a January low of 105 percent on January 28th. “Without these two storms January precipitation totals would have only been near 70 percent normal, however as a result of these late January storms, statewide January precipitation closed out the month at 98 percent of normal and109 percent of the year-to-date total,” states Brian Domonkos, Colorado Snow Survey Supervisor with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. Snowfall continued through February 3rd, which placed some extra icing on the cake and increased snowpack totals up to as high as 117 percent of normal on the morning of February 4th. The mountains of Southern Colorado saw the greatest increase in snow water equivalent, affecting the San Juans and Sangre De Cristos. From January 28th to February 3rd total snowpack depth increased as much as 30 inches at Cumbres Trestle SNOTEL in the San Juan Mountain range.
On February 1st snowpack in only a handful of minor watersheds across the entire state of Colorado were below the 100 percent mark, yet these were close to normal at above 90 percent. All other drainages were above to well above normal. While the late January storms benefitted the entire state, January precipitation as a whole was particularly slim in the Arkansas and Upper Rio Grande basins and storms only amounted to about 75 percent of normal monthly snowpack accumulation.
For more detailed information about individual Colorado watersheds or supporting water supply related information, have a look at the Colorado Water Supply Outlook Report or feel free to go to the Colorado Snow Survey website at:
http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/co/snow/
Or contact Brian Domonkos, Colorado Snow Survey Supervisor at Brian.Domonkos@mt.usda.gov or 720-544-2852.