Colorado snowpack improves drought

Colorado had quite the winter snow season — heavy mountain snow and the bomb cyclone made for a record year of avalanches across the state.

The mountain snowpack has been measured at well above average, but that doesn’t quite pull us completely out of our drought.

Colorado is home to the headwaters of the Arkansas river, where much of the water supply is fed by the snowpack just west of Colorado Springs. We spoke to Tony Anderson, a hydrologist for the National Weather Service, who said, “The Arkansas system as a whole is about 140% of normal.”

All of this rain and snow have helped to put a damper on drought conditions. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, 89% of Colorado was dealing with some type of drought in February. By the time March rolled around, only 25% of the state was reported in a drought.

“We’ve had a very good month of precipitation. That being said, if the snow stops, or we don’t get spring rain. Then that drought can come back.” explained Anderson.

So what does this mean for the upcoming wildfire season? Anderson said that is still to be determined.

“If there’s water available to get in the ground, that gets in the trees and makes them harder to burn,” Anderson said. “That being said, the increased moisture in the ground could create a sudden growth in the spring. And without continuing precipitation that new growth will dry out, adding to the available fuel for fires to burn.”

Based on the three-month climate outlook, Colorado is set up for a wetter than average spring. Any way you cut it, it will be a big season for rafting with the runoff likely beginning in May. That will make for big rapids and an exciting June.