How is Colorado Springs rainfall below average despite daily T-storms?

Considering how many flash flood warnings and heavy rain events we’ve seen in Colorado Springs this month, would it surprise you to find out we’re actually below average for the month of July?

Official climate data is recorded by a sensor at a single weather station. For most big cities, it’s located at their respective airport to provide pilots with critically important real-time climate data. Colorado Springs is no exception.

However, this can result in inaccurate totals because one single location cannot account for large discrepancies seen in precipitation totals from one side of town to the other. This may be why Colorado Springs is reading at eight-tenths of an inch below average for July despite heavy downpours.

There are other ways to monitor precipitation. Volunteer cooperative observers are located all across southeast Colorado in addition to Local Climatological Data sites. Both of these can help bridge the gap between the official rainfall total and the amount most people actually see from their house.

KRDO’s meteorologists continue to explore this data disparity. We’ll be back next week with more details on the solutions that make climate data as accurate as possible.