Despite the above average 2019 snowpack, the Colorado River Basin continues to experience its worst 20-year drought on record, dating back to 2000.
Most of the area had near or above-average snowpack, at the time. (USDA, NRCS) This water year — which so far has tracked just below average in terms of snowpack — appears to… Streamflow in Colorado >> This water year — which so far has tracked just below average in terms of snowpack — appears to be following the “normal” pattern. And that could mean that the Animas River already hit its peak, topping out at about 2,200 cfs on May 5. That would be a pretty disappointing spring runoff. The snowpack in the Gunnison Basin, CO is currently over 50,000% above average. Notice in the graphs below that although the snowpack level for the first of April and May fluctuate wildly from year-to-year, the overall trend line is on a downward slope. The cold, wet spring followed by warm rains led to fungi germinating on aspen leaves and causing kill spotsThe findings were part of an annual U.S. Forest Service and Colorado State Forest Service aerial survey evaluating forest health impacts from insects and disease, The Daily Sentinel There was a decline in tree mortality in 2019 due to bark beetles compared to 2018, but “large epidemics of spruce beetle and roundheaded/western pine beetles in Colorado continue to expand,” the report said.The cold, wet spring followed by warm rains led to fungi germinating on aspen leaves and causing kill spots, the report said.The heavy snowpack in winter 2019 followed the 2018 season when Colorado experienced its second driest winter on record dating back to 1895.Last year was “a good year for trees, which means reduced acreage in bark beetle activity,” said Dan West, a state forest service entomologist.Additional moisture enables trees to produce sap, which is a defense against insect infestation, although West said it takes more than one year of significant precipitation for trees to return to full health after drought.Spruce beetle outbreaks have been a major concern in Colorado in recent decades, causing tree mortality on about 2,900 square miles since 2000 and affecting about 41% of spruce-fir forests.Aspen health is a matter of interest due to factors ranging from tourism to summer shade for elk. Jared Polis, education advocates and some state lawmakers anticipate a spike in families utilizing Colorado’s open-enrollment process, which allows them to join any school district throughout the stateCensus takers will begin to go door-to-door Tuesday as the state moves forward with its first major step in drawing new political districtsAt 14,158 feet, Mount Sneffels looms over the San Juan Mountains still covered with snow Sunday June 23, 2019. Select options from drop-down menus or click watershed on map to view the line graph of the current water year Colorado Snowpack as of March 9, 2020. The summer monsoon season was not very active in 2019, and that left the Colorado mountains with well below average precipitation from July to October. Yet it also continues a trend of earlier, and diminishing, snowpack-peaks.For the last few years I’ve been following, graphing, and posting snow water equivalent levels at three high-altitude SNOTEL stations: Columbus Basin, located in the La Plata Mountains west of Durango; Red Mountain Pass; and Molas Lake (near Molas Pass). From RiverOfLostSouls.com (Jonathan P. Thompson): Snowpack levels in the San Juan Mountains of southwestern Colorado typically peak in April or early May, before starting a rapid downward slide as temperatures rise and spring runoff gets underway. Also note that in the ’80s and ’90s the levels on May 1 were as likely to be higher than on April 1, but as time goes on, the peak tends to be earlier. (William Woody, Special to the Colorado Sun) Status of Western snowpack, expressed as a percent of average water content of snow, as of Feb. 18, 2020. Because Lake Mead is projected to begin the year below the drought contingency plans threshold of 1,090 feet, Arizona, Nevada and Mexico will make water savings contributions to Lake Mead in 2020. Colorado SNOTEL Watershed Time Series Snowpack Graphs SNOTEL Basin Time Series Snowpack Summary Graphs. This would appear to be a sign of a warming, drying climate (at least for this admittedly small sample size and short period of record).Something not seen in these graphs: A hot early May has melted a lot of snow. Looking back at the graphs one thing that immediately stands out is that there is no “normal.” Terrifyingly dry years (2018) are often followed by wickedly wet ones (2019).However trends do appear. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. Temperatures could fall, and big storms might still hit. If the current melting rate continues, there won’t be any snow left by June. The state of Colorado snowpack as a whole is currently at 761% above normal. TODAY'S SNOWPACK. May 2020 SW #Colorado #Snowpack update — RiverOfLostSouls.com @jonnypeaceClick to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)