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<br />GUNNISON RIVER BASIN <br />as of March 1, 2002 <br /> <br />Mountain Snowpack* (inches) <br /> <br />Precipitatlon* (% of average) <br /> <br />, <br /> <br />__Current -..-Average <br />___Maximum __Minimum <br /> <br />I_ Monthly IIIYear-to-date I <br /> <br />30 <br /> <br /> <br /> 100 <br /> 90 <br /> 80 <br />.. 70 <br />'" <br />r! 60 <br />.. <br />> <br />c( <br />... 50 <br />0 <br />- <br />c <br />.. 40 <br />l:! <br />.. <br />II. 30 <br /> 20 <br /> 10 <br /> 0 <br /> Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May <br /> <br /> <br /> 25 <br />.5 20 <br />..: <br />c <br />.. <br />iii <br />.2: 15 <br />" <br />IT <br />W <br />.. <br />.. <br />- <br />.. 10 <br />:= <br /> 5 <br /> <br />o <br />Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun <br /> <br />.Based on selected stations <br /> <br />The snowpack measurements in the Gunnison Basin remain well below average on March 1, and <br />are indicating severe runoff shortages in the upcoming months unless there is a significant change. <br />to the dry weather pattern that has plagued most of Colorado this snow season. Overall, the <br />snowpack is only 58% of average, which is only 70% of the amount of snow there was last year at <br />this time. The accumulation is relatively uniform throughout the basin, ranging from 53% of <br />average in the Surface Creek Watershed, to 62% ofavcrage in the Uncompaghre Watershed. The <br />monthly precipitation was only 50% of average during February, and the water year total has now <br />been reduced to only 63% of average. One encouraging note is that the combined storage for 8 <br />major reservoirs in the basin is about i 0% above average for this time of year, but this will likely <br />J decrease rapidly during the runoff season withom significant improvements in snowpack and <br />precipitation. There is 4% more storage than last year on March I. Streamflow forecasts remain <br />well below average on March 1. They are highly variable, ranging from only 37% of average at <br />the Inflow to Paonia Reservoir, to 8 I % of average on the Slate River near Gunnison. <br />