WMOD00317 ‎(2)‎

• Title: A Comparison of the Potential of Cloud Seeding to Enhance Mountain Snowpack in Colorado During Dry, Normal and Wet Winters
• Date: 1/1/1983
• State: CO
• Weather Modification - Doc Type: Report

Identifyin<j Dry, Normal and Wet Winters

Dry, normal and wet winters were identified by comparing maximum
spring snowcourse water content each winter with long-term averages. Table
2 presents the percent of long-term average water content by winter for the
four mountainous sub-regions of Colorado. Percentages were computed by
comparing each winter's average water content for selected courses wi thin
the drainage basins to long-term averages based on at least 30 years of
observations. Water content was used instead of depth of snowpack because
it is more representative of actual moisture. Depending upon the time of
year, one inch of water equals five to twenty inches of unpacked snow.

TABLE 2
Percent of long-term maximum spring snowcourse water
content for 13 winters for selected snowcourses wi thin
drainage basins in mountainous sub-regions of Colorado

Sub-region
Winter South North East Central West Central
61-62 128 123 134 127
62-63 77 66 67 76
63-64 83 85 79 96
64-65 150 124 143 148
65-66 97 71 62 64
66-67 84 79 81 91
67-68 118 110 104 ~9
68-69 123 100 76 98
69-70 91 118 126 119
7()-71 79 120 100 93
71-72 82 84 ~8 ~3
72-73 136 104 102 100
73-74 92 127 ~4 107

14

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