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<br />Mr. Gillespie reported that our Reservoir Storage is good. We are at 94% of average statewide and <br />121 % of last year. He said the lowest is in the Arkansas Basin at 64%, and the Rio Grande Basin <br />dipped below average but is better than last year; and, all the state is near average. Mr. Gillespie <br />also mentioned that every basin improved the last several months with the Arkansas being the <br />driest. He stated it was a good improvement from last year and that we are still in recovery. Mr. <br />Gillespie said that we were at about an 800,000-acre feet deficit and now we are only at about a <br />200,000-acre feet deficit. He stated it has taken three years to get where we are now, and we are <br />still vulnerable to go back down depending on our snowpack this year. <br /> <br />Jack Bvers. Deputv State Engineer. DNR <br />Mr. Byers commented that Colorado's primary snowfall occurs between January and April, and <br />therefore, there is not much to forecast now for Colorado and probably wouldn't be between now <br />and January. <br /> <br />Monthly Climate Report <br /> <br />Roger Pielke. Sr. Colorado State Universitv. Colorado Climate Center <br />Mr. Pielke stated that July was hot and the maximum temperatures for July were above average. He <br />said we had a lot of dryness until after the third week in July. Mr. Pielke reported that August had <br />cooler maximum and minimum temperatures than July. <br /> <br />The 3-month SPI shows close to zero. <br /> <br />The 12-month SPI shows we were a little wet, but above average. <br /> <br />Mr. Pielke commented the 48-month SPI still shows some memory of the dry period of 2002. He <br />said looking at the SPI, we can see the fraction of the drought relative to earlier droughts. Mr. <br />Pielke stated we could have had a longer drought than we had in 2002, but that it certainly was <br />intense. He explained if the next six months were dry, the projection would be that we could slip <br />back into a drought, but it would not be as serious of a drought as we had before; if conditions <br />remained the same, we would retain our average condition <br /> <br />Mr. Pielke mentioned that Klaus Wolter, Nolan Doesken and himself were working on a paper of <br />the July heat wave. He said they were looking at the data available -temperature, indices defining a <br />heat wave etc., and they would appreciate any kind of information. Mr. Pielke reported the highest <br />temperature recorded this summer in Ft. Collins was 103 degrees; DIA--105, Pueblo, Akron, and <br />Rocky Ford --108 and that Grand Junction had the highest temperature. <br /> <br />Keith Vander Horst, Division of Water Resources. Water Supplv Conditions Update <br />Mr. Vander Horst explained that reservoir levels and precipitation are improving but have not <br />recovered everywhere. He said we have a few low reservoirs and low streamflows, and some <br />streamflows are lower than usual. The SWSI shows the Gunnison with the lowest value of 1.1 and <br />the South Platte to have the highest at 2.5. <br /> <br />Mr. Vander Horst stated that in general reservoir conditions are pretty good. We had good wet June <br />and August stonns that produced a good water supply. He mentioned the reservoirs all showed <br />good except Antero, and that is still low. Mr. Vander Horst said rafting flows were released in the <br />upper Arkansas basin for the rafting industry; Pueblo reservoir is a bit lower than usual; and, John <br />Martin reservoir is quite low. <br />