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MEMORANDUM Date: March 7, 2002 To: Members of the State Drought Task Force and all other Interested Parties From: JeffBrislawn, Drought Task Force Chair, 303-273-1790 Subject: Minutes of the Thursday, February 28, 2002 Drought Task Force Meeting. The Drought Task Force met on Thursday, February 28, at the NOAA Skagg's Building in Boulder. Twenty eight participants attended. The following is a summary of the meeting and current conditions. Summary of Current Water Status: The task force concluded that most areas of Colorado are experiencing moderate drought. January precipitation was mostly below average statewide. The snowpack was 58% of average statewide as of February 28. All basins are well below average but the South Platte, Dolores, and Rio Grande basins are the lowest at 42%,47%, and 45% of average, respectively. Although the normally snowy months of March and April are still to come, it is highly unlikely that the deficits can be made up. This is the fifth winter in a row where the February 1 snowpack has been below average. 1990 and 1981 were the last winters with a similar snowpack on February 1, and both of those turned into drought years. Reservoir storage is 87% of average statewide. Most municipal water supplies are in good shape. Stream flow forecasts for the spring are mostly in the "much below average" range statewide. The long range forecast shows a good chance that El Nino is coming back, as significant increases in Pacific sea surface temperatures have been observed off the coast of Peru. There is still uncertainty as to how long or strong this event will be, or what it means for Colorado's water situation. In general the weather picture is better than it has been, and there is some indication that March could be wetter than average statewide. 1. Current Water Availability Statu. Temperatures - January temperatures were above average for the eastern slope, and southwest Colorado. Northwest Colorado temperatures were near average.