Laserfiche WebLink
<br />Tracev Bouvette: <br /> <br />The Drought and Water Supply and Assessment Program that will be implemented will try and <br />characterize the nature of the carry over, storage, and what size it is and how it impacts the <br />different segments--the municipalities versus the agricultural connunities. They are now in the <br />process of evaluating the impact. <br /> <br />Climate Report <br /> <br />Since 1982 we faced no significant long-term or statewide drought situation, only short term <br />throughout the state. 1999 was the last real good water year. The current dry spell that we are in <br />really began in September of 1999. This year's precipitation has been better than 1977. There <br />has been more precip than snowpack in a percentage. 1977 was super dry beginning in October <br />1st, but then we began to get moisture in March. There were storms in the Spring that really <br />helped better than snowpack. This year we got some decent snows in late November, December; <br />however, since the middle of March even small storms here and there have quit. March was our <br />coldest month of the year when compared to average; infact, some of the coldest temperatures of <br />the year occurred in March. The entire state is dry, which we don't see very often, because <br />usually there is some area that gets wet. The precip was actually worse in 1977. There will be <br />peak flows on the northern and central mountain rivers this year. It's just a matter if they will <br />make it into storage. We find the Palmer Index very undescriptive and often unrealistic for <br />Colorado. When applied to smaller basins it can tell a more coherent story and shows Colorado's <br />western slope particularly having extreme drought. North Park for the last 10 months is in an <br />extreme drought. Southeast Colorado was the wettest area, but not for the last 6 mos, it is very <br />dry as everywhere else. The Palmer index tracks what has happened on a long-term basis 6-12 <br />months, not on what's happened the last few weeks. <br /> <br />SPI--standarized precipitation index is a drought index based solely on the amount of <br />precipitation that's fallen over specified time periods. Over the last three months all ofthe state <br />is showing negative precipitation, the eastern plains is negative showing is extensive. The best <br />areas of precip in the last few months would be the north central and northwest Colorado and a <br />few areas east of the Sangre de Cristos. The three month SPI indicates longer term, multi season <br />drought at extreme levels. It does show predicted wet weather for the next two months. Two <br />months of very wet weather could makeup most of the precipitation deficit over eastern Colorado <br />but not over the mountains or western slope. Down in the Southwest part, it won't make a <br />difference. From the end of April through the middle of June is our traditional wet season, but it <br />still won't make up the deficit in the mountains. The SPI 12 month forecast still shows very little <br />precipitation for most of the state and nothing for the southwest. We are now in a multi-year <br />drought, which means we will deplete our reservoirs, soil moisture, and the beginning states of <br />groundwater in shallow acquifers in certain areas. <br /> <br />Short-Term Forecasted Weather <br />(National Weather Ser.) <br /> <br />We presently have low humidity making us very dry. We have a weak disturbance headed our <br />way, but it's mostly clouds with no moisture. Generally continuing to have slight chances of <br />precipitation with some drier and wanner winds. It doesn't look very good for precipitation in <br />the near future. Weare now in a neutral area, between average high and low temperaturesnstill <br />showing below normal precipitation forecast for the next 8 to 14 days. <br />