WMOD00126

• Applicant: Water Resources Development Corporation
• Sponsor Name: Cedaredge
• Project Name: Grand Mesa
• Date: 11/1/1975
• Weather Modification - Doc Type: Report

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SNOW COURSE DATA

Snow 'course data provide another measure of the precipitation

. by., examining the change In the water equivalent of the snow.

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du~:irig'theperiod being examined.

The snow course readings are

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takeh at,various locations around the first of each month.

The

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use ,"of ,such data for precipitation analysis purposes is inexa'ct,

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. at,'best since a portion of the moisture is lost due to evaporation,

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snow melt and 'run-off, especially during the spring months.

,Obvi'~usly, the elevation of the recording station is ~ also signi-

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The snow course data for various locations inside and outside the

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project are shown in figure 2.

Since measurements are available

for only the first day of each month, we considered the reports

of February lst' and May lst.

The changes (the May lst water

equivalent of the snow expressed as a per cent of the Februarylst'

water equivalent) lS depicted in Figure 2.

From ,the ,limited data' considered, it can be seen the greatest

percent;ge increase (150%) occurred over the Grand Mesa National

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Forest where the project, was located.

Although increases are

observed over much of the area considered, no single area, not

even the wet area in southwestern Colorado (Figure l),'shows such

a marked increase as the one over Grand Mesa.