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<br />.Water in the Balance. <br /> <br />Colorado's Typical Wet and Dry Seasons by Basin <br /> <br />II is common and necessary practice in watershed management to combine data from an entire basin including both <br />high and low elevations. II is important to recognize, however, that the seawnality of precipitation may vary greatly <br />within each basin, and that precipitation at different times of year across the basin may not be well correlated. <br /> <br />For many water management and planning applicalions, Colorado is divided into seven walerdivisions (see figure). <br />Each of these basins originate in high mountain environments and descend through mountain valleys and eventually <br />drop to mUl;h lower elevations. Thus. we can roughly divide each basin into an upper and lower basin based on <br />approximate elevation and mountain proximity. The table below is not definitive. but is meant to give a general picture <br />aflhetypical wct and dry periods experienced across Colorado. W t D'" V <br />Water Di~'ision I a a H'/SlOn <br />South Platte. Upper; Wet Dec.-Apr.. Drv June and again in CoIorndo. Upper: Wet late Nov.-Apr., Dry Jun-mid-Jul. <br />Aug.-Oct. - Colora~o. Lo"er: On a.verage. there is nocle~wetordry <br />South PI. It I - . . "'-. N -F b '" < A -J 1 season In the lower portion of the Colorado RIver baSin, <br />, a e.L.U"er.V1Y av. e., we pro u. . ' . <br />Water Di\'ision II Water Dn'l$lOn VI <br />Arkansas. Upper: Wet Dec.-Mar., Jul.-Aug., Dry (al the Yampa-White, Up~r: Wet lale~ov.-M~y, ~ ~id-Jun.- <br />highest mountains) May-Jun. Scpo (NOTE: The high mountains OflhlS ba~1n Include <br />Arkam;a.... Lower: Dry Nov.-Feb.. Wel !\1ay-Aug. some of the wel~est areas of.the state, receiving an average <br />mUer Di\'ision III of more than 50 m/yrofpreclpltatlon.) <br />RioGrnnde. Upper; Wet O\."C.-~lar. and mid-Jul.-early Yampa-While.lo"er; Similar to the lowerponion of the <br />Oct.. Dry May-mid-July. Colorado River Basin. with no clear seasons, and less <br />R. G d' -, - Dry Nov.A W' <nu'd.J 1_"'- likelihood of receiving rain from the summer monsoon. <br />10 rnn e. L.U"er. . pr., e u ,'>I;p. <br />(NOTE: The San Luis Valley. which includes Great Sand \VOla Division VII <br />Dunes National Monument, receives the least precipita- San Juan, Upper: Wel ~.-:vIar. ~d late Jul-early-OcL, <br />tion in the state, wilh an annual average of less than eight Dry May-early Jul. and mld~Oct-mld-Nov. (NOTE: lbe . <br />inches of precipitation.) high moun tams of thiS ha.<;m are also among the wettest In <br />Water Dil'ision 1\' Ihe Slale, recei\'ing more than 50 inlyr a\'erage annual <br />Gunniwn. Upper: Wel mid-Nov.-Mar., Dry mid-May-mid- precipItation.) <br />J San Juan. Lo"'er. Wel Dec.-Mar. and lale Jul-early-Oct.. <br />"U, <br />Gunnlo.on. Lower: No significant wet sea.\on. Dry laic Dry May-early J~1. and mid-Oct-mid-Nov, (NOTE: similar <br />May-Jun, slightly wet mid-Jul-Aug to the upper basLn. but less wet m the wet seasons.) <br /> <br /> SubbasLn ,,, F,b Mar A , ..ta )" )" A, S, 0" NOli Do< <br /> Up. S Plalle ~~_...~.....-....~......_....-.-_.. <br /> --- <br /> Lo_ S Plalle - - <br /> -- - <br /> Up, Arkan5u ~ - ~ <br /> -- - <br /> 1.0. Arkllns.1s ~-~-~--""'!"-~ <br />I Up, Rio Gr. ~ <br /> - -- - --- - <br /> 1.0. RIO Gr. Kf-....~ <br /> , <br />, <br /> Up. Gunnison ~ c::=o I I ..-.......---:. <br /> , <br /> Lo. Gunnison I I J I <br /> ~ <br /> Up. Colorado -- - --- I """"""'" <br /> Lo, Colorado I I <br /> ~oelur"'elo'dr~ .elloDl <br /> Up, Vamp' ~"''''-~'='''~~---j'- ....1 ~_....., <br /> Lo, YJmpa I I I I :'<odul "'elordr~ .ellon. <br /> Up, S" Juan ~ ~ S ~:.-=.~ <br /> Lo, S" JUJn L h.:t...__~_"'..."...~ ~ <br /> ~ "'--_.t- <br /> , ~ ' , , , , , , , , <br /> Legend: Wet ~_-....-- Dry , , I <br /> <br />10 <br />