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<br />25 <br /> <br />in magnitude was in the Park Range east of Steamboat Springs where <br />recent snow course data indicate that sizeable areas receive more than <br />50 inches and some areas more .than 60 inches of precipitation annually. <br />At the same time, North Park, the area just east of the Park Range, is <br />now analyzed to be drier than before. As a result, there is an <br />incredible precipitation gradient along the east slope of the Park <br />Range--10 inches or more per mile in some areas. Other areas where <br />significant changes have occurred are listed below in Table 2. <br />A direct station by station comparison was performed to see the <br />exact changes in average annual precipitation at locations where data <br />were collected during both 30-year periods, The 1941-1970 averages <br />(National Climatic Data Center, 1973) were also included to determine if <br />any noticeable continuing trends are occurring. Table 3 shows the <br />results of this comparison, Less than 70 stations had sufficient data <br />in the 1931-1980 period to have averages calculated for both 3D-year <br />periods, Only about half of these had complete records within 1 mile of <br />the same location. Only 8 stations had continuous records with no <br />station moves of more than a few yards during the 50-year period, <br />Eleven stations were moved less than 1/3 mile with little change of <br />elevation. <br />From 1931-1960 to 1941-1970 precipitation averages increased over <br />most of the state, The increase was most noticeable along the eastern <br />border of the state where the drought of the 1930s was most severe. <br />Changes in excess of one inch were common in the eastern counties. The <br />only area where there seemed to be a systematic lowering of <br />precipitation was at lower elevations in extreme southwestern Colorado. <br />