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<br />(::.ENE:F~AL.._ OLITL.OOK <br /> <br />" <br />, I <br />\..L>' <br /> <br />SUMMARY <br /> <br />THE UNUSUAL WARM AND DRY WEATHER CONDITIONS AT HIGHER <br />ELEVATIONS CONTINUED THROUGH MAY ACROSS THE STATE. <br />THE STATE'S SNOWPACKHAS DECLINED FOR THE THIRD <br />CONSECUTIVE MONTH. STREAMFLOW FORECASTS HAVE <br />DECREASED TO MUCH BELOW NORMAL VOLUMES NEARLY <br />STATEWIDE. THIS HAS INCREASED THE RELIANCE UPON WATER <br />STORED IN THE STATE'S RESERVOIRS, AND SPRING AND <br />SUMMER RAINFALL TO ASSURE NORMAL CROP PRODUCTION THIS <br />SEASON. <br /> <br />SNOWPACK <br /> <br />THE SNOWPACK STATISTICS IN COLORADO CONTINUED TO <br />DECLINE DURING MAY. THE CURRENT READINGS ARE ONLY <br />32% OF AVERAGE, STATEWIDE. THIS YEAR'S JUNE SNOWPACK <br />IS ONLY 51% OF LAST YEAR. wELL BELOW NORMAL READINGS <br />wERE TAKEN ACROSS THE STATE. THE LOWEST MEASUREMENTS <br />WERE IN THE YAMPA, WHITE, NORTH AND SOUTH PLATTE <br />RIVER BASINS, WHERE THE SNOWPACK WAS LESS THAN 25% OF <br />AVERAGE. THE RIO GRANDE AND COLORADO RIVER BASINS <br />HAVE THE HIGHEST READINGS AT ONLY 39% OF AVERAGE. <br />THESE LOW SNOWPACK FIGURES CAN BE ATTRIBUTED TO THE <br />BELOW NORMAL PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS RECEIVED SINCE <br />MARCH ACROSS THE STATE. THESE CONDITIONS HAVE BEEN <br />ACCOMPANIED BY WARM TEMPERATURES. THE RESULT HAS <br />BEEN THE LOSS OF THE LOW ELEVATION SNOWPACK SINCE <br />APRIL, AND ADVANCED MELTING OF THE HIGHER ELEVATION <br />SNOWPACK SINCE EARLY MAY. THE SNOWLINE ELEVATION IS <br />NEAR 11,000 FEET AS OF JUNE 1. <br /> <br />I' , <br />I ;1 <br />Li <br /> <br />PRECIPITATION <br />PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS RECEIVED AT LOWER ELEVATIONS <br />WAS BELOW NORMAL THROUGHOUT MOST OF THE STATE. THE <br />ONLY BASIN REPORTING NEAR NORMAL RAINFALL FOR THE <br />MONTH WAS THE SOUTH PLATTE BASIN. SEVERAL ISOLOATED <br />LOCATIONS EAST OF THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE, RECEIVED <br />PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS GREATER THAN 150% OF AVERAGE <br />FOR MAY. THE LOwEST PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS WERE IN THE <br />RIO GRANDE, SAN JUAN, DOLORES, ANIMAS, AND SAN MIGUEL <br />BASINS. MOST STATIONS IN THESE AREAS RECEIVED LESS <br />THAN 25% OF THE AVERAGE FOR THE MONTH. OTHER DRY <br />LOCATIONS INCLUDE THE YAMPA, WHITE, COLORADO, AND <br />GUNNISON BASINS, WHERE PRECIPITATION TOTALS WERE LESS <br />THAN 75% OF AVERAGE FOR THE MONTH. TOTALS FOR THE <br />WATER YEAR ARE SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL ACROSS THE <br />STATE, WITH THE LOWEST ACCUMULATIONS IN THE RIO <br />GRANDE, GUNNISON AND SOUTHWESTERN BASINS. <br /> <br />2 <br />