Colorado snowpack is considerably better than before Christmas last year

Recent snow in the Colorado mountains has caused snowpack to soar much higher than it was at this point in the season a year ago.

There has been measurable snow on 15 of the last 21 days in the mountains and the result is a generally healthy snowpack map. Of the eight river basins in Colorado, half of them have above normal snowpack and two of them are near normal including the South Platte basin which includes the Denver, Boulder, and Fort Collins areas. The Arkansas and Upper Rio Grande basins in southern Colorado remain below normal largely because most of the recent snow has missed the Sangre de Cristo mountains adjacent to Pueblo, Walsenburg, and Trinidad.

Snowpack is critically important to Colorado's water supply since the vast majority of water in the state originates from snowpack. In addition, healthy snowpack in the winter months usually brings less significant drought and fewer water restrictions in the summer months. Fewer wildfires are also common in the months following a winter with consistently good snowpack.

Compared to a year ago, snowpack is considerably better. In December 2021, all eight river basins had below normal numbers and the situation was particularly grim in the southwest basins including the San Juan and Upper Rio Grade basins.

The abnormally dry conditions a year ago undoubtedly contributed to the severity of the Marshall Fire in Boulder County.