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December 30, 2008

Weather Geekery: Colorado Snowpack 120% of Normal

This will likely only be of interest to skiers, water resource sorts, and weather geeks -- or those of us cheerfully admitting to be all three -- but I've been watching with fascination the latest Colorado river basin snowpack data. After a decade or more of mostly sub-average snowfall, and a corresponding decline in Colorado river water, thus leading to rationing, inter-state saber rattling, and general unease about the future of the rapidly-growing U.S. southwest, the Colorado snowpack is on track for its second impressive year.

Check the following SNOTEL/NRCS figure comparing snowpack in the basin over the last three snow precipitation seasons. We are already well above average, even if it's still fairly early in the season. Granted, there is no way to know yet if we will approach last year's absurd snowfall amounts, and we could see an early melt, as cursed the otherwise impressive 2006 snow season, but it's definitely something to watch in regional agriculture, real estate and politics.

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