Earlier this week, Colorado’s snowpack hit 100 percent of average. Experts think this bodes well for this summer’s water supply.
Snowpack refers to the amount of water contained in the snow. It usually reaches its peak in early April. But this year, Colorado already has the typical peak amount, and it’s only February.
“Something that does distinguish this season is that the storms that we had in December and especially January provided denser, thicker snow and that came with a lot of water,” said Joel Gratz, meteorologist from opensnow.com.
This doesn’t necessarily mean terrific ski conditions, but rivers and streams aren’t as picky as skiers and riders.
“The chances are quite high that we’ll have full reservoirs and full rivers this summer, and that’s just great news because the more water - aside from flooding concerns - the better in the arid west,” Gratz said.
Colorado is usually at about 67 percent of snowpack at this point in the winter.