Colorado’s Snowpack At 95 Percent Of Average

(Courtesy Flickr user Snowboardguides)

 Huce, a hydrologist with the National Weather Service. 

“The lowest in the state is the Arkansas River Basin in southeast Colorado and that’s running about 87-percent of average,” Huce said. 

• Related: Colorado River Snowmelt Volume Study Yields Surprises

Colorado is about 75 percent of the way through the snowpack season, Huce says, and is in good shape despite the lack of precipitation.

El Nino in the past has brought more snow to Colorado’s southern and central mountains because the jet stream is usually farther south. But it’s been farther north this year, thus more snow has fallen in mountains areas in northern and western areas of the state.

Plus, a storm system is moving into Colorado by the end of next week that should keep snowpack stable, says National Weather Service forecaster Mike Baker.

“It looks like an extended period -- maybe three or four days of average to below average temperatures and cloud cover, so that should at least slow the melting of the snowpack that we currently have in the mountains,” Baker said.