Weekend Storm Improves Vital Colorado Snowpack

A weekend storm that dropped up to 4 feet of snow in the central Colorado mountains improved the snowpack in most of Colorado's major river basins.

Federal data released Monday shows the snows that feed the east-flowing Arkansas, North Platte and South Platte rivers ranged from 94 to 109 percent of average.

Southern Colorado's Rio Grande Basin was only 78 percent.

West of the Continental Divide, the Upper Colorado River Basin was at 103 percent while the Yampa and White river basins were at 98 percent.

The Gunnison and Animas-San Juan river basins in southwestern Colorado were still below average, at 75 to 85 percent.

April snow levels are closely watched indicators of how much water will flow into reservoirs and how high rivers will run during the melt.