Have we broken any snow depth records this year? To answer that question, I plotted March 1st snow depths over the last 20 winters. Unfortunately, low elevation snow depth numbers are scarce so I used data from the Wolf Creek Summit SNOTEL site. The amount of snow in the mountains can approximate the type of winter we experience in town, except sometimes it rains in town when it snows in the mountains (like it did this year). And, low elevation snowpack often melts in betw

Wondering how our current snowpack stacks up against last year and the historic average? Storms this past week added about four inches of water to the Upper San Juan SNOTEL site on Wolf Creek Pass! Currently, the site hold 17.6 inches of water, which is about a foot more water than we had last year at this time! Although the site is still about 87% of normal (a 2.7-inch deficit), the Wolf Creek Summit Snotel site, which sits at 11,000 feet, is reporting 21.7 inches of water

Wondering how the 2018 snowpack stacks up against recent years with big summer wildfires? And when and how much streamflow will our meager snowpack generate in the San Juan River this spring? The Upper San Juan SNOTEL site ran out of snow this week on 4/30/18. May 1st is a good date to compare snowpack to the historical record because snow measurements extend back to 1936. Based upon the site's 82-year history, the site has only been out of snow before May 1st one other ti

Wondering how the 2018 snowpack stacks up against recent years with big summer wildfires? And when and how much streamflow will our meager snowpack generate in the San Juan River this spring? Despite last week's snowstorm, which added 0.2 inches of water to the Upper San Juan SNOTEL site, the snowpack has continued to plummet, which probably solidified this year's rank as the 2nd lowest since 1979. There is only 5.1 inches of water left in the snowpack, which is 17% of norm

Wondering how the 2018 snowpack stacks up against the worst 4 years in recent history? And when and how much streamflow will our meager snowpack generate in the San Juan River this spring? If you're a kayaker, you might want to drag your boat out mid-week and you might catch some fleeting high water! The 2018 winter started out similar to the dry winters of 1990, 1996, and 2000. Unfortunately, March was a bust, and so far April has not panned out. As a result, we've falle

How does the current snowpack in the Southern San Juans stack up against the worst 4 years in recent history? This graph shows the season-long accumulation of the snowpack at the Upper San Juan SNOTEL site near the summit of Wolf Creek Pass. I included the 30-year median to compare the bad years to a normal year. 2018 is the red line. After the snowpack more than doubled in mid February, March has started off with a lull in moisture. Currently, we are nearly tied with 1990

How does the current snowpack in the Southern San Juans stack up against the worst 4 years in recent history? This graph shows the season-long accumulation of the snowpack at the Upper San Juan SNOTEL site near the summit of Wolf Creek Pass. I included the 30-year median to compare the bad years to a normal year. 2018 is the red line. Mid-February moisture arrived this week just like it did in 1990, 1996, and 2000. And thankfully, we finally surpassed 2002, the worst droug

Wondering who stole our winter? It may have been a girl who periodically visits the tropical Pacific. Weak La Nina conditions have existed in the tropical Pacific throughout the 2018 winter, which may partially explain the missing precipitation in the Southern San Juan Mountains. I was curious if La Nina was also involved in the other major snow heists over the past 67 years. Percent of Average Snow Water Equivalent in Colorado's Major Watershed (NRCS) A background check of

How does the current snowpack in the Southern San Juans stack up against the 4 worst years in recent history? This graph shows the season-long accumulation of the snowpack at the Upper San Juan SNOTEL site. Surprisingly, the 2018 snowpack (in red) is ahead of the 1990, 1996, and 2000 snowpacks. Interestingly, for each of those years, the snow finally started accumulating in mid February and then additional storms added significant gains in March as well. However, all 3 year

Why isn't it snowing? When will it snow next? When (if ever) has our snowpack been this bad? These are all questions buzzing around Pagosa Springs especially if you just purchased a new snow blower or season pass at Wolf Creek. Currently, Pagosa Peak appears snow-free from town and Wolf Creek Ski Area is struggling to maintain their meager 16 inch base. As a Colorado native and resident of Pagosa Springs since 1999, I expect a deep snowpack to add beauty to the dormant