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 drought since record keeping began in 1935.
Not only did the storms increase the snow depth, but both of this week's storms tapped into a subtropical moisture supply. On 2/12, the snow depth at the Upper San Juan SNOTEL site was 19 inches, and it contained 5.8 inches of water. Today, there is 41 inches of snow containing 10.2 inches of water! The Upper San Juan is still 45% of normal (lacking 12.6 inches of water), but it' a huge improvement and more moisture is supposed to arrive starting tomorrow night.
Since last weekend, Colorado's snowpack increased from 63% to 70% of normal. The snowpack in the southern half of the state improved most.
Percent of Median Snow Water Equivalent in Colorado's Major Watershed (NRCS)