Wednesday January 15, 2025
The Colorado Sun —
Colorado’s mountain snowpack is hovering around average so far this winter despite flatlining snowfall in December.
While winter recreationists might watch the buildup of snow in Colorado’s mountains with skiing or snowmobiling in mind, many water managers are watching for one thing: water supply. The state’s snowpack is a vital frozen reservoir for communities across Colorado, 19 downstream states and Mexico — one that is being strained by rising temperatures and prolonged drought.
As of Monday, the snowpack measured slightly below normal for early January, at 95% of the median between 1991 and 2020, according to federal data.
“It’s pretty close, in the grand scheme of things, to where you’d expect to be at this point in the winter,” said Russ Schumacher, Colorado state climatologist and a professor at Colorado State University.