Heavy mountain weather in January helped reverse some of the poor snowpack conditions in major basins on the west side of the Continental Divide. However conditions worsened in the Arkansas and Upper Rio Grande basins in southern Colorado.
According to the National Resources Conservation Service Feb. 1 report, snowpack statewide was 72 percent of average and 62 percent of the reading taken Feb. 1, 2011.
State conservationist Phyllis Phillips said the Pacific jet stream has shifted south and by the middle of January was delivering much needed precipitation to southern Wyoming and northern and central Colorado.
However, the storms weren't enough to boost snowpack statewide, she said in a news release.
The Arkansas basin was at 81 percent of average on Feb. 1, down from 94 percent at the beginning of January. The greatest decrease was measured in the Upper Rio Grande basin where snowpack was down 15 percentage points from Jan. 1 to 77 percent of average.
January storms boosted the snowpack in west central Colorado. As of Feb. 1, both the Gunnison and Colorado basins snowpack percentages increased by 9 percentage points from where they were on Jan. 1. The Yampa, White, and North Platte basins did not gain much during these storms. The basins are reporting nearly the same snowpack percentage as last month: 65 percent of average as of Feb. 1.
Statewide the snowpack remains well below what was measured last year on Feb. 1. This is most apparent in the Yampa and White river basins which boasted well above average snowpack's this time last year.
The combined basins snowpack was measured at 60 percent of average on Feb. 1, just 48 percent of what was measured at this same time last year.
The South Platte basin, which provides much of the water to the Front Range and eastern plains, was at 80 percent of average and 66 percent of last year. The Colorado was at 69 percent of average and 51 percent of the snowpack logged this time last year.
Forecasts for spring and summer water supplies in these basins reflect the below average snowpack. Reservoir storage across the state continues to remain in good condition which should help ease potential shortages this season.