Good news for much of THE Western Slope; not so good for THE central mountains and east slope
After last year’s low flows and elevated stream temperatures – levels that led Colorado Parks and Wildlife to issue fishing closures on multiple western Colorado rivers – an improved 2022-23 snowpack is welcome news for water users and Colorado’s trout. As we enter runoff, the water forecast is very promising for western Colorado – especially southwestern Colorado in the Gunnison, Dolores, and San Juan drainages. The Natural Resources Conservation Service’s end-of-April reports on snowpack by basin show snow water equivalent well above the 30-year median for western slope basins from the Yampa through the San Juan. Eastern slope drainages are lagging by comparison – the North Platte and Rio Grande are still solidly above the median, the South Platte right around the median, and the Arkansas sitting at 84%. While most Colorado mountains enjoyed solid snow years, the central to southern Front Range mountains and the Sangre de Cristos had below average snowpack, pushing the snow-water equivalent numbers down in the South Platte and especially the Arkansas in comparison to the strong west-slope numbers. Central mountain west slope drainages also trailed other Colorado basin watersheds with strong snow years; the Blue and Eagle Rivers ended April at 83% and 88% of historical averages, respectively.
While the overall snowpack figures offer some optimism, April was dry statewide with all basins reporting below average precipitation for the month – from as low as 58% of median precipitation in the Rio Grande to a high of 83% in the Gunnison. Depending on how summer conditions develop, including the presence or absence of strong monsoons, we will wait and see whether the winter’s strong snowpack is the beginning of lasting relief from drought or only a brief respite.
You can read the full NRCS month-end report for April, including more detailed breakdowns by each basin, online at https://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/ftpref/support/states/CO/BORCO/borco523.pdf.
