Snowpack hits record low
As of April 2, snowpack in the Roaring Fork basin is at 4.6 inches of snow water equivalent (SWE) or 29% of normal, down from 8.7 inches on March 2. Last year, snowpack held 14.1 inches of snow water equivalent in the Roaring Fork basin. Snowpack has never been this low at this point in the season on record, breaking the previous record low of 8.3 inches measured on April 2, 2012.
Colorado’s record-breaking heat over the last two weeks of March caused a sharp decline in snowpack and worsened drought conditions in the Roaring Fork Valley and across the state. According to NOAA, high temperatures at the Aspen-Pitkin County airport reached up to 77 degrees Fahrenheit on March 25, or 28 degrees above normal.
As of March 31, northwestern Colorado is experiencing exceptional drought conditions, the most severe level, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. This includes all Pitkin and Eagle counties and 75% of Garfield County.
Snowpack ranges from 1% of normal at Nast Lake, where it has almost completely melted, to 56% of median at Ivanhoe as of April 2. The SNOTEL station at McClure Pass recorded zero inches of SWE from March 27 to April 1, before receiving snow from the April 1’s storm, bringing snowpack up to 1.5 inches of SWE on April 2.
Colorado Snow Survey Supervisor Brian Domonkos said that snowpack variation across sites can be explained by multiple factors, including storm patterns, moisture levels, elevation and each site’s aspect and microclimate.
Snow water equivalent — the metric used to track snowpack — is the amount of water contained within the snowpack, which will become our future water supply running in local rivers and streams.
