Aspen Journalism is compiling a data dashboard highlighting metrics of local public interest, updated weekly.
Aspen hits new January occupancy record
Paid occupancy in Aspen reached 77.5% in January, up from 69.7% last year — a new record for January. Snowmass recorded its fifth best January with 72.8% paid occupancy, up from 2022’s 67.3%, according to the January 2023 occupancy report for Aspen and Snowmass lodges, compiled by local tourism officials and reservations tracking firm Destimetrics. January occupancy reached 75.2% for the two towns combined this year, up from 68.6% last year.
“This increase is thanks to international business, led by Australia and Brazil; X Games Aspen opening back up to spectators; MLK weekend; as well as a very successful Gay Ski Week,” the report’s summary noted.
It’s worth nothing that only commercial occupancy is counted in the report. It doesn’t reflect the occupancy of short-term rentals.
February’s paid occupancy as of Jan. 31 was at 73% for Aspen and Snowmass, down from 75.6% last year.
Overall winter occupancy is slightly up from last year with 53.6% for Aspen and Snowmass combined, down from 2022’s 55.4% based on the books as of Jan. 31. “As of now, January and April are the only months exceeding last years pace,” according to the report.
Snowpack reaches over 120% of normal
Snowpack in the Roaring Fork basin reached 121% of average for Feb. 12 or 128% of median with 14 inches of snow-water equivalent, according to NOAA.
SNOTEL sites that monitor snowfall throughout the winter measured the snowpack at Independence Pass at 98.2% of average on Feb. 12, with a “snow water equivalent” (SWE) of 10.9 inches, up from 10.2 inches on Feb. 5. Last year on Feb. 12, the SNOTEL station up the pass (located at elevation 10,600 feet) recorded an SWE of 9.5 inches.
The monitoring station at McClure Pass located at elevation 9,500 feet recorded a SWE of 16.5 inches on Feb. 12, or 141% of average. That’s up from a SWE of 16.1 inches on Feb. 5. Last year, on Feb. 12, the station measured a snowpack holding 9.1 inches of water.
On the northeast side of the Roaring Fork Basin, snowpack at Ivanhoe, which sits at an elevation of 10,400 feet, reached 11.9 inches of SWE on Feb. 12, or 115.5% of average.
Snowpack at Schofield Pass reached 26.9 inches on Feb. 12, which represents 122.8% of average. Schofield Pass sits at an elevation of 10,700 feet between Marble and Crested Butte.
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.
Air temperatures on the rise in early-February
High air temperatures at the Aspen airport increased from 19°F on Jan. 31 to 47°F on Feb. 5, which is about 14 degrees above normal. Meanwhile, low temperatures increased from -9°F on Jan. 31 to 11°F on Jan. 5, which is about 3.5 degrees above normal.
Lake Powell’s water levels keep dropping
Lake Powell‘s storage remains at one of its lowest levels recorded since it began filling in the 1960s. On Feb. 12, the reservoir was 22.17% full (with a total capacity based on a 1986 sedimentation survey) or 23.13% full (based on updated 2017-18 sedimentation data). That’s down from Feb. 5, when the nation’s second-largest reservoir was at 22.31% of capacity (1986 data) or 23.28% (based on 2017-18 data).
On July 1, the Bureau of Reclamation revised its data on the amount of water stored in Lake Powell, with a new, lower tally taking into account a 4% drop in the reservoir’s total available capacity between 1986 and 2018 due to sedimentation. Aspen Journalism in July published a story explaining the that drop in storage due to sedimentation.
The reservoir’s capacity has fallen since last year, when on Feb. 12, 2022, it was 25.52% full (based on 1986 data).
On Feb. 12, Lake Powell’s elevation reached 3,522.3 feet, or 177.7 feet from full pool, down from 3,522.9 feet on Feb. 5. The reservoir’s water level on Feb. 12 was 2.7 feet below the target elevation of 3,525. Powell’s surface elevation peaked at 3,539.84 feet on July 3, after it dipped to its lowest level since filling of 3,522.24 on April 22. Last year, on Feb. 12, the reservoir reached 3,529.51 feet in elevation, or 170.49 feet from full pool.
The “minimum power pool” for turbines generating hydropower at the Glen Canyon Dam is 3,490 feet, and 3,525 feet has been set as a buffer to ensure that the reservoir and the turbines can continue to function properly.
Clean air in Aspen
The air quality in Aspen was “good” last week with an AQI index for ozone ranging from 35 on Feb. 11 to 45 on Feb. 10.
