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Snow in March: Is It Really Our Snowiest Month?

Posted at 11:37 AM, Mar 01, 2018
and last updated 2018-03-01 13:37:00-05

If you’ve lived in southern Colorado for awhile you probably know that March is typically regarded as our snowiest month of the year. The ski resorts bank on March as the last grasp at a snowy ski season, and all the elevations east of the mountains desperately want big accumulation to help keep wild fires at bay. Meteorologist Sam Schreier looked back at snow accumulation for Colorado Springs and Pueblo to find out how snowy March has stacked up over the last 10 years.

So What Did The Data Say:
As it turns out, from looking at the data, March is indeed a pretty snowy time for both Colorado Springs and Pueblo. Colorado Springs has recorded snowfall of at least an inch for the past nine years, and at least some measurable snow for all ten years. Pueblo has fared pretty decently, with every year except 2017 seeing at least an inch of snow.

Normal snowfall for Colorado Springs in march is 8.1 inches, meaning only two of the last ten years have hit or exceeded normal. Normal snow for Pueblo is 5.7 inches, meaning four of the last ten years have either hit or exceeded normal. This data shows, at least over the last ten years, that over 50% of the time our snows in March come in under normal or average values for both cities.

Current La Nina Phase

 

What Does This Mean For This March:
To be honest, it’s going to be very hard to tell what this March will have in store. Our ten year history tells us we are very likely to see at least one inch of snow and possibly snow as high at 11 inches! Our current La Nina pattern is starting to weaken a bit and is forecast to become neutral by May. This will hopefully allow stronger patterns to run through Colorado and give us multiple snows or at least one big one by the time the month is over.