COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — Rain and snow moving through Colorado Springs this week are bringing much-needed moisture but not everyone is seeing the same impact.
“I was excited. I love the rain,” said Rick Garza, a resident in southeast Colorado Springs. “We need as much rain as we can get.”
In his part of the city, Garza says the rainfall has been steady.
“On the southeast part, it’s more of a steady rain,” he said. “It’s not a pouring down rain.”
That difference isn’t unusual.
Ginger MacLean, a grower and manager at Pura Vida Garden Center, says rainfall can vary widely depending on where you are in the city.
“Maybe Downtown gets it, but outskirt areas of the city won’t even come near that,” said MacLean.
She says Colorado Springs’ terrain, often described as bowl-shaped, creates microclimates that affect how much rain different neighborhoods receive.
But even in areas that are seeing rain, the benefits may be limited.
“I went out and checked my garden beds and it’s completely dry,” said MacLean. “We need so much more.”
Colorado typically relies on winter snowpack to slowly melt and soak into the ground, helping build up soil moisture. This year, that snowpack has been largely missing.
Without that buildup, short bursts of rain may not be enough to fully penetrate the soil.
“I have almost no moisture in my soil,” said McLean.
Dry soil can struggle to absorb water quickly, meaning some of that rainfall may run off instead of soaking in, especially in already dry areas.
That ongoing lack of moisture is raising concerns about drought conditions heading into the warmer months.
“If we don’t have the rain or the snow, then we’re subject to more fires,” said Garza. “And we don’t want that.”
Experts say while this week’s rain is a step in the right direction, but it may take more consistent and widespread precipitation to make a lasting impact, especially in parts of the city that are still dry.
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Details on Colorado's Low-Income Energy Assistance Program.
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