Halfway through April, and southern Colorado has been warm and dry. Historically, April is the second snowiest month of the year in Colorado Springs - with an average of 5.5 inches falling.
But so far, 0 inches has been recorded at the Colorado Springs Airport. In fact, only 0.04" of rain has fallen prior to today - compared to the 0.59" that would've fallen through April 15th on average. Pueblo hasn't seen any snow either although it isn't historically one of your snowiest months (coming in at 6th place).
This sustained dry weather is partly responsible for our long stretches of high fire danger this month. That's not a complete surprise: April averages the most Red Flag Warnings in southern Colorado all year. Rainfall wise, the last five years have been quite variable:
| YEAR | PRECIPITATION (APRIL 1ST - APRIL 15TH) |
| 2023 | 0.43" |
| 2022 | 0.0" |
| 2021 | 0.5" |
| 2020 | 0.39" |
| 2019 | 0.57" |
The bigger question: are we done with snow? Historically speaking - no. We can see snow as late as June! And, about 30% of the time, we get measurable snow in May. But on average the last snowfall is around this time in April.
Of course those are statistics, what's the forecast? Well - a model blend for the end of this week is hinting at a potential storm— but temperatures are a question.
Rain or snow though, it'll be good to get some moisture. The Climate Prediction Center certainly has some good news on that front, with good odds for above average precipitation during the second half of the month.
With the recent warmth, you might be thinking about planting. But it's a good idea to wait. We usually see our last freeze around Mother's Day. I'll have a story about that coming soon.
____
Have a question or story idea you would like the First Alert 5 Weather team to consider? Email: weather@koaa.com
Watch KOAA News5 on your time, anytime with our free streaming app available for your Roku, FireTV, AppleTV and Android TV. Just search KOAA News5, download and start watching.
