COLORADO (KOAA) — Colorado's snowpack statewide sits in the 8th percentile as of November 19th, according to data from the National Water and Climate Center (NWCC) division of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
That 8th percentile means that on average, 92-in-100 years have more water in the statewide snowpack than have been analyzed to be present today.
Percentage-wise, snowpack is at 30% of median across the state, with the high marks in the San Juan and Gunnison watersheds which both stand at 38% and the lowest snowpack in the Arkansas River Valley at 24%. 0.7" of liquid water is present in Colorado's snowpack - against an average of 2.4" on November 19th.
While all of these numbers are very low with well below average precipitation observed through fall in the Rockies, this still represents an increase compared to last week when statewide percentages were in the 15-20% range. A winter storm that impacted the state Sunday night into Monday led to the improvement.
The weather pattern is turning more active with multiple storm systems in line to impact the mountains and deliver snow over the next week and a half. At the same time, by mid-November, statewide snowpack averages begin to increase at a steadier rate that is maintained until close to the average snowpack peak in early April. By Novemebr 30th, Colorado's average snow water equivalent (SWE) rises to 3.4" - an inch more liquid than is typical on November 19th.
Last year on November 19th, SWE was at 2.8" statewide.
Typically, 1" of rain, is equal to between 10-20 inches of snow in Colorado, depending on temperatures and other factors. So, for snowpack to remain at the same level at the end of the month, the state as a whole needs to see about that much snowfall.
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