Drought Information Statement from NWS for February 9, 2015

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A generally warm and dry January was experienced for the region, especially across south central Colorado which saw well above normal temperatures and generally below normal precipitation for the month as a whole.  Portions of eastern Colorado stated January out cool and unsettled with a year ending arctic blast, but quickly warmed and dried out after the first few days of the month.  A few minor arctic intrusions brought brief cool downs and some beneficial precipitation and snowfall to eastern Colorado throughout the middle of the month, especially the Pikes Peak region and portions of the southeast Plains, before well above normal and record warmth was again experienced across the area through the later days of the month.

The current US Drought Monitor shows little change in the drought across the area, with severe drought (D2) conditions remaining across the eastern 2/3rds of Crowley, eastern Otero, eastern 2/3rds of Las Animas and all of Kiowa, Bent, Prowers and Baca counties.

CPS and VIC Soil Moisture calculations continue to indicate near normal conditions across most of south central and southeast Colorado, with slightly drier conditions still being indicated across portions of the San Luis Valley and the far southeast Plains.

The warm and dry conditions across the area throughout January took its toll on Colorado snowpack.  The February 1st statewide snowpack fell to 83% of average overall, down from the statewide average of 99% reported just one month earlier.

The February 1st snowpack report for the Arkansas Basin remained one of the highest in the state, running at 94% of average, down from the 114% of average reported last month.  This, however, remains above the 87% of average snowpack reported at this same time last year.

Statewide reservoir storage levels only fell slightly (1 percentage point) over the past month with storage totals running at 104% of average overall at the end of January.  In the Arkansas Basin, storage levels on February 1st rose slightly to 80% of average overall, compared to 79% of average last month and to 59% of average at this same time last year.

Current late spring and early summer streamflow runoff forecasts across the Arkansas Basin Range from 102% of average for the Arkansas River at Salida, to 62% of average for the Cucharas River near La Veta.   In the Rio Grande Basin current streamflow runoff forecasts range from 97% of average for Saguache Reek near Saguache to 49% of average for the San Antonio River at Ortiz.

Here are some statistics for S.E. Colorado locations, indicating ovserved precipitation totals and departure from normal climate results:

……………………………….Past…………………….Past 3………………Past 6……………….Past 365……………

…………………………Tot/Dep Inch………Tot/Dep Inch………Total/Dep Inch….Total/Dep Inch…..

Eads                      0.17/-0.17              1.53/+0.35                   6.63/+0.65             19.54/+3.86
Lamar                 0.32/+0.02             1.07/-0.01                     6.91/+1.50             16.31/+1.11
Walsh                  1.30/+0.82             3.30/+1.67                   8.65/+0.98             17.08/-2.08
Campo                 0.79/+0.44            1.69/+0.43                   8.23/+1.23             14.61/-2.35
Ordway                0.24/-0.02            0.32/-0.56                     3.13/-1.73                7.79/-4.76
Las Animas         0.35/-0.03            0.64/-0.53                     3.18/-1.92               10.90/-2.83
Kim                      0.70/+0.16            2.65/+0.73                   10.78/+3.99           20.07/+3.23
Walsnburg          0.54/-0.30              2.51/-0.65                    7.63/-0.63             19.41/+1.41
Trinidad              0.50/-0.02              1.82/-0.09                     5.67/-1.51              14.33/-1.98

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