Prepare for power outages

called SNOTEL sites, Goble said.

In Colorado, the snowpack has already passed its historical peak in southern basins, including the Upper Rio Grande, Arkansas and the combined San Miguel-DoloresAnimas-San Juan basin. Northern basins, like the Yampa-White, Gunnison, Colorado main stem, North Platte and South Platte, will peak this weekend or later this month.

at means more winter storms might roll through — and help add to the water supply — but they will balance out with spring runo as temperatures warm.

“ at’s not to say that the moisture that falls after peak snowpack isn’t important,” Goble said. “In fact, it is really important, what happens in late April and May, in terms of the overall runo that we get. But I think you’ll probably see our numbers peak quite soon here.”

Western Slope river basins, which feed the Colorado River, were all reporting above-average snowpack Wednesday. e snowpack in the Upper Rio Grande basin, which usually peaks April 2, was at 135% of the historical median, according to SNOTEL data April 5.

In southwestern Colorado, the combined San Miguel-DoloresAnimas-San Juan basin blasted past its historical median this season, reporting the highest snowpack in the state at about 180%. e basin typically peaks April 2 with a snowwater equivalent of 18.1 inches. is year, the basin reported 31.5 inches, which is half an inch lower than the maximum recorded between 1987 and 2022.

“In the modern SNOTEL observation era, we’re right on the doorstep of a record,” Goble said. “I’m not sure if we’re going to get there … but we’re going to get darn close to a new, modern era snowpack record e region has been hit hard by the o cials, farmers, ranchers and other water users are enthusiastic about the deep snowpack.

For Ken Curtis, general manager of the Dolores Water Conservancy District, the plentiful snowpack means that the local reservoir will ll, and the district is even starting to plan a managed release for rafters and ecological purposes, he said. Montezuma County emergency manager Jim Spratlen said the high snowpack could also mean ooding as rivers swell in May and June. Spratlen’s team was already updating emergency planning resources online and handing out sandbags to people in the towns of Dolores and Mancos in early April as a precautionary measure.

“Basically, we prepare for everything,” he said. “We prepare for the worst and hope for the best.” e Gunnison County snowpack was well above average according to SNOTEL data, said Scott Morrill, the county’s emergency manager.

As of April 6, projections from the Colorado Basin River Forecast Center indicated that three areas of the Western Slope, in Mo att, Routt and Gunnison counties, are already more than 50% likely to see ooding.

Higher, northern elevations are still seeing new snow, and spring runo is weeks away; however, emergency managers in those areas are also preparing for the spring runo . ey’re taking precautionary steps, like clearing ditches and culverts, holding planning meetings, running high-water public service announcements and monitoring ow-rates and areas prone to ooding. ey’re also watching weather forecasts for signs of prolonged warming, higher nighttime temperatures and duston-snow events, all of which can speed melting.