Colorado: Dillon Reservoir may come close to filling this year

Posted on May 17, 2013 by Bob Berwyn

Wet spring brightens water picture

Will Dillon Reservoir fill this summer? Bob Berwyn photo.

Will Dillon Reservoir refill this summer? Bob Berwyn photo.

By Bob Berwyn

FRISCO — With the Roberts Tunnel turned off and Summit County’s streams starting to surge with runoff, the water level in Dillon Reservoir has already come up about two feet since May 1, according to Denver Water’s Bob Peters, who recently issued the latest update for Denver Water’s storage and diversion system.

The Roberts Tunnel is used to shunt water from the Upper Blue Basin beneath the Continental Divide and into the South Platte Basin, where it can be stored in other reservoirs until its needed for municipal use in Denver Water’s service area.

With average precipitation the next few weeks, Denver Water anticipates that Dillon Reservoir will peak at an elevation of about 9,010 feet sometime in July. That’s about seven feet below a complete fill, equal to about 235,000 acre feet. If wet weather continues through May, the reservoir could fill completely in July, rising to 9,017 feet, equal to about 257,000 acre feet. (more…)

Filed under: climate and weather, Colorado, Dillon Reservoir, Environment, rivers, Summit County news, Summit County snow and weather, water | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Morning photo: Spring … really!

Posted on May 16, 2013 by Bob Berwyn

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Buttercups bloomed this week, the first wildflowers after a long winter.

FRISCO — After a few false starts, it appears that spring has truly sprung in the Colorado high country, though it shouldn’t surprise anyone if it snows once (or twice) more before all is said and done. But the past few days, we’ve experienced beneficial moistening rains and the Earth is responding in overdrive. Grass and other plants are growing almost visibly from day to day, the first few wildflowers have popped and streams are swelling in their banks. Even after many years living high in the mountains, the speed always surprises me a little. Our native plants, adapted to a short growing season, seem to know there’s no time to waste.

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The sun, captured in a raindrop.

(more…)

Filed under: climate and weather, Colorado, Frisco, Morning photo, photography, seasons, Summit County snow and weather | Tagged: , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Morning photo: Best of the week

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Bob Berwyn

Winter to spring …

Summit County went from winter to spring in one quick week, a typical May in the Colorado high country.

Summit County went from winter to spring in one quick week, a typical May in the Colorado high country.

FRISCO —A crazy week, with blinding snow, rain, thunder (no hail, anyway) and, for the end of the weekend, the warmest temps we’ve seen since last October, with the reaching 62 degrees in Frisco Sunday afternoon. Dillon Reservoir is still low, but if warm temps prevail this week, look for stream flows to pick up quickly. That should help the reservoir level to start rising slowly. It should be  fun watching it come up and trying to guess how close it will come to filling. If you enjoy these Summit snapshots, please visit our onlinegallery, with a great selection of fine art Summit County landscapes, also available as greeting cards: FineArt America. (more…)

Filed under: climate and weather, Morning photo, photography, Snow and weather, Summit County Colorado, Summit County snow and weather | Tagged: , , , | Leave a Comment »

Summit Voice: Week in review & most-viewed stories

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Bob Berwyn
Atmospheric CO2 now at 400 parts per million - how high will it go?

Atmospheric CO2 now at 400 parts per million – how high will it go?

Oil spill, climate and weather stories top the list

FRISCO — Out story on lingering Deepwater Horizon oil spill impacts to Gulf of Mexico aquatic ecosystems got a lot of social media love to become the most-viewed story of the week, while local weather, marked by a series of wet spring storms, also garnered reader attention. Also of note, two Summit Voice photo essays, as well as a guest post by Stan Wagon, also cracked the top 10 list:

A few more stories worth reading from the past week:

 

Filed under: climate and weather, Colorado, Environment, Snow and weather | Tagged: , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Morning photo: Spring potpourri

Posted on May 12, 2013 by Bob Berwyn

Will it ever melt?

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Soft serve.

FRISCO — A short set with a potpourri of images from the most recent storm and the early part of the weekend. It’s pretty amazing the way the wet spring snow really sticks to everything. Even if it’s not the dead of winter, it can, like the top photo in the set, look snowier this time of year than it does in December, January or February. Please visit our online FineArt America gallery for a selection of stunning Summit County landscapes. (more…)

Filed under: Colorado, Morning photo, photography, seasons, Snow and weather, Summit County Colorado, Summit County snow and weather | Tagged: , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Morning photo: Winter’s last gasp?

Posted on May 11, 2013 by Bob Berwyn

Never say never …

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North Tenmile Creek, Frisco, Colorado.

FRISCO — At this point, I’m almost afraid to say it’s the last snowstorm of the season because it feels like it could keep snowing all summer. We’ve had years like this before — old-timers may remember a 12-inch dump up at A-Basin in the early 80s, and we’re in a weird phase of hemispheric circulation that doesn’t lend itself to predictability. But what the heck, snow is beautiful any time of year. It doesn’t really feel out of place here at nearly 2 miles elevation, even though it’s May. In this set, I tried to capture some of the feel of the wet spring snow with some iPhone closeups, which sounds easier than it is. For all its charms, the iPhone camera’s spot sensor can be tricky when you get within a few inches of a subject. Please visit our online FineArt America gallery for a selection of stunning Summit County landscapes. (more…)

Filed under: climate and weather, Colorado, Morning photo, photography, seasons, snow, Summit County snow and weather | Tagged: , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

The subnivium, a secret world beneath the snow, is at risk from global warming

Posted on May 8, 2013 by Bob Berwyn

Declining spring snowcover will impact plants and animals use deep snow cover as a refuge from winter cold

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Spring snow cover in the northern hemisphere is in decline. Graphic courtesy Rutgers Global Snow Lab.

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Melting snow reveals the subniveal world.

By Bob Berwyn

FRISCO — Beneath winter’s deep snows there is a secret world of frozen insects and amphibians in quasi-hibernation, where small mammals scoot about eating bugs and fungi. It’s an ecoogical world that’s mostly invisible but functions as a critical part of larger ecosystems. The subnivium, as scientists have dubbed it, is now at risk from global warming.

Since 1970, snow cover in the Northern Hemisphere has declined by as much as 3.2 million square kilometers during the critical spring months of March and April. Maximum snow cover has shifted from February to January and spring melt has accelerated by almost two weeks, according to a team of university researchers who set out to discover some of the ecological impacts of the loss of snow cover. Visit the Rutgers Global Snow Lab for more details on snow cover. (more…)

Filed under: climate and weather, global warming, Snow and weather, Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , , , , | 3 Comments »

Colorado River Basin snowpack surges surges in April

Posted on May 7, 2013 by Bob Berwyn

Near-normal runoff expected in some headwaters streams

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The Colorado River Basin snowpack zoomed upward in April.

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Spring storms that repeatedly targeted the north-central mountains of Colorado in April help bring the snowpack to near normal in a few river basins. The May 1 snow survey showed the statewide snowpack climbing up to 83 percent of average for the date, the highest level of the year.

“Those wet storms really improved our water supplies, especially along the Front Range and Upper Colorado River basin”, said Phyllis Ann Phillips, state conservationist with the federal Natural Resources Conservation Service. Some headwaters of the Colorado and South Platte  River basins may see runoff near to slightly above average, the NRCS said in the monthly snowpack update. (more…)

Filed under: climate and weather, Colorado, Drought, Environment, flooding, rivers, Summit County snow and weather, water | Tagged: , , | Leave a Comment »

Morning photo: Mays gone by …

Posted on May 7, 2013 by Bob Berwyn

Two years ago

In early May 2010, Dillon Reservoir was mostly melted and almost full — a huge contrast to this year.

In early May 2010, Dillon Reservoir was mostly melted and almost full.

FRISCO — Our human memory spans are pretty much oriented to a short scale, so when it comes to things like weather, I’d rather rely on my photographic archives to make comparions. Monday afternoon, I looked back at several years worth of May photos, recalling that May 2010 was also cool and blustery, with on and off showers for much of the month. The big difference, of course, is the amount of water in various storage reservoirs, including Dillon. (more…)

Filed under: Colorado, seasons, Snow and weather, Summit County Colorado, Summit County snow and weather | Tagged: , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Breckenridge moisture now above average for the year

Posted on May 6, 2013 by Bob Berwyn

Late season storms target north-central Colorado mountains

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Snow cover on Peak 8 at Breckenridge Ski Area reached a peak after the resort closed for the season. Bob Berwyn photo.

By Bob Berwyn

FRISCO — A surge of April moisture brought the year-to-date snowfall total in Breckenridge right up to average, according to National Weather Service observer Rick Bly, who said that last month ended up being the fifth-wettest April on record, dating back to the late 1800s.

Bly tallied 49.5 inches of snow, compared to the average 24.7 inches. The snow that fell in April was equivalent to 4.14 inches of water, nearly double the average of 2.1 inches. For the water year to-date, Bly has measured 12.3 inches of snow-water equivalent, nearly an inch above average. (more…)

Filed under: climate and weather, Colorado, Snow and weather, Summit County Colorado, Summit County snow and weather | Tagged: , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

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