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An El Niño often brings decent October precipitation to the high country, but signals are mixed this year.
No clear signal means water managers will be biting their nails for a few months
By Bob Berwyn
FRISCO — Without a strong El Niño or La Niña signal, Colorado weather watchers are struggling even more than usual to get a sense of how much snow to expect this coming winter, critical information for water managers who have seen reservoir storage dwindle to below 70 percent of average for this time of year.
Even if winter snowfall is close to normal, some reservoirs are unlikely to refill completely next spring, leaving utilities in the position of hoping for an above average winter.
“We’re far from through this. The story has yet to unfold,” Blue River Basin water commissioner Troy Wineland said after participating in a weekly statewide water webinar, explaining that many local streams are flowing well below seasonal averages. A few others are close to average due to upstream releases of stored water, he said. (more…)
Filed under: climate and weather, Colorado, El Niño, La Niña, seasons, Snow and weather, Summit County snow and weather | Tagged: Colorado winter weather outlook, El Niño-Southern Oscillation, El Nino, Klaus Wolter, La Niña, Pacific Decadal Oscillation | 2 Comments »
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