Colorado: Some headwaters areas seeing ‘extreme’ drought

Posted on January 26, 2013 by Bob Berwyn

All of Summit and Eagle counties in the red zone this month

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All of Colorado is currently experiencing some level of drought, with the driest conditions on the southeastern plains, while even some high-mountain headwaters areas are currently designated as being in extreme drought.

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Automated streamflow and snowpack gages around Colorado help water managers calculate seasonal outlooks.

By Bob Berwyn

FRISCO —Snowpack levels and moisture content are so low that all of Summit County — a key headwaters source region for the Colorado River — has been colored red on the U.S. drought monitor map, signifying “extreme” drought conditions.

Summit County residents and visitors are in for an unpleasant surprise when the snow melts in a couple of months. Dillon Reservoir, the centerpiece of the area’s summer recreation activities, is going to be lower than at anytime during the past 10 years. Denver Water has continued to shunt water through the Roberts Tunnel during the early winter and according to the latest projections, the reservoir will probably drop another 10 feet by March. (more…)

Filed under: climate and weather, Colorado, global warming, La Niña, Snow and weather, Summit County snow and weather | Tagged: , , , , | 1 Comment »

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