The snow quickly is melting away, according to an updated report issued by the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
The snowpack in Southwest Colorado – the Animas, Dolores, San Juan, Mancos and San Miguel drainages – was 100 percent of average three weeks ago. As of Tuesday, the snowpack had dropped to 77 percent.
Snowpack has been dissipating throughout the region.
On Jan. 14, Molas Pass snow depth was measured at 41 inches. As of Tuesday, the snow depth was measured at 38 inches. Red Mountain Pass was at 51 inches and dropped to 46, Cascade Creek decreased from 19 to 18 and Wolf Creek Pass dropped from 48 to 46.
Rege Leach, a division engineer with the Colorado Division of Water Resources, said it’s too soon to worry about the consequences of a quick-melting snowpack. Though it’s always good to monitor the numbers, February, March and April remain to compensate for water loss, he said. In the case of a shortage, water supply for irrigation and municipal uses would be affected.
Worst-case scenarios are not quite yet a concern for Leach.
“It’s still too early to make the bigger decisions,” he said.
It also helps that water levels in reservoirs in the San Juan and Dolores drainages have remained fairly average, he said.
“We have a good water supply even if we don’t get an average snowpack runoff,” Leach said.
For now, there isn’t much anyone can do to bring more snow. However, they can conserve water because it’s a small way to help maintain water in reservoirs for later use, he said.
Southwest Coloradans have noticed the unusually warm winter, with virtually no snow in about a month. The highs have reached into the 50s when the average for this time of year is in the 40s.
Tom Renwick, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Grand Junction, said the San Juans have been drier than in past years because of the northwestern track storms have been taking.
Generally, storms that affect the Durango area come for the southwest, but the recent systems steered northwest, favoring central Colorado, he said.
Storm patterns appeared to have changed directions after Durango’s late November and early December frosty systems, he said.
A slight chance for moisture with a fast-moving storm is expected through the San Juans later this week, on Thursday and Friday. If moisture accumulates, the mountains can expect 2 to 3 inches of snow.
Another storm is forecast for Southwest Colorado in late January, but it’s difficult to predict a specific path this early, Renwick said.
“Things can change drastically in the next 10 days,” he said.
Thursday is expected to be partly cloudy with the best chance of snow Thursday night. Into the weekend and early next week, the weather service expects temperatures to drop back to the 40s.
vguthrie@durangoherald.com
