Christmas may not have been as snowy as some may have liked, but despite that, snowpack is looking stronger now than it did at this time last year, according to the National Weather Service in Grand Junction.
So too has 2024 shaped up to be an overall wetter year than 2023, despite a decent monsoon season last year that started in June 2023, said Dennis Phillips, a meteorologist at the NWS.
According to data captured at the Durango-La Plata County Airport, the Durango area received 14.14 inches of precipitation this year compared to 2023 moisture and precipitation that totaled 10.34 inches.
Phillips said June 2024 rains bolstered the total precipitation the city received this year, accumulating 7 inches of rain through June, which is considered above normal for the months of June, July and August.
He said 2023 started out with slightly above-normal levels of precipitation, but moisture gave way to a warm and dry summer. That dryness carried into 2024 and was followed up by a strong monsoon season.
November storms briefly pushed snowpack above normal, but that momentum flattened again in December, he said.
“Even though it seems dry, our snowpack is actually doing better than it was last year,” he said.
According to Snoflo, a North American climate, hydrology and forecast database, the Upper San Juans had a snowpack level of 32 inches on Saturday, 68% of normal, low for the month of December.
cburney@durangoherald.com
