A mild, dry winter spell like the one Durango experienced this February is generally accompanied by concerns about snowpack and the coming spring.
Last week on Sunday and Monday, temperatures reached their warmest this month when they climbed to 54 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.
That exceeds the average high for February for the area, which hovers around 51 degrees, but climate and environment experts aren’t worried just yet.
Dennis Phillips, a weather service forecaster out of Grand Junction, said Durango averaged 25.9 degrees this month, with the low reaching 14-below zero on Feb. 4.
As of Wednesday, Durango has received 0.24 inches of precipitation this month, which is about three-quarters of an inch drier than usual, Phillips said. Last February, Durango had 1.17 inches of precipitation.
A dry period is common for El Niño years, but it typically occurs in January. Phillips said the lag was just how the system unfolded.
But if March follows tradition, the dry slump will come to an end.
“We’re still expecting a wet period in March,” Phillips said. “We’ll continue to build snowpack through much of March and into April. And by melting some of the low-elevation snowpack, it eases the river flows and can help with some of the flooding concerns later on.”
Joe Lewandowski, spokesman for Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s Southwest region, said concern won’t set in unless warm and dry weather perpetuates for the next two months.
Rather, a break in the winter cold has positive implications for deer and elk in the region.
“It’s a little easier on the cows and does, and there will be weight on them when it’s time for them to nurture their young,” Lewandowski said.
“Right now, a stretch during the winter like this is not going to make any problems for wildlife unless it continues – then the river would be the biggest concern. We would like to see more snow to get more flushing flows in the spring runoff. The better the water, the better the fish habitat.”
Other Western regions have fared worse from the February dry spell.
Sierra Nevada snowpack, which supplies more than 60 percent of California’s water supply, has hit a five-year high stemming from a strong El Niño year. But because of this month’s warmth and dryness, snowpack fell below average in mid-February.
Things are better in Colorado, where the statewide snowpack has remained stable.
Marcie Bidwell, executive director of Mountain Studies Institute, said because woodland trees like ponderosa rely on snowpack for moisture, winter is an important signal for the summer fire season.
“The big El Niño year flattened out,” Bidwell said. “We started with a lot of snow, which put us ahead of some of our drier years, but it’s still not the trend we were hoping for.”
jpace@durangoherald.com
