National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office

Climate Summary for Western Colorado and Eastern Utah

 April 2007

     After a dry and mild March, April brought a train of Pacific storms to the region. Precipitation for the month was generally well above normal across the south and central counties, with near to below normal precipitation across the north. The first storm of the month on the 2^nd favored the northern mountains with up to a foot of snowfall, the remainder of the Pacific storms generally split as they came onshore with the southern portion passing south of the four-corners and tapping subtropical moisture. Up to a foot of snow accumulated in the southern mountains on the 8^th and 12^th while the storm on the 18^th brought more wind than precipitation.  The final in the series of Pacific storms on the 23^rd-24^th brought some of the heaviest showers to the region. By the end of the month, snowpack was still below normal for the region, ranging from 65% in the Upper Colorado to single digits in Southeast Utah . The southern Colorado mountains had recovered to 54% of normal.

      Temperatures showed wide day-to-day swings as the storms passed. The coldest regional morning was on the 11^th after a strong cold front passed on the 10^th.  Fruit trees and vines were blooming ahead of schedule due to the record warmth in mid-March. Thus Freeze Warnings were issued for several mornings between the 1^st and the 20^th.  Near record daytime temperatures occurred on the final days of the month as a Rex block (High over Low pressure systems) dominated the region.