National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office

...MAJOR WINTER STORM BRINGS MUCH NEEDED PRECIPITATION TO EASTERN UTAH AND WESTERN COLORADO...

ON MONDAY AND TUESDAY, DECEMBER 7-8 2009, A STRONG STORM SYSTEM PRODUCED SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL OVER MUCH OF WESTERN COLORADO AND EASTERN UTAH. MUCH OF THIS AREA HAS BEEN EXPERIENCING ABNORMALLY DRY CONDITIONS IN RECENT MONTHS WITH SOUTHEASTERN UTAH AND SOUTHWESTERN COLODADO EXPERIENCING MODERATE DROUGHT CONDITIONS. ALTHOUGH MANY AREAS STILL HAVE A PRECIPITATION DEFICIT FOR THIS YEAR DUE TO A DRIER THAN NORMAL MONSOON SEASON AND A DRY AUTUMN, THIS STORM SYSTEM HAS NONETHELESS HELPED TO REPLENISH MOUNTAIN SNOWPACK AND SOIL MOISTURE.

BEFORE THIS STORM, SNOW PACK AS A PERCENTAGE OF NORMAL FOR THE MAJOR RIVER BASINS IN WESTERN COLORADO AND EASTERN UTAH WAS:

IN COLORADO: 

GUNNISON RIVER BASIN	56 PERCENT
UPPER COLORADO RIVER BASIN	64 PERCENT
YAMPA AND WHITE RIVER BASINS	55 PERCENT
SAN MIGUEL/DOLORES/ ANIMAS/SAN JUAN RIVER BASINS	48 PERCENT

IN UTAH:

DUCHESNE RIVER BASIN

40 PERCENT

AFTER THIS STORM, SNOW PACK AS A PERCENTAGE OF NORMAL FOR THE MAJOR RIVER BASINS IN WESTERN COLORADO AND EASTERN UTAH WAS:

IN COLORADO:

GUNNISON RIVER BASIN	75 PERCENT
UPPER COLORADO RIVER BASIN	76 PERCENT
YAMPA AND WHITE RIVER BASINS	76 PERCENT
SAN MIGUEL/DOLORES/ ANIMAS/SAN JUAN RIVER BASINS	82 PERCENT

IN UTAH:

DUCHESNE RIVER BASIN

51 PERCENT

STORM TOTAL SNOWFALL AND SNOW WATER EQUIVALENT (SWE)

STORM TOTAL SNOWFALL AND SNOW WATER EQUIVALENT FOR SELECTED AUTOMATED SITES IN THE MOUNTAINS OF WESTERN COLORADO AND EASTERN UTAH WERE:

IN WESTERN COLORADO:

FLAT TOPS: 

LOCATION	SNOWFALL(in)	SWE(in)
TRAPPER LAKE	6	0.5

GRAND MESA: 

LOCATION	SNOWFALL(in)	SWE(in)
MESA LAKES	24	1.5
OVERLAND RESERVOIR	24	1.8

UNCOMPAHGRE PLATEAU:

LOCATION	SNOWFALL(IN)	SWE(IN)
COLUMBINE PASS	24	1.7

HOLLY CROSS WILDERNESS:

LOCATION	SNOWFALL(IN)	SWE(IN)
BEAVER CREEK VILLAGE	6	0.5

HUNTER-FRYING PAN WILDERNESS:

LOCATION	SNOWFALL(IN)	SWE(IN)
KILN	6	0.5
IVANHOE	4	0.2
CHAPMAN TUNNEL	4	0.3
INDEPENDENCE PASS	9	0.8

SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS:

LOCATION	SNOWFALL(IN)	SWE(IN)
LONE CONE	23	1.9
MOLAS LAKE	19	2.2
SLUMGULLION	13	1.3
RED MOUNTAIN PASS	20	2.4
LIZARD HEAD PASS	21	1.9
BEARTOWN	28	2.7
VALLECITO	28	2.8
COLUMBUS BASIN	35	3.3
SHARKSTOOTH	30	2.9

IN EASTERN UTAH:

EASTERN UINTAH MOUNTAINS:

LOCATION	SNOWFALL(IN)	SWE(IN)
TROUT CREEK	15	1.4

EAST TAVAPUTS PLATEAU:

LOCATION	SNOWFALL(IN)	SWE(IN)
EAST WILLOW CREEK	16	1.3

LA SAL MOUNTAINS:

LOCATION	SNOWFALL(IN)	SWE(IN)
LA SAL MOUNTAIN	17	1.7

ABAJO MOUNTAINS:

LOCATION	SNOWFALL(IN)	SWE(IN)
CAMP JACKSON	26	2.9

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION FORECAST OFFICE AND COOPERATING AGENCIES WILL BE EVALUATING THE EXTENT TO WHICH THIS PAST STORM HAS ALLEVIATED THE ABNORMALLY DRY AND DROUGHT CONDITIONS IN WESTERN COLORADO AND EASTERN UTAH.  IT IS STILL EARLY IN THE SNOW SEASON AND THE FREQUENCY, TRACK, AND INTENSITY OF SUBSEQUENT WINTER STORMS WILL ULTIMATELY DETERMINE HOW MUCH SNOW WILL ACCUMULATE IN THE MOUNTAINS AND THE CORRESPONDING WATER SUPPLY FROM THE SPRING 2010 RUNOFF.

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION FORECAST OFFICE WILL BEGIN ISSUING WATER SUPPLY OUTLOOKS IN FEBRUARY 2010.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND ON THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION HOMEPAGE AT HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/GJT.

NWS GJT SERVICE HYDROLOGIST

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