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SUMMIT COUNTY - Monsoon rains continued in August, leading to yet another month with above-average precipitation. So far, the hydrological year (Oct. 1 - Sept. 30), there's been a rain or snow surplus during eight months. Weather watchers measured a deficit only three times - in April, May and June.
Total rainfall for the month at Dillon Reservoir added up to 2.54 inches, well above the August average of 1.78 inches, based on records going back to 1909.
Temperatures at the Dillon site were seasonable all month, ranging from a high of 77 degrees on Aug. 12 to a chilly low of 30 degrees Aug. 30. For a couple of days during the end of the month and in early October, Dillon vied with a few other locations across the U.S. for the nationwide low.
The average high temperature for the month (average of the daily highs) was 70.5 degrees, exactly 2 degrees below the historicaverage. Daily highs climbed into the 70s on 23 days, and stayed below 60 degrees only twice, on Aug. 27 and Aug. 28.
The average minimum temperature for August was 38.7 degrees, almost three degrees above the historic average, and by Sept. 3, the mercury dipped all the way to 23 degrees.
The variance in both the average highs and lows for the month can likely be attributed to the cloudy days, which prevented daytime heating and radiational cooling at night.
In Breckenridge, National Weather Service observer Rick Bly tallied 2.29 inches of rain in August, as compared to the average 2.25 inches
"We were about as dead-on as we can be," Bly said, adding that, for the water year to date, precipitation is about 30 percent above average - 25.03 inches, compared to the average 19.11. inches.
"Only April through June were below average. Every other month has been wetter than normal," Bly said.
September is the second-driest month of the year, after October, Bly said, bringing an average of 1.46 inches of precipitation. In some years, that moisture comes in the form of snow, with an average of 3.9 inches of the white stuff in September. But in 1964, some major early season weather blew in, leaving behind 53 inches of snow.
"But that's not a good predictor of the winter," Bly said, explaining that the subsequent winter was only so-so in terms of snowfall.
Steady High Country precipitation during the summer has left the area's reservoirs in good shape, with plenty of storage. Healthy water levels in Dillon and Green Mountain Reservoirs recently led Colorado River managers to declare a water "surplus." Even with demand from the senior Shoshone water right, there's enough water in the system to enable releases benefiting endangered Colorado River fish, said Scott Hummer, the Blue River Basin water commissioner for the State Engineer's Office.
That means healthy water levels in the Blue River below Green Mountain Reservoir, flowing at 923 cubic feet per second as compared to mean early September flows of 565 cfs.
Below Dillon Reservoir, the Blue River was flowing at 201 cfs Tuesday (177 mean flow for the date), and other local streams are also near historic averages, Hummer said. Denver Water is currently diverting about 33 cfs through the Roberts Tunnel. The average for this date is about 100 cfs, he said.
According to the Natural Resources Conservation Service, reservoir storage across the Western Slope was right around 100 percent of average at the end of July, but well below normal east of the Continental Divide. The Upper Rio Grande Basin is the worst off, with reservoir storage at 39 percent of average and only 55 percent of last year's storage for this date. The South Platte and the Arkansas were at 76 and 61 percent of average storage respectively at the end of July.
Bob Berwyn can be reached at (970) 331-5996, or at bberwyn@summitdaily.com.
Total rainfall for the month at Dillon Reservoir added up to 2.54 inches, well above the August average of 1.78 inches, based on records going back to 1909.
Temperatures at the Dillon site were seasonable all month, ranging from a high of 77 degrees on Aug. 12 to a chilly low of 30 degrees Aug. 30. For a couple of days during the end of the month and in early October, Dillon vied with a few other locations across the U.S. for the nationwide low.
The average high temperature for the month (average of the daily highs) was 70.5 degrees, exactly 2 degrees below the historicaverage. Daily highs climbed into the 70s on 23 days, and stayed below 60 degrees only twice, on Aug. 27 and Aug. 28.
The average minimum temperature for August was 38.7 degrees, almost three degrees above the historic average, and by Sept. 3, the mercury dipped all the way to 23 degrees.
The variance in both the average highs and lows for the month can likely be attributed to the cloudy days, which prevented daytime heating and radiational cooling at night.
In Breckenridge, National Weather Service observer Rick Bly tallied 2.29 inches of rain in August, as compared to the average 2.25 inches
"We were about as dead-on as we can be," Bly said, adding that, for the water year to date, precipitation is about 30 percent above average - 25.03 inches, compared to the average 19.11. inches.
"Only April through June were below average. Every other month has been wetter than normal," Bly said.
September is the second-driest month of the year, after October, Bly said, bringing an average of 1.46 inches of precipitation. In some years, that moisture comes in the form of snow, with an average of 3.9 inches of the white stuff in September. But in 1964, some major early season weather blew in, leaving behind 53 inches of snow.
"But that's not a good predictor of the winter," Bly said, explaining that the subsequent winter was only so-so in terms of snowfall.
Steady High Country precipitation during the summer has left the area's reservoirs in good shape, with plenty of storage. Healthy water levels in Dillon and Green Mountain Reservoirs recently led Colorado River managers to declare a water "surplus." Even with demand from the senior Shoshone water right, there's enough water in the system to enable releases benefiting endangered Colorado River fish, said Scott Hummer, the Blue River Basin water commissioner for the State Engineer's Office.
That means healthy water levels in the Blue River below Green Mountain Reservoir, flowing at 923 cubic feet per second as compared to mean early September flows of 565 cfs.
Below Dillon Reservoir, the Blue River was flowing at 201 cfs Tuesday (177 mean flow for the date), and other local streams are also near historic averages, Hummer said. Denver Water is currently diverting about 33 cfs through the Roberts Tunnel. The average for this date is about 100 cfs, he said.
According to the Natural Resources Conservation Service, reservoir storage across the Western Slope was right around 100 percent of average at the end of July, but well below normal east of the Continental Divide. The Upper Rio Grande Basin is the worst off, with reservoir storage at 39 percent of average and only 55 percent of last year's storage for this date. The South Platte and the Arkansas were at 76 and 61 percent of average storage respectively at the end of July.
Bob Berwyn can be reached at (970) 331-5996, or at bberwyn@summitdaily.com.
