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A golden field adds warmth to a fall day with Dillon Reservoir and the Tenmile Range in the background, Sept. 26. This September day was sort of an anomaly for the month - most days during the month were much wetter than normal, new statistics show.
SUMMIT COUNTY - While most people celebrate the new year Jan. 1, water wonks begin their tabulations Oct. 1, based on the hydrological cycle. And for local weather watchers, the span from 2005 to 2006 ended up as one of the wettest years on record, certainly in recent memory.
"It's probably one of the all-time top ten," said Rick Bly, who reports daily and monthly precipitation totals from his Breckenridge gauge to the National Weather Service.
A skein of wet months continued in September with 2.32 inches of precipitation, 59 percent above the average 1.46 inches. Bly's stats go back more than 100 years. The 17 inches of snow that fell last month also made it the fifth-snowiest September on record, Bly said.
For the year, Bly tallied 27.35 inches of precipitation (rain and melted snow), more than 25 percent above the average 20.6 inches.
"The last time we had a wetter year was 1983-1984, with 29.4 inches," Bly said. "We had nine out of 12 months with above-average precipitation. That's the first in a long time," he added.
"It's probably one of the all-time top ten," said Rick Bly, who reports daily and monthly precipitation totals from his Breckenridge gauge to the National Weather Service.
A skein of wet months continued in September with 2.32 inches of precipitation, 59 percent above the average 1.46 inches. Bly's stats go back more than 100 years. The 17 inches of snow that fell last month also made it the fifth-snowiest September on record, Bly said.
For the year, Bly tallied 27.35 inches of precipitation (rain and melted snow), more than 25 percent above the average 20.6 inches.
"The last time we had a wetter year was 1983-1984, with 29.4 inches," Bly said. "We had nine out of 12 months with above-average precipitation. That's the first in a long time," he added.
The new hydrological year starts out with what is historically the driest month of the year, although there can be wild variations in snowfall in October. Average precipitation for the month is 1.25 inches, with 11.8 inches of snow. The wettest October on record was 1892, with 4.1 inches; the driest-ever in 1952 with .05 inches.
October can bring significant snowfall, too. The all-time record was in 1969, with 64.5 inches. 2005 also brought above-average snowfall, with 20.5 inches, setting the tone for a snowy winter.
Local skiers should hope for more of the same, according to Bly, who said that snowfall in October is a fairly reliable indicator of how the rest of the winter will go. If October snow is above average, there is a 70 percent chance the rest of the winter will also be good.
Snowfall and precipitation totals were also higher than average at the county's second official National Weather Service site near Dillon Reservoir. For the month, Denver Water officials measured nine inches of snow and 1.92 inches of precipitation (normal 1.7 inches of snow, 1.34 inches of precipitation.)
Temperatures at the Dillon site reached into the 70s six times for the month, and even on the snowy days in late October, daily highs always climbed above the freezing mark. The high for the month was 73 degrees, reached Oct. 2, 6 and 14. On Oct. 24, the thermometer only reached 35 degrees, and lows dropped to freezing or below 19 times. The low for the month was 19 degrees, on Oct. 17.
And if it seemed cooler than usual, the average maximum temperature for September (average of the daily highs) was only 59.5 degrees, nearly 7 degrees below the historic average (66.3 degrees), based on records going back to 1909.
October can bring significant snowfall, too. The all-time record was in 1969, with 64.5 inches. 2005 also brought above-average snowfall, with 20.5 inches, setting the tone for a snowy winter.
Local skiers should hope for more of the same, according to Bly, who said that snowfall in October is a fairly reliable indicator of how the rest of the winter will go. If October snow is above average, there is a 70 percent chance the rest of the winter will also be good.
Snowfall and precipitation totals were also higher than average at the county's second official National Weather Service site near Dillon Reservoir. For the month, Denver Water officials measured nine inches of snow and 1.92 inches of precipitation (normal 1.7 inches of snow, 1.34 inches of precipitation.)
Temperatures at the Dillon site reached into the 70s six times for the month, and even on the snowy days in late October, daily highs always climbed above the freezing mark. The high for the month was 73 degrees, reached Oct. 2, 6 and 14. On Oct. 24, the thermometer only reached 35 degrees, and lows dropped to freezing or below 19 times. The low for the month was 19 degrees, on Oct. 17.
And if it seemed cooler than usual, the average maximum temperature for September (average of the daily highs) was only 59.5 degrees, nearly 7 degrees below the historic average (66.3 degrees), based on records going back to 1909.
The average low of 26.9 degrees was a little closer to the average September mark of 28.7 degrees.
Dry conditions statewide
The bountiful precipitation in the local mountains was not mirrored around the state, said Mike Gillespie, snow surveyor with the Natural Resources Soil Conservation Service.
"I'd say that was the anomaly," Gillespie said, reviewing the weather year and explaining that, after good early season snows, snowpack totals as a percent of normal dropped steadily throughout the state from January through March.
"The whole state got hit by a three-month drought, April through June," he said.
Dry conditions statewide
The bountiful precipitation in the local mountains was not mirrored around the state, said Mike Gillespie, snow surveyor with the Natural Resources Soil Conservation Service.
"I'd say that was the anomaly," Gillespie said, reviewing the weather year and explaining that, after good early season snows, snowpack totals as a percent of normal dropped steadily throughout the state from January through March.
"The whole state got hit by a three-month drought, April through June," he said.
That was the same period when predictions for runoff in Summit County evaporated like a drop of rain on a hot sidewalk. In early spring, local officials were prepping for floods; by mid-May, the outlook was completely different.
"Luckily, the southern mountains pulled out of that drought with a good monsoon," Gillespie said, referring to the widespread thunderstorms that soaked much of the High Country all summer long.
But much of eastern Colorado is still suffering from a long-term precipitation deficit, reflected by the latest reservoir storage charts. While storage west of the Continental Divide is between 90 and 109 percent of normal, reservoir storage east of the Divide is less than 77 percent of average. The upper Rio Grande Basin is worst-off, with storage only at about 44 percent of average.
Statewide, storage is at 88 percent of average and 94 percent of last year.
Bob Berwyn can be reached at (970) 331-5996, or at bberwyn@summitdaily.com.
"Luckily, the southern mountains pulled out of that drought with a good monsoon," Gillespie said, referring to the widespread thunderstorms that soaked much of the High Country all summer long.
But much of eastern Colorado is still suffering from a long-term precipitation deficit, reflected by the latest reservoir storage charts. While storage west of the Continental Divide is between 90 and 109 percent of normal, reservoir storage east of the Divide is less than 77 percent of average. The upper Rio Grande Basin is worst-off, with storage only at about 44 percent of average.
Statewide, storage is at 88 percent of average and 94 percent of last year.
Bob Berwyn can be reached at (970) 331-5996, or at bberwyn@summitdaily.com.
