Colorado’s snowpack is melting faster than normal everywhere in the state except for Summit and Clear Creek counties.

The snow-water equivalent in the Clear Creek Basin was at 100% of the 30-year median, while Summit County’s Blue River Basin is at 103% of the 30-year median, or just above normal, as of Tuesday, May 20, according to the National Weather Service’s Colorado snowpack map. The snow-water equivalent is a measurement of how much liquid water is contained within the snowpack.

“Overall, for most places in Colorado we are past our peak snowpack accumulation time,” National Weather Service hydrologist Aldis Strautins said. “We may still get some snow that comes in through May, even the first part of June sometimes can get snow, but it usually doesn’t affect the snowpack.”

Heading into summer, Colorado’s snowpack is an important metric for public utility companies making decisions on water management, agriculturalists planning for the growing season and recreationalists hoping to raft or fish. It can also be a crucial benchmark for emergency managers preparing for the potential of wildfires.

Thanks to several days of scattered snow showers, both Summit and Clear Creek counties have seen small upticks in their snowpack levels, according to the National Weather Service data. 

But throughout much of Colorado, the data show that snowpack levels are much lower, especially for river basins in the southern part of the state. The early meltout means that Colorado may have to rely on the monsoon season, which one forecast has predicted could be “fairly active,” for relief from drought and fire danger this summer.

The recent stormy weather in parts of the state has “slowed things down, which is good this year because it looks like a lot of areas have started to melt out early,” Strautins said. But statewide, Colorado’s snowpack is only at about 50% of the 30-year median, with stations in some southern locations already showing no remaining snowpack, he said.

While the data show that river basins throughout much of northern Colorado have snowpack levels closer to 60% of the 30-year median, most of those throughout the southern part of state are below 50% of the 30-year median.

In the Roaring Fork Basin, near Aspen, for example, the snowpack levels are at 44% of the 30-year median, while in the Upper Gunnison Basin the snow-water equivalent reached zero inches around May 12, 14 days earlier than normal, according to the data.

While the snowpack is receding sooner than normal throughout most of the state, Strautins that precipitation data overall is a bit better throughout the state. National Weather Service data show precipitation in the northern mountains has been just below normal so far this water year, precipitation in the southern mountains has been a bit lower, closer to 75% to 85% of the 30-year median. The water year starts on Oct. 1.

While the precipitation data may look better than the snowpack data, Strautins warned that snowpack data tends to better predict how long the runoff season will last. “Most of Colorado looks like it’s going to be below-normal runoff,” he said.

“It’s not a great year, although a few places like Summit County did pretty well and others did not,” Strautins said. “But it’s not the worst year. Some places it’s pretty close (to normal). We need to be aware of that and hope we don’t get consecutive years of this.”