Experts: Too early to say if Colorado snow will help state’s drought
If the recent heavy snows in Colorado left skiers giddy, farmers, ranchers and other water users in Nebraska at least cracked a bit of a smile.
The snowpack from the Rocky Mountains fills reservoirs and rivers downstream in Nebraska.
Steamboat, Colo., reported 119 inches of snow as of Monday. Vail Mountain in Colorado has 131 inches of snow for the season. Other Colorado ski resorts also have reported record or near record snowfalls since November.
“It’s been four or five years since we have seen those kind of numbers. We’re cautiously optimistic that this could lead to something better,” said Tim Anderson, a spokesman for Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District, based in Holdrege.
Heavy snowpack in the Rockies is good news because eventually some of that moisture contained in the snow will make its way into Nebraska via the Platte and Republican river systems. But climate and irrigation officials here say it’s too early to tell what effect, if any, the heavy snows will have on drought-stricken areas in western Nebraska.
“Yes, it’s great for skiing but it’s pretty minor in terms of the amount of water in that snowpack, compared to the end of the season,” state climatologist Alan Dutcher said Monday.
He explained that early winter snows are usually light and fluffy. Ideal for skiing. But they don’t hold much water. However, snows that fall in mid-February through April are much heavier and wetter.
“Those are the big ones you want to watch out for,” Dutcher said.
Water users in Nebraska are cautious for good reason. In the last five years, they’ve seen winters where things have started out well only to fizzle out by spring. But Dutcher is not about to throw in the towel.
“You can’t discount what is happening (in the ski areas). It appears favorable,” Dutcher said. “Certainly, if this pattern continues it will be a major positive impact for western irrigators, particularly in the Platte River system.”
The Republican River Basin is a different story. Dutcher said its headwaters are centered in east-central and northeast Colorado, where there hasn’t been a lot of snowfall, compared to the mountains.
Parts of Nebraska, including the Sandhills, got up to a foot or more of snow last week which created huge drifts. However, much of that moisture will recharge aquifers instead of flowing into nearby rivers and streams.
Central’s Anderson said the snowpack in Colorado and Wyoming (which is 116 to 150 percent above normal in some areas) is good news for irrigators in Nebraska. But he also contained his enthusiasm.
“It’s really too early to jump up and down,” he said. “We’re cautiously optimistic that this could lead to something better.”
After a tough irrigation season, Lake McConaughy, the state’s largest reservoir, is at 34 percent of capacity. The manmade reservoir, north of Ogallala, which can hold 1.75 million acre feet of water, has shrunk to less than half its size due to drought.
Central predicts that McConaughy will have about 650,000 acre feet of water available by next irrigation season.
But a lot depends on the snow here in Nebraska and out West.
Reach Algis J. Laukaitis at 473-7243 or alaukaitis@journalstar.com.
The snowpack from the Rocky Mountains fills reservoirs and rivers downstream in Nebraska.
Steamboat, Colo., reported 119 inches of snow as of Monday. Vail Mountain in Colorado has 131 inches of snow for the season. Other Colorado ski resorts also have reported record or near record snowfalls since November.
“It’s been four or five years since we have seen those kind of numbers. We’re cautiously optimistic that this could lead to something better,” said Tim Anderson, a spokesman for Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District, based in Holdrege.
Heavy snowpack in the Rockies is good news because eventually some of that moisture contained in the snow will make its way into Nebraska via the Platte and Republican river systems. But climate and irrigation officials here say it’s too early to tell what effect, if any, the heavy snows will have on drought-stricken areas in western Nebraska.
“Yes, it’s great for skiing but it’s pretty minor in terms of the amount of water in that snowpack, compared to the end of the season,” state climatologist Alan Dutcher said Monday.
He explained that early winter snows are usually light and fluffy. Ideal for skiing. But they don’t hold much water. However, snows that fall in mid-February through April are much heavier and wetter.
“Those are the big ones you want to watch out for,” Dutcher said.
Water users in Nebraska are cautious for good reason. In the last five years, they’ve seen winters where things have started out well only to fizzle out by spring. But Dutcher is not about to throw in the towel.
“You can’t discount what is happening (in the ski areas). It appears favorable,” Dutcher said. “Certainly, if this pattern continues it will be a major positive impact for western irrigators, particularly in the Platte River system.”
The Republican River Basin is a different story. Dutcher said its headwaters are centered in east-central and northeast Colorado, where there hasn’t been a lot of snowfall, compared to the mountains.
Parts of Nebraska, including the Sandhills, got up to a foot or more of snow last week which created huge drifts. However, much of that moisture will recharge aquifers instead of flowing into nearby rivers and streams.
Central’s Anderson said the snowpack in Colorado and Wyoming (which is 116 to 150 percent above normal in some areas) is good news for irrigators in Nebraska. But he also contained his enthusiasm.
“It’s really too early to jump up and down,” he said. “We’re cautiously optimistic that this could lead to something better.”
After a tough irrigation season, Lake McConaughy, the state’s largest reservoir, is at 34 percent of capacity. The manmade reservoir, north of Ogallala, which can hold 1.75 million acre feet of water, has shrunk to less than half its size due to drought.
Central predicts that McConaughy will have about 650,000 acre feet of water available by next irrigation season.
But a lot depends on the snow here in Nebraska and out West.
Reach Algis J. Laukaitis at 473-7243 or alaukaitis@journalstar.com.
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