Jali,

You are not imagining it! Nearly the entire state was in severe drought last year. Per the link below a third of the state is now out of drought. Colorado was fiery red on that map last year.

Of course, this is Colorado and one dry spring snow season could put us right back in drought. I am cautiously optomistic. I've been feeling the cold a lot more outside this year, I think it is because of higher humidity. That or I'm getting to be a sissy in middle age! Agreed, we'll take it!

Here is a link that might be useful: US drought monitor

Looking again at that map, I'm not sure if I should comment (complain). We finished out the year down a 1/3rd with about 11" of precip.

November ended on such an upbeat! We had ski areas opening. I thought that by the 1st week of December, things might really turn out okay after almost no rain thru the middle of the year. Not to be . . .

The snow season, that was about 90% or better in early December is now at 73% and will go lower. What has saved us so far are those early storms coming down from Canada. Montana has been in fairly good shape because those storms have kind of continued. They aren't getting much moisture from the west tho'. The Olympics are high over there on the coast - they are like 33% of normal snow pack.

Steve

edited to add: I could have mentioned that we are having near record warm temperature the last few days. There is almost zero snow anywhere in my yard. With so little snow cover at any time, the ground must have been frozen a couple feet down. It was "pudding" for awhile but most of the moisture, blew away!

This post was edited by digit on Tue, Jan 14, 14 at 16:27

We're still officially in drought out here, and the southern part of the county is in severe drought. Tumbleweeds have been blowing all fall and into the winter. (Usually, we don't see the tumbleweed stampedes until spring.) But we are noticing subtle improvements that give everyone hope that the long drought spell is letting up a bit. To the south of us, toward the Arkansas River, it is still a very serious situation and they have experienced near Dust Bowl conditions for the last two years. Yet, the moisture in the air, in the form of humidity, is going to help everything, and hopefully bring the life-giving snows of March and April we've always depended upon. Wheat harvest was pathetic last year, so they really need it. The Proso -- birdseed-- harvest was terrific because of the fall rains, though.

We've had no measurable precipitation here (extreme SW CO) since the fall rains, the mountains fairing a bit better - at least they're white. If we don't get snow in Feb/March, then we're in for a miserable irrigation season - New Mexico is just awful, friend in California are worried - they have red flag warnings up this week - see map. Fingers crossed, anyway.

The Pineapple Express has arrived. It started snowing late afternoon which wasn't what they predicted, but that's par for the course. The snow is very wet and coming down vertically, rather than horizontally. If we get a few inches of this and it stays this loaded with moisture, we can deal with that.

This morning, I could see the sunrise.

This was the first time in, what, 2 or 3 weeks?

We now have 4" to 6" of snow on the ground. Less than one half normal moisture over the last 3 months but the Canadian storms moving south thru Montana have left a fair amount of snow in our mountains/watershed. Fortunately!!

Steve

We've had an awful lot of 'heavily laden' clouds going over our heads, and the Southern San Juan's seem to be picking up 6-12". Rain down here at 7000 feet, but we'll take it.

This morning,

the temperature is in the single . .

digitS'!

This post was edited by digit on Sat, Feb 1, 14 at 7:36

The melting is going to be slow with these temps. That's for sure, Steve!

I'm a CoCoRaHS volunteer so I have to get the moisture readings from the snow. The two this week had .21" and I haven't done it yet today. That's a fairly wet snow considering there is only an inch or two on the ground.

I have a total of 7-8" on the ground now, and like you said, Jali, it's nice wet snow, especially the 4" or so that fell on Thursday. What fell last nite is a little bit drier, but still fairly wet. I'm lovin' it! Was so dry up here I was thinking of watering the grass, but I kind of hate to do that in January 'cause the neighbors think you're totally nuts when they see it! With more snow expected in the next week, this will give everything a good drink! Could certainly do without the cold, but no real b!tchin' about that since it's coming with the moisture.

I'm surprised you don't have more than a couple inches out there, Jali. Looks like there might be a little bit more heading your way right now--will keep my fingers crossed for you!

Skybird

We've had a good bit of snow this season. Several in the 1" - 3" range, one 14" snow, and around 8" this past Thursday night. Basically, we have had snow cover since the beginning of December.

Thanks for the pics highalt!! what a view! I have been fighting tumble weeds since October. They have blocked our roads (literately 4 foot high from one fence to the other) on all main roads. They have been bringing out the snow plows to clear them. I started with the lawn mower, but after a few sessions of that, just took the pitch fork and threw. A high wind really helps this procedure. I mowed my entire yard (yes all 40 acres) all summer to keep the tumbleweeds down, guess no one else did.
Now I have 4 to 6 inches of snow on the ground. It was really wet snow yesterday. Had to clean my wipers from ice every 5-10 miles. Today';s snow appears drier, but still so very welcome compared to the below zero temps and high winds.
Hope everyone is staying warm. Going to go get another cocoa and a garden catalog to dream with.

Belinda aka billie

Hi Billie!

I blame our weather on the Weather Service. Yeah, yesterday morning was supposed to be in the teens. It was sub-zero! This morning it was supposed to be just as cold as y'day. It is 23o!

Okay, maybe a little snow will fall this morning. I will be happy to credit the WS.

Since Bonnie 's pictures are and were appreciated, I will try to sneak this one in but I will have to set this tablet aside and get to the desktop.

Steve

Just before our slight bit of snow covered the landscape.

Nearly all that you see here is frost . . . after days of freezing fog:

Wonderful pictures, Bonnie and Steve! Good to see you, Billie! Billie, I hear you on the tumbleweeds. I have seen them blowing by when the wind starts whipping the snow around, for crying out loud. They aren't supposed to start flying around until spring, but we had them in October. Christmas Eve we had tumbleweeds trying out for the Olympics in the parking lot before a snow squall hit. Lovely double lutzes and triple toe loops, but go away!

I LOVE it when the snow sticks to all the trees like it did this time--I think it's SO pretty! So I was out about an hour ago taking pics of the snow covered branches with the blue sky in the background.

Ok! It always "sticks" to the evergreens, but it's still pretty!

And the combination!

Beautiful day today, COLD but beautiful! If they're right, more snow by Tuesday!

Love your pics, guys! Sorry about the freezing fog, Digit, but the picture is still very pretty! And, with where Bonnie lives, the "views" are always spectacular!

Hey, David, did you get anything out of this last system?

Skybird

Beautiful photos guys. The pure blankets of snow make everything a photo opportunity. Even the tumbleweeds :-) Just wish it would make up for the cold with more moisture. We are still terribly dry down here, I don't care what the Weather Service says. I have to agree with Steve. Its their fault. My husband says that being a weather man is the perfect job. You can be wrong 90% of the time and still have a job.

Belinda

When the temperature here drops below zero, freezing fog blankets all of the trees along the Colorado River. It is just amazing!!! I keep meaning to go down there (it's only a mile from my house) and get some pics, but it usually happens on days I have to work ...

The snows and rains in western Montana have been mostly north of Missoula and up to the Canadian border. We have had very little in the valley. Maybe 2 inches from the last one that came through on Thursday and Friday. Now they are saying we will be below zero by next weekend which most likely means cold and clear. They have a lot of California on water restrictions already and the farmers are saying they might lose their total crops unless they get a really wet spring.

We got a surprising 4 inches of fluffy snow today. Below zero at nights and in teens for days the rest of the week it looks like with wind chills up to -30. Sure feel bad for those that are calving and lambing now.

One inch fell here last night, hopefully more in the mountains.

Ah, tumbleweeds. Tis the season :). I collect them - maybe 10 a day - along in the entry to my drive way, so they get pushed out on the road on a breezy day. I noticed that the big irrigation canal was collecting them nicely.

Four years ago, I was driving back from Albuquerque as a front was coming in, big gusts of wind, and took the short cut across the big Navajo Reservation farm operation south of Farmington. I'd best describe it as a tumbleweed storm - healthy tumbleweeds, 3-4 feet in diameter, coming down the road right at me by the thousands. Had to slow down a bitâ¦..

No tumble weeds today. It's calm, cold, and snowing....again! Love the moisture, but can't wait for spring!

Cleared a couple of inches of that cold white stuff off my truck this morning so I could go to work. Came home to another few inches and the wind is picking up just enough to pile it up in areas (like where the hay is) and it is about 1 1/2 feet deep there. wondering if I will be able to get to ithe hay in the morning.
Need the moisture, but I don't have to shovel and scrape rain :-D

We've had more of the white stuff. So far, it has rendered .4" of moisture over the last week. Knowing that March and April are the moisture makers is encouraging and frightening at the same time, but bring it on. It has been so odd seeing so many of these snowfalls sans the wind. Just beautiful to see it coming directly down. As for the frigid temps ... spring will arrive one of these days, but one of those stunningly beautiful warm days would be very welcome soon.

I got a total of nearly 8" of pretty wet snow with that last storm we got that started on the 30th, and it's melting very slowly, so it's all soaking in rather than running off and, however much actual water was in it, the whole yard is getting a really good soaking right now. Since then I've gotten a few drips and drabs here and there, nothing that added up to more than an inch or so at a time, but it sure helped preserve what was on the ground for the great melting I'm getting now. Since I'm usually in a Mysterious Dry Zone up here, I'm really surprised it added up to as much as it did! First good NATURAL soaking I've had since The Floods!

I agree with you about the lack of wind, Jali! Seems to me there's been a remarkable absence of wind around here this winter! Knock on wood!!!

Channel 4 said Rabbit Ears has gotten 87" of snow in "this last storm" (out in the hills), meaning, I assume, the last two or three days, and they're expecting more in the next couple days. GREAT for the watershed! They said the snowpack in the northern mountains is 150%! That works! Guess it doesn't help you folks on the far eastern and southeastern plains--and down in David's little corner of the world, a/k/a, little corner of Colorado, but it will sure help generally to fill up some of the reservoirs that might not have been replenished in The Floods!

Question, David! When I was out trippin' in fall I was running into heavy/flooding rains all over the place (Cortez, Kanab, Torrey, Blanding, Grand Mesa), and when I was in Cortez there had been such heavy rain the day before (I think) I arrived that the next day I saw a car washed off the road and far into the ditch between Cortez and Towaoc. Then I did the Twilight at Cliff Palace tour that nite so I drove down off of the mesa in the dark, and it was raining SO hard that all I could see was a few feet of the white line right in front of the car! Freakiest drive I've ever done down that road! It took me almost an hour and a half to drive from the mesa top back into Cortez! Didn't any of that help fill up your reservoirs down there? I know a few days of heavy rain doesn't end a drought, but it sure seems like it should have helped with all the rain I saw in just the five days I was down there. I guess without snowpack this winter whatever you got back then will get used up pretty quickly. Will keep wishing snow your direction!

Down here we're supposed to be back in the fifties and up to sixtyish for the next week or so, and with all the COLD we've had recently I am SO ready for a break!

Skybird

Those late-summer / fall rain storms were way out of the ordinary, 3X normal or something. It did help - they were going to shut my irrigation off Sept 10th but were able to leave it on until the end of the month. It added quite a bit to McPhee, you could actually see the water from the town. The volume was very close to record lows - the big Dolores Project irrigation scheme only ran for 6 weeks out of the summer.

The big benefit, so they say, is that it saturated all the soils in the mountains before winter, so the snows that are falling are going to run off, not soak in. We'll see - we often get those awful winds off the desert in the spring and the snowpack just disappears towards Kansas.

I check my garlic pretty often, and under the mulch, the soil is still pretty damp.

It would be great if we got a storm like they're getting around Steamboat. In the mountains, not hereâ¦â¦.

There are nearly-awful winds here today: Temperatures over 40of and Wind over 40mph!

The snow was mostly powder here. The most recent storm was something like 5" of snow but just over .1" of water in it . . ! Well, anyway, some rain came ahead of this wind and either rain or snow is supposed to fall most days this week! I hope our very deeply frozen ground can pull most of it down and it won't just blow east.

I was curious where this storm is going. Checked Minneapolis/St. Paul's forecast and it isn't going there. Further north along the 49th parallel but the upper Midwest and Northeast will see some of water that blew away from here, in a couple of days. Sharing with Winnipeg and southern Ontario would be okay since Canada very kindly sent some early winter storms in our direction. I just don't think that anywhere east of the mountains needs the extra moisture this far north.

The drought conditions east of the Cascades in Oregon and Washington should be relieved by the storms the next few days. Lots of rain may be falling in those locations and maybe some of it will be coming here as snow for our mountains.

Steve :o)

Here it is - More than Enuf!

I'm fine with it. I hope all my neighbors are!

By the end of February, the Selkirks and Coeur d'Alenes had 101% of normal snow. I don't know why the Weather Service had to tell us about the 1% but, there you go . . .

Now, the California storm has sent a stream north along the coast that passed over Portland last night, is still raining buckets in Seattle & Vancouver but has begun to reach us here on the ID/Wah! border!

Slush everywhere! It seems that there is enough places for the water to escape into the soil in my yard. The last 2 times we had a quick meltdown, there were puddles on my lawn. I cannot tell you how unusual it is for me to see that! Water travels down real quick around here. That is, if the soil isn't frozen to 20+" inches.

Frost was beyond that but I'm just going by what the nearest ag monitor had to say and that thing isn't anywhere near the colder areas in this neck of the woods. Anyway, I noticed when I was trying to get several buckets (I'm so embarrassed) of peelings & such from the kitchen into my "stealth compost" a week or so ago, that near buildings, the soil didn't seem to have as much frost.

(Right now, the house seems to be listing to the west . . . I wonder what's going on!!? ;o)

Steve
oh, and that drought monitor map above has sure updated well for my part of the world. i hope it begins looking a lot better to the south, soon