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Average Precipitation In Denver Well Below Average

DENVER (AP) - The fire threat in much of Colorado is high following an unusually dry and warm March.

Denver only got .03 inches of precipitation this month after a wet February. The city usually gets around an inch of precipitation in March.

The Natural Resources Conservation Service in Denver says Colorado's snowpack has melted quickly in recent weeks, exposing terrain that also is drying out weeks ahead of normal.

The South Platte Basin, where a wildfire was burning Tuesday, has dropped from 89 percent of normal to 69 percent this month. Statewide averages have dropped from 81 percent to 65 percent.

National Weather Service Meteorologist Kyle Fredin says forecasters are watching for some possible precipitation in early April.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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