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April Snow Takes Some Pressure Off Fire Crews

DENVER (CBS4) - The change in the weather including the arrival of snow helped firefighters completely contain the Lower North Fork fire and lowered the fire danger from extreme to low in just 24 hours.

The April snow followed the driest March on record.

"We're going to get a significant amount of snow from Denver southward," said Rocky Mountain Coordination Center meteorologist Russ Mann Monday. "You're going to have snow on the ground that's going to stick for a while."

That takes the pressure off fire crews.

"If you get a big enough spring snow storm, it can definitely change the way things are going," Mann said. "If we had continued on the path we're on ... we could have gone from bad to worse for sure."

Snow
Snow in the foothills on Monday (credit: CBS)

Mann said having snow on the ground helps moisten dry grass which offers a help for the coming months.

"We're getting some short term benefit with the moisture," he said, "then some longer term benefit with the green up."

Wildfire Resources

- Visit CBSDenver.com's Wildfire Resources section.

- Read recent Wildfire stories.

Wildfire Photo Galleries

- See images from the most destructive wildfire (Fourmile Fire) and largest wildfire (Hayman Fire) in Colorado history.

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