Colorado's Mountain Snowpack Reaches Peak Two Months Ahead Of Schedule

By Chris Spears

DENVER (CBS4) - After a slow start to the 2016-2017 snow season some mountain communities have literally been buried by snow since the first of December.

As of February 13, statewide snowpack was at a level normally seen around April 9 or 10. The dark blue line on the graph below shows the current average water content of roughly 16.3 inches.

Brian Domonkos, with the Colorado Snow Survey Program, says our current snowpack is the second highest since records began in 1986. Only 1997 was higher with an average water content of 18.4 inches.

With March and April being historically snowy months there's a chance that the 30-year record set in 1997 could be challenged.

Meteorologist Chris Spears writes about stories related to weather and climate in Colorado. Check out his bio, connect with him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter @ChrisCBS4.