Expert Says 'Miracle Needed' While Discussing Colorado's Dismal Snowpack

By Chris Spears

DENVER (CBS4) - A weak La Niña is being blamed for a dismal snow season thus far across Colorado.

The La Niña weather pattern is known for keeping the main winter storm track north of the state, pushing most major snow events into the Pacific Northwest or southern Canada.

A government report released Thursday says that La Niña should come to an end sometime during the spring.

The following map shows how much more snow would be needed to reach peak in the eight major river basins that flow out of the Rockies.

It's a dismal picture statewide, but especially for southern Colorado.

"For the San Juan Mountains, we would need more snow in March and early April than ever recorded just to reach average," said Peter Goble with the Colorado Climate Center in Fort Collins.

In a recent post on the CCC's Facebook page Goble said it would 'take a miracle' to catch up in the southern part of the state.

Colorado's statewide snowpack typically reaches a peak around April 9.

Because I am a glass half-full individual I want to remind you that one storm can reverse this situation, as we saw during the March 2003 blizzard. However, time is running out for a storm of that magnitude to happen.

We're keeping our fingers crossed for a pattern change soon although current long-range forecasts keep Colorado mostly warm and dry through the spring.

Meteorologist Chris Spears travels weekly in the CBS4 Mobile Weather Lab reporting about Colorado's weather and climate. Check out his bio, connect with him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter @ChrisCBS4.