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Good News: Colorado Snowpack Climbs After Recent Storms

DENVER (CBS4) - There's a bit of good news when it comes to the snowpack in Colorado this season. A series of recent storm systems dropped several inches of new snow in Colorado's high country over the past week. Most of that snow fell in the northern and central mountains.

The latest data from NRCS shows the statewide snow water equivalent, which estimates how much water is being stored in the snowpack, is up to 84% of normal. That number has been as low as 70-75% of normal in recent weeks.

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A graph of Colorado's snowpack this season, shown by the heavy dark blue line. (credit: NRCS)

More snow is in the mountain forecast over the next several days, especially for peaks located north of Highway 50 in central Colorado. Up to a foot of new snow is possible in the mountains north of Interstate 70.

The forecast brings hope that with two months to go until the typical peak of mountain snow accumulation that we can make up for lost time. Snowpack is critical in Colorado because we depend on it to fill our reservoirs during the melt each spring.

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(source: CBS)
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