After a less than satisfying amount of snowfall last winter and an unusually dry summer in Colorado, there may be a return to normalcy this upcoming season. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is calling for snow accumulations at least equal to Colorado’s average amounts, in what is described as a medium El-Nino year.
Colorado’s high-country has already seen double digit accumulations in some areas, and the Front-Range and Eastern Colorado plains have even received a light dusting following the dip in temperatures Colorado has seen over the last week. But, don’t get overly excited; the temperatures in the Denver area are expected to return to the 70’s this week.
Most ski areas in Colorado average approximately 200″ of natural snow in a given year, but combined with man-made efforts, some areas hit the 400″ mark.
Fun fact: Colorado holds the record for “Most Snowfall in a 24-Hour Period”, “Largest Snowfall in a Single Calendar Day”, and “Most Accumulation from a Single Snowstorm.”
The most snow to fall in any 24 hour period is 75.8 inches at Silver Lake, Colorado, 40 miles northwest of Denver. The snowstorm began at 2:30 pm on the afternoon of April 14, 1921. By 6 pm on April 15, 1921 a record 87 inches had landed. The blizzard continued for 32.5 hours, lleaving 95 inches of fresh snow on the ground. This set yet another record for the deepest accumulation from one continuous snowfall.
The largest snowfall for a single calendar day fell in Georgetown, Colorado where 63 inches landed on December 4, 1913.
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