Ideas. Stories. Community.
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Early Snowpack Lagging Across the Four Corners

Ways To Subscribe

We’re still quite early in the water year, but we have seen a visible increase in snow fall capping our nearby mountains - though we’re behind schedule for the season.

The San Miguel - Dolores - Animas and San Juan River basins are at around a third of typical measured snowfall for the point in November.

Looking at regional rainfall - In the past week, Bluff has seen about a quarter inch of precipitation. Blanding saw about triple that amount.

Heavier rainfall in Southwest Colorado was seen closest to the Utah state line. Dove Creek saw the highest amount at 84 hundredths of an inch. Cortez and Dolores saw around a half inch, with those outside of city limits seeing variable amounts up to three quarters of an inch.

According to the Drought Monitor, predicted rainfall in the next couple weeks could further relieve drought in the region, though those in northern Arizona and New Mexico may see drier weather. Average, seasonal temperatures are expected during that period as well.

LP recently moved to the Four Corners from Austin, Texas, where they worked as a Case Manager for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and in HOA property management where they were fortunate to learn many different styles of communication and creative thinking/problem solving. In their time away from work, they watch a ton of movies (spanning all decades, nationalities, and genres), and tries to listen to one really good album every day.
Related Content
  • The federal government set a deadline of November 11 for states to have a framework for allocating Colorado River water post-2026. The states missed that deadline, and have failed to produce an agreement.
  • Utah’s Supreme Court has upheld a ruling rejecting a proposal to pipe 55,000 acre-feet of Green River water from Utah to Colorado’s Front Range. The long-debated project, led by Fort Collins developer Aaron Million and Water Horse Resources, would have sent water more than 300 miles across Wyoming. The court agreed with the state engineer’s finding that Water Horse must prove the water would be beneficially used in Colorado before any export can be approved. Conservation groups are calling the decision a major victory for the Colorado River, while Million says the project isn’t over yet.
  • As freezing temperatures return to the forecast, protecting your home’s plumbing is about more than just good practice — it’s science. When water freezes, it expands and can burst pipes, but wrapping them with foam insulation or heat tape traps existing heat and slows the cooling process. Even a few degrees’ difference can prevent costly damage and keep water flowing when temperatures drop.