Niwot Ridge LTER Snow Report for Mar 2008
Greetings!

The weather at Niwot Ridge this March has been dominated by warm temperatures, and a few storms. The snowpack at C1 is now isothermal. Hand measurements made at Niwot Ridge C-1 on March 31st, 2008 show 13.75 inches of snow water equivalent (SWE) for 105% of the average hand measurements, and a snow depth of 49.0 inches. SNOTEL is reporting 12.8 inches of SWE for 103% of average. This difference may be due to the hand measurements having been made at the end of the day as the final storm of March ended, dropping 9.9 inches of new snow and 1.35 inches of SWE. The Niwot Ridge road remains well covered above C1.

The ENSO Diagnostic Discussion issued by the NOAA Climate Prediction Center/NCEP forecasts a weakening La Nina condition though the spring. La Nina impacts in the Northern Hemisphere during the spring are typically less pronounced.

The Colorado snowpack is above average as of the end of this month (120% SWE, 115% PPT), and all Colorado’s river basins have above average SWE and cumulative precipitation. The Arkansas River Basin has the highest percent of average SWE, and the Laramie and North Platte River Basins have the lowest percent of average SWE (146%, 104 %). The Upper Rio Grande Basin has the highest percent of average precipitation, and the South Platt has the lowest percent of average precipitation (133%, 103 %).

Across the West, the current snowpack is good. Oregon has the highest percent of average SWE, and Arizona has dropped to the lowest percent of average SWE (157%, 75%). Arizona remains in the lead for percent of cumulative precipitation, while the California Great Basin Sites have the lowest percent of average precipitation (120%, 81%).

Until next month

Cheers

Kurt

Sno Tel Data  Niwot Ridge, C-1
Snow Water Content (inches)
Values are for the end of given month
except as noted for May and June

Season	Dec	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May		Jun	
81/82	4.75	10.5	11.75	15.5	14.9	12	(17th)		
82/83	3.63		4.75	12.75	17	11.75	(30th)		
83/84	12.6	13.25	15	18.9	20.75				
84/85	3.75	6.25	8.5	10.25	8.75				
85/86	6.5	7.5	14	15.38	17.5				
86/87	6.25	8.75	11.25	12.75	11.75				
87/88	6.5	9.1	12.4	15.75	14.5				
88/89	5.5	7.6	11	10.25	5.6				
89/90	6.5	9.25	10.75	16.1	16.5				
90/91	3	5	7.1	9.38	10				
91/92	6.65	6.75	8.5	12.25	10.25				
92/93	5.75	6.75	10.75	14	15.875				
93/94	7.125	9.063	12.25	13.25	13.25	2.5	(18th)		
94/95	2.625	3.925	7	10.125	16.75	17	(22nd)	12.375(13th)	19.75(30th)
95/96	7.5	12	17.5	20.375	18.75	6.125	(15th)		
96/97	8.75	12.625	15.125	14.625	20.375	18	(15th)
97/98	7.0625	10	10.125	12.875	17.25	12.875	(15th)
98/99	3.25	6.625	8.375	9.125	14.125	14.25	(15th)
99/2000	3.5	7.5	10.625	12.375	7.625		
00/2001	4.375	5.375	7.125	10	9.125		
01/2002	2.625	4.25	6.19	7.563	0		
02/2003	4	5.25	8.5	16.75	14.375	11.44	(15th)
03/2004	2.75	4.813	7.75	7.875	10.125	3.69	(14th)
04/2005	4.875	7.7	9.5	11.625	12.875	12.25	(15th)
05/2006	5.625	8.375	9.5	13.25	6.75	0.875	(15th)
06/2007	9.25	11.5	14.375	15.25	16.75		
07/2008 5.45	7.375	11.0	13.75

Average	5.56	7.96	10.40	13.04	13.13