Fourth-snowiest year on record in Summit County
Big snows coated Colorado’s Gore Range in March 2014. bberwyn photo.
By Bob Berwyn
FRISCO — Another month of above-normal snowfall has put Breckenridge on track for its fourth-snowiest winter on record, according to National Weather Service observer Rick Bly, who measured 37.4 inches at his backyard gauge.
That makes it the 10th-snowiest March, a month that sees average snowfall of 25.5 inches. Bly said precipitation has been above average for four straight months. During the current water year, which started Oct. 1, only November saw slightly below normal snowfall. Precipitation (the combination of melted snow and rain) for the water year to date is already at 15.2 inches, nearly six inches more than average.
Average snowfall in Breckenridge through April 1 is 127 inches, but this year, Bly has picked up 209 inches. Only the winters of 1893-94, 1898-99, and 1998-96 saw more snow, according to the long-term stats for the town. The snow fell steadily all winter, too, Bly said, explaining that, this winter, there was measurable precipitation 23 days per month, compared to about 10 to 15 days per month.
For April, the average snowfall in Breckenridge is 24.7 inches, nearly the same as March. The most snow ever recorded in April was 72.5 inches in 1900.
Snowfall was also well above average at Summit County’s second official National Weather Service site in Dillon, with 30.5 inches of snow (average 22 inches). At Dillon, there was measurable precipitation on 16 days during the month.
The average daily high temperature was 38.8 degrees Fahrenheit, just 0.20 degrees below average, while the average daily low was 0.8 degrees above the long-term average of 7.6 degrees.
The average daily high jumps nearly 10 degrees in March, all the way to 47.7 degrees, but nighttime lows stay chilly, averaging 17.3 degrees. July and August are the only months when average low temperatures stay above freezing.
At the Dillon site, April is on average a wetter month than March, averaging 1.61 inches of precipitation and 18.1 inches of snow.
March avg YTD 127 – 209
Avg precip 9.4 – 15.2
Above average precip every month except maybe November 0.10
Measurable precip 23 days per month – usually about 15
Avg March 25.5
this year 37.4 – 10th snowiest march
avg p 1.91 – 2.57
all is good, going into April 1, 4th all-time for snow
378 1898-99
1893-94
95-96 213 inches going into April 1
05-06 199.8 through April 1
April – 24.7
Max 72.5 – 1900
