Nov 9, 2009 October Snowfall Totals

Nov 10, 2009, Mon - The National Weather Service weather station in Breckenridge indicated 22.9 inches of snow occurred in piled up at the base of Breckenridge during October. This October was the sixth wettest since record keeping began in 1893. This is 85 percent above the historic average of 12.3 inches and melted to 2.3 inches of water which is about 77 percent above average. The weather service observer there looked at historical patterns and heavy snow in October is not a good forecast of snowfall level over the entire Winter.

November on average brings about 20.9 inches of snow with 1.5 invches of water content. November is normally the fourth driest month and the range of snowfall is from 2 inches to 59 inches. A strengthening El Niño could influence the Winter weather patterns and snowfall. El Niño brings warmer-than-average ocean surface temperatures and tend to shift the flow of storms into the West Coast and the effect on weather in Colorado is not clear.

At Summit County's second National Weather Service station, October precipitation was below normal. At the Dillon site, observers tallied only 5.5 (.84 inches of precipitation) inches of snow. the historic average is 7.7 inches (1.07 inches). The average maximum temperature reading for the month, 47 degrees, was a full 8.3 degrees lower than the historic average, based on records going back to 1909. The average monthly low was 19.2 degrees, slightly below the average 20 degree reading. Daytime temperatures climbed into the sixties only a handful of days. Oct. 19 was the warmest day, at 64 degrees. Lows dropped below freezing every single night except Oct. 15. The coldest reading for the month was Oct. 26, at minus 2 degrees.

Even more snow fell on the Front Range, where it quickly melted and topped off reservoirs in Denver Water's system. Enough moisture was added to the system that Denver Water officials aren't sure whether they'll even turn on the Roberts Tunnel this winter. At last word, no final decision had been made, but a resource manager with Denver Water said that, because of the impending winter, they have to make the call soon.