NOAA Scientist Says Snow, Rain Headed Our Way

BOULDER, Colo. -- Relief from one of the driest Februaries ever along the Front Range may be on the way as more snow and rain appears headed to Colorado, according to atmospheric scientist Klaus Wolter of the University of Colorado at Boulder and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Wolter said that shifting weather patterns and the possibility of a re-emerging El Niño event indicate a better-than-normal chance for wet weather across much of Colorado in March.

"March is continuing to look quite promising," he said. "Forecast models indicate that March should bring precipitation to most of the mountains of Colorado."

Weather patterns change in March and the atmosphere becomes less stable, allowing for low-pressure centers to become cut off from the jet stream and to stall, Wolter said. Such slow-moving storms are capable of producing a lot of moisture such as the 2003 spring storm that walloped much of the Front Range and northern mountains with several feet of wet snow.

"One thing that is interesting about these March storms is that because of the decreased stability in the atmosphere and generally more moisture availability, you don't need 'the perfect storm' to get a good amount of snow," he said.

Adding to the changing weather patterns is the possibility that a weak El Niño event that started last summer, and appeared to be over in early February, is trying to stage a comeback, he said.

"The most recent observations over the tropical Pacific, as well as the latest forecast models, suggest that it is too early to write off this latest El Niño," said Wolter. "El Niño events typically favor wetter-than-average weather for Colorado and the desert Southwest."

But it is probably too late for other areas in the West that are still suffering from drought conditions, said Wolter. While Arizona, Utah and Nevada received record amounts of moisture this winter, the lack of snow and rain in the Northern Rockies most likely will not be offset by a wet spring.