3525’ - We Just Turned the Clock Back

Fickle River said:
We are at the same elevation as early July with several more feet yet to come especially now that the main stem Colorado has joined in on the fun.

The other good thing is that this elevation should hold up all through the winter. 😊
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It depends upon if the BOR starts releasing more water or not to balance things out between Lake Powell and Lake Mead.

Fingers crossed that they hold steady with their current plan.
 
We will have lots to talk about this water year. Great to see more moisture on the way. However, I think it’s again a warm system coming up like our monsoon (El Nino effect, probably) so more rain on the southern part of the basin. We are into the time frame for first measurable snow for the entire basin. So, will late fall rain be as beneficial as the typical snow storms dropping down from the northwest? Is early snowpack better than late rain? I have no idea. I’m like so many here, and on other social media, just giddy about the prospects for a super water year.
 
Although these recent storms have provided a short-term bump for Lake Powell, they have also caused a lot of misery in southwestern Colorado, northern New Mexico, and on the Navajo reservation. At this point, those folks would be happy if it would just stop raining.

Also recall that last year we had a similar pattern of extratropical moisture causing serious flooding during the fall in these same areas, but the subsequent winter turned out to be a fizzer, and by the following summer the whole region was in extreme drought. So best to temper expectations until we see what winter really brings. Rain can produce a nice transient improvement, but the only real solution to drought in the Colorado River Basin is snowpack. As a cautionary note, Colorado has had its warmest September and October (to date) on record, and it was the warm temperatures, rather than the absence of precipitation, that really hurt us last winter and spring, because the snow all melted in March. It needs to be cold as well as wet to really get us out of the jam we are currently in.
 
Colorado Expat said:
Although these recent storms have provided a short-term bump for Lake Powell, they have also caused a lot of misery in southwestern Colorado, northern New Mexico, and on the Navajo reservation. At this point, those folks would be happy if it would just stop raining.

Also recall that last year we had a similar pattern of extratropical moisture causing serious flooding during the fall in these same areas, but the subsequent winter turned out to be a fizzer, and by the following summer the whole region was in extreme drought. So best to temper expectations until we see what winter really brings. Rain can produce a nice transient improvement, but the only real solution to drought in the Colorado River Basin is snowpack. As a cautionary note, Colorado has had its warmest September and October (to date) on record, and it was the warm temperatures, rather than the absence of precipitation, that really hurt us last winter and spring, because the snow all melted in March. It needs to be cold as well as wet to really get us out of the jam we are currently in.
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I hope the whole area got enough moisture to have some flow in the Colorado River reach the ocean again at the delta. I know that all the people and animals needed a good drink but the plants also could use one too...
 
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