Northern Colorado snowpack soars with latest storm

A dayslong storm gave Colorado's mountains, especially those in Larimer County, a badly needed shot in the arm.

Snow was measured in feet across the mountains west of Fort Collins. About 2 feet piled up in parts of Rocky Mountain National Park, and 52 inches of heavy, wet snow buried an area 8 miles northeast of Four Corners in Larimer County, the National Weather Services reports. Several spotters measured snow 30 to 40 inches deep in areas northwest of Fort Collins.

The spring storm boosted snowpack in the South Platte River Basin to 93 percent of normal, according to Saturday's update from the Natural Resources Conservation Service. That jump – up from 81 percent on Tuesday — came after more than a month of stagnated snowpack and bucked a trend that was beginning to mirror a parched 2012. Levels are now almost spot-on with 2013 figures.

Statewide snowpack also climbed after a month-long decline. However, Saturday levels were still just 68 percent of normal.

And for river watchers, the Poudre continues to be flowing nearly three times as high as the historic average of 140 cubic feet per second. Saturday afternoon flows at the mouth of the canyon were recorded at 326 cfs — down from a Friday high of about 420 cfs.

While snow was confined to the high country and grassy areas in Fort Collins and Loveland, the region saw it's fair share of precipitation.

Since the storm rolled in mid-week, 2.8 inches of rain drenched areas in west Fort Collins and near Horsetooth Reservoir — about two inches fell consistently across the city with some localized amounts topping 3 inches, city rain gauge data show.

And it's not over yet.

Unstable conditions were expected to linger into Sunday and the work week, the National Weather Service predicted. Temperatures in the 50s and showers are possible until Tuesday ahead of a warmup. Showers and thunderstorms return to the forecast at the end of next week.

Reporter Jason Pohl covers breaking news for the Coloradoan. Follow him on Twitter: @pohl_jason.