DENVER — For the first time in 20 years, Denver will likely be snowless in April and that could also make it the driest April ever on record in the state.
There's been hardly any moisture this month and it's making some even more concerned about the risk of wildfires.
"This is pretty extraordinary in terms of precipitation," said Bruno Rodriguez, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
April usually brings Denver some of the biggest snowstorms of the year. The city averages close to nine inches of snow each April, making it Denver's second-snowiest month of the year on average, behind only March.
This time around was different.
"Denver, for example, only picked up one-hundredth of an inch of rain this month," said Rodriguez. "If it doesn’t pick up the next two days, seems unlikely, it will make it the driest April on record for the city."
He said Boulder and the eastern plains are also suffering from dry conditions.
The Denver area expects to see moisture right now, and when that doesn't happen it fuels concern for wildfires.
"It is not going to take much where we could have a bad wildfire in the beginning of the summer," said Becky Bolinger, assistant state climatologist with Colorado Climate Center. "That is something we should all care about because it impacts the big backyard of where we live."
It's already been an active fire season, so Bolinger is worried about what could still come.
"The best thing we could get now is a couple of really good moist makers," she said.
April didn't bring Denver the moisture it needed and the next few months may be the same.
"Predicting warmer than average conditions, most likely, and also drier than normal for the next one to three months," said Rodriguez.
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