We’ve been showing you this snowpack map all season, and no doubt, it’s been impressive. In general, peak snowpack was 133% of average after an impressive winter storm showing this year.
However, the snowpack map for June 11 looks impossible: 52,350% of normal in Gunnison!? Believe it or not, it’s true – but there’s more to the story.
These numbers aren’t really fair at this point in the season. "Snowpack" compares what’s currently on the mountain to the median for that specific date, going back 30 years. At this point in the year, many spots usually have next to nothing.
This tweet Monday from Becky Bolinger at the Colorado Climate Center does a good job breaking it down.
“Here's a helpful way to look at CO's current snowpack situation: 1. Currently 761% of ave. 2. More importantly, peak snowpack was 133% of ave. 3. Peak occurred around the time it normally does. 4. We should be about 6% left of peak now, but we're still at 43% left.”
So what does 52,350% of normal actually look like? 8.7 inches of snow are still in the Gunnison Basin when normally the number is so close to zero that it’s about 100th of an inch.
“We did have a great snowpack year, regardless of how weird these numbers are,” said Bolinger when I spoke to her on the phone. “The biggest oddity is just how late it’s sticking around.”
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