Estimated Snowfall for Colorado: Storm of March 16-20, 2003

A record-breaking snowstorm on March 16-20, 2003 followed a record-breaking 2002 wildfire season for the state of Colorado. The Front Range and other eastern slope areas received several feet of snow, with many locations reporting 5-6 feet. As a result of this one storm, March 2003 is the snowiest March, and is the third snowiest month ever, in Denver's recorded history. A streak of 19 consecutive months of below-normal precipitation was finally broken by this storm. Snowpack for the South Platte River watershed jumped from approximately 85% before the storm to over 100% of average after the storm.

The USGS-Rocky Mountain Mapping Center has created a map of estimated snowfall totals for Colorado based on the accumulations reported by NOAA/National Weather Service (NWS) for this single storm. Snow depths at specific locations were obtained from NWS web sites, interpolated into a depth surface, and then overlaid on updated Colorado state base GIS data layers. Also shown on the map are last summer's wildfires. The heaviest snowfall occurred to the north of the area burned by the 137,000-acre Hayman fire; however, concerns of flooding and reservoir contamination due to rapid spring meltoff still exist. No accuracy is implied for the indicated snowfall depths, as the NWS data locations were fairly dense along the Front Range, but were sparse for the rest of the state.

Note:The map was created with ArcGIS 8.2 and converted to JPEG format. The resolution is 100 dpi and the file size is approximately 8 mb. Click on the map to view it. To save it to your computer's disk, click File: Save As, specifying the file's location on your computer.

For further information about the snowfall map contact: John Kosovich