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MELTDOWN: The record snowfalls we've experienced this winter have produced super-sized snowpacks of up to 151% above average in some parts of the state. As spring approaches and the days warm the snowpack will begin to melt.
Butch Knowlton, Director of Emergency Preparedness for La Plata County, said that given the high levels of snowpack at or below 8,500 foot elevations, he's watching every single storm coming into the area. "It takes very few hours of moderate rain to make a very significant change in snowmelt runoff," he said. "You're essentially pouring warm water on a frozen depth of snow."
Knowlton said his greatest concern at the present is drainage from the Upper Rio Grande Basin into the Vallecito area northeast of Durango. "A heavy rainstorm could change that river flow within hours." he said. "We got hundreds of homes sitting in the valley floor."
Colorado's mountain snows, even in deep years, tend to melt in an orderly fashion, but if high runoffs combine with intense spring rainstorms, flooding is likely. Flood danger is likely to be the highest beginning in late April and continuing through June as the mountain snows melt.
We recall the spring of 2005 when much of the Animas Valley was under water. Fortunately it involved only undeveloped lands and no structures were lost. Still, we encourage valley homeowners to check on flood insurance and to purchase coverage if none is in place.
