DENVER — The Mile High City just closed one of its warmest and driest Februarys on record, the National Weather Service announced Sunday.
Denver’s snow drought and unprecedented mild temperatures dominated the month, with the city recording its least snowy February ever, the NWS said.
Denver’s average temperature for the month was 42.1 degrees, making it the third‑warmest since records began in 1872.
The NWS said there was only one day when the high temperature didn't exceed the freezing mark, and seven days when the lows didn't even reach 32 degrees.
Snowfall totaled only a trace, tying Denver’s least‑snowy February ever, which occurred in 2009.
Precipitation reached just 0.02 inches, tying the second‑driest on record, behind only 1970’s 0.01 inches, according to the NWS.
The unusually mild temperatures and record-dry conditions are making the area more vulnerable to wildfires, and concerns are growing about wider effects.
Colorado and surrounding states have reported their lowest statewide snowpack since records began in the early 1980s.
“I have not seen a winter like this before,” National Snow and Ice Data Center Director Mark Serreze told the Associated Press in February. “This pattern that we’re in is so darned persistent.”
The meager snow in Colorado and Utah has put the Upper Colorado River Basin at the heart of the snow drought, said Jason Gerlich, regional drought early warning system coordinator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
A robust mountain snowpack that slowly melts as winter warms to spring provides a steady flow of water into creeks and rivers.
That helps ensure there’s enough water later in the year for agriculture, cities, hydropower electric systems, and more.
But lack of snow or a too-fast melt means less water will replenish rivers like the Colorado later in the season.
A few light mountain snow showers are expected on Sunday. However, the forecast amount will have little to no impact on snowpack levels.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
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