Here’s what to know about Colorado’s winter this year — and what forecasters still can’t tell us
What if Colorado gets exactly what everyone is hoping for this winter? Weeks of heavy snowstorms blanketing the mountains. A deepening snowpack. A spring runoff that sends water rushing into rivers and replenishing depleted reservoirs. Well, according to experts, it still might not be enough. After a record-low snowpack last winter and an exceptionally dry summer, Colorado’s water system is starting the winter with a deficit that can’t be erased in a single season, according to state water officials and snowpack experts. And right now — despite the promise of a strong El Niño and plenty of optimism about the water it could bring — forecasters can’t say whether this winter will even deliver the above-average snowpack that Colorado needs.
Other weather and water forecast news:
- SFGate: New maps reveal odds of winter rain and snow across California
- The Hill: NOAA releases weather predictions for the rest of 2026
- ABC7 (San Francisco): El Niño-driven Kelvin wave could raise Bay Area sea levels by up to 1 foot in October, scientists say
- The Guardian: El Niño and global heating pushes water vapour in Earth’s atmosphere to record levels in August
- The New York Times: Video: Storms and heavy rain soak parts of the Southwest
