Temperatures recovered to near normal levels in Grand Junction during the month of March after a chilly start to the year. The average high was 57.2° which was just slightly warmer than the normal of 56.5°. The average low was 30.4° which was a degree shy of the normal value of 31.4°. Extremes ranged from a high of 71° on both the 29th and 31st to a low of 14° on the 25th. It was a very dry month in Grand Junction with 0.35 inches of precipitation. The normal value is 0.92 inches. There was no measurable snowfall during the month, although a Trace of snow was recorded on the 9th, 21st and 23rd. There was no measurable snow depth reported on the ground during March.

After a bitterly cold January below average temperatures continued into the month of February. The average high was 41.5° compared to the average high of 45.4°. The average low was 22.2° compared to the average low of 23.7°. Temperature extremes ranged from a high of 55° on the 8th to a low of 13° on the 12th. Precipitation for the month was below normal with 0.39 inches recorded. The normal value is 0.54 inches. There was 5.6 inches of snow reported with a maximum snow depth of 2 inches measured on the 11th.

The year 2013 got off to a chilly start in the Grand Valley with temperatures running several degrees below normal. Daytime highs averaged 25.6° while overnight lows averaged just 3.0°. The normal high is 37.7° with a normal low of 17.0°. Extremes ranged from a high of 42° on both the 10th and 27th to a low of -12° on the 14th and 15th. Grand Junction saw 19 days in January with a low temperature at or below 0°. Precipitation for the month was slightly above normal, with 0.61 inches measured. The normal January precipitation is 0.58 inches. The month brought 1.4 inches of snow to the city. Snowpack of at least 1 inch was reported on the ground everyday of the month except the 28th-31st.

December 2012 ended with high temperatures slightly below normal and low temperatures slightly above normal for Grand Junction. The average high for the month was 37.1° compared to the normal value of 38.5°. The average low was 20.1° compared to the normal of 18.5°. The extremes ranged from a high of 59° on December 1 to a low of 2° on the 22nd. December brought 10.6 inches of snow to the Grand Junction weather station. The total precipitation for the month was 1.04 inches, which is well above the normal December precipitation of 0.59 inches. The maximum snow depth recorded on the ground during December was 5 inches on the 24th.

Record snowfall and a cool summer leading to a late snowmelt is changing the strategy for hunters in Northwest Colorado. Beginning in September and October, the annual elk rut begins, coinciding with several hunting seasons which draws thousands of hunters to the region. Elk will typically spend the summer at high elevations in the mountains; as the weather starts to cool, or when the food supplies at high elevations starts to dwindle, the elk will migrate towards lower elevations as they head for their winter range. Because of the late snowmelt, elk were slow to move to their summer range this year, and currently there remains plenty of food and water high in the mountains, which has an uncertain affect on when the elk will move to lower elevations this year. Hunters, who contribute a large fraction of the annual tourist income for northwest Colorado, are having to change plans to adjust to the longer, more arduous treks required to reach the elk at their higher elevation. Exactly how the record snowfall from last spring will impact this years' hunting season remains to be seen. Read more online at: Steamboat Today

Record-breaking, or near-record amounts of snowfall in the northern Rockies this spring have drastically increased the risk of flash floods for communities living in the Upper Yampa river valley of northwest Colorado. County commissioners have been meeting to discuss contigency plans for flood emergencies, as well as how to deal with the affects of an increased runoff on road networks and other county infrastructure.

Read more online at: Steamboat Today