Cooler and drier than normal conditions sum up the month of March at Grand Lake 6 SSW. The average high was 39.3° compared to the normal value of 41.2°. The average low was 10.4° compared to the normal value of 11.2°. Extremes ranged from a high of 51° on the 15th and 28th to a low of -15° on the 5th. Precipiation mesured 0.63 inches compared to the normal value of 0.90 inches.

Cool and dry conditions prevailed at Grand Lake 6 SSW during the month of February. The average high was 26.9° compared to the normal value of 32.6°. The average low was -2.0° compared to the normal low of 2.0°. Temperature extremes ranged from a high of 36° on the 17th to a low of -19° on the 19th. It was a dry month with 0.27 inches of precipitation recorded. The normal value is 0.79 inches.

January 2013 brought a cold start to the new year with temperatures running several degrees below normal. The average high at Grand Lake 6 SSW was 21.0° and the average low was -8.6°. The normal high is 28.3° and the normal low is 0.4°. Temperature extremes ranged from a high of 45° on the 27th to a low of -27° on both the 14th and 15th. Precipitation was drier than normal for the month of January with 0.59 inches measured. The normal precipitation value is 0.88 inches.

December 2012 was a little on the cool side compared to normal at Grand Lake 6 SSW. The average high was 27.5° compared to the normal of 30.0°. The average low 4.7°compared to the normal of 5.5°. Extremes ranged from a high of 52° on the 5th to a low of -21° both on the 29th and 30th. The total precipiation for the month was 0.80 inches, slightly off from the normal of 0.90 inches.

Reservoirs in Summit County are at seven-year-high levels, as continued snowmelt across the Rocky Mountains along with several heavy summer rainfall events are contributing to record flow levels. Dillon Reservoir is currently one foot below capacity, and Denver Water has been bypassing inflow to the reservoir into the Blue River, slightly exceeding the capacity of that river to avoid flooding downstream of the reservoir once the reservoir reaches capacity.

Continued snowfall, contributing to record snowpacks in the Colorado Rockies for 2011, have kept several Colorado ski resorts open later, with more terrain still open for skiers to enjoy. Two ski resorts, Arapaho Basin and Loveland, are still open as of the 27th of April, with base amounts of more than 100" of snow. Despite the down economy, the amount of snow contributed to increased business for some Colorado resorts.

Read more online at: Sky-Hi Daily News