The trend of cooler and drier than normal continued at Hayden during the month of March. The average high was 43.7° compared to the normal high of 46.3°. The overnight low averaged 19.4° which was cooler than the normal of 21.6°. Extremes ranged from a high of 63° on March 31st to a low of -1° on the 25th. Precipitation was slightly below normal for the month with 1.29 inches compared to the normal value of 1.36 inches. The Hayden weather station reported 14 inches for snow during March. Snow was reported on the ground everyday of the month with a maximum depth of 16 inches on the 1st, 2nd, 5th, 10th and 11th.

The trend of cooler than normal temperatures continued into the month of February at Hayden. The average high was 30.3° with an average low of 8.7°. The normal high for February is 34.5° and the normal low is 11.8°. Temperature extremes ranged from a high of 40° on the 20th to a low of -10° on the 25th. February brought a continuation of drier than normal conditions to the Hayden area with 0.73 inches of precipitation measured for the month. The normal value is 1.33 inches. There was 11 inches of snow measured at Hayden during the month with a maximum snow depth of 16 inches measured on the 28th.

Like so many locations across western Colorado, the new year got off to a frigid start with temperatures running several degrees below normal. The average high for the month at Hayden was 22.4°. The normal high is 30.3°. The average low for the month was 0.1° which was well below the normal value of 8.3°. Temperature extremes ranged from a high of 43° on the 26th to a low of -25° on the 15th. Precipitation was below normal for the month with 1.02 inches measured. The normal value is 1.60 inches. Hayden recorded 12.9 inches of snow during January. The maximum snow depth reported was 16 inches on the 1st-6th.

December 2012 ended with near normal temperatures and much above normal precipitation for Hayden. The average high for the month was 30°, slightly below the normal high of 31.3°. The average low was 10° which was right on target with the normal monthly average of 9.9°. Extremes ranged from a high of 56° on December 2 to a low of -13° on the 30th. December was a snowy one for Hayden with 49.0 inches recorded during the month. December's total precipitation was 3.21 inches, well above the normal of 1.61 inches. The maximum snow depth recorded on the ground during December was 17 inches on the 20th, 28th and 29th.

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