29 percent of Colorado is now under severe drought
Just a few short months ago things were good in the Mile High City. Denver was experiencing it's first winter with above average snowfall in some years, and in the mountains, well, at least there was still hope for a snowy finish to the season. This never happened, and the snowy days for Denver are now a distant memory.

March was dry, very dry. It was also the second warmest on record for the city. At the end of February Denver was 20.3 inches above average for seasonal snowfall, 159% of normal. Denver was so far ahead, in fact, that even with our typically snowiest month (March) being the least snowiest ever – Denver remained above average for the season on March 31. Little changed in April. Combined, March and April in Denver recorded just 1 inch of snow, the least on record. The normal for the two month span? 20.5 inches. Provided we do not have a freakish May snow event, we will likely end the season below average.

Below is a look at this season's cumulative snow totals. There is an interactive version above (Snow Tracker).


To make matters worse, the mountains never saw their snow either. Anyone who lives in Colorado and the west knows that this is really what matters. Colorado's snowpack is now 25% of normal, a staggering difference from this time last year when record snowfall meant flooding concerns for the state. According to the US Drought Monitor, 89% of the state is now experiencing moderate or severe drought conditions. While some are eager to compare this year to 2002 (of which there are similarities), it is not that bad, yet. The drought in 2002 was preceded by several below-average years for snow, while this year we are coming off a good 2010/2011 winter. Our reservoirs are still full, for the time being.

Long range forecasts are not all that promising. Generally warmer than average and at or below average precipitation is expected for the coming months. We could really use the moisture, so let us hope a shift from the long standing La Nina pattern to a possible El Nino event may sway our weather.

Short term, it will be very warm and dry through Saturday before cooler temperatures return Sunday into early next week. Moisture does not look as plentiful as it once did for the Front Range, but showers and thunderstorms will be possible Sunday through Tuesday.

Yesterday's storms turned severe overnight with three confirmed tornadoes striking early Friday morning. Several structures were damaged, with a number of those being completely destroyed. There are no reported deaths, and only minor injuries being reported at this time.

Thursday afternoon I had the chance to go out east and catch the incredible display of thunderstorms as they marched across the plains. The time lapse below captures this, with over four hours of recording time condensed into a minute and a half. Let me know what you think!


Here are some stills I took as well, with the complete album on the Brendan's Weather Facebook page.

It has been a beautiful stretch of Colorado weather, albeit unseasonably warm and dry. This last weekend I went out to Red Rocks and took several (hundred) photos of some pretty spectacular clouds as the sun was setting. I thought I would share.



There are many lessons learned from this outing. This is just the beginning of what will hopefully be a long standing series of Brendan's Weather exclusive weather videos. Foremost on the list for improvement would be better frames! People and cars dotting the video, while charming, is not always the desired effect!

I am posting this first (ok, second) time lapse with the hope of getting some feedback! Please tell me what you think.

A well advertised severe weather outbreak spawned tornadoes across six states this weekend. The storms also packed damaging wind, hail, and rain as they moved at times 50 and 60 miles an hour through the heartland.

Tragically, the storms turned deadly last night in Oklahoma. Five people were killed as a tornado touched down in Woodward, OK. Tonight thousands across Kansas and Oklahoma remain without power as the cleanup gets underway.

Despite the incredible number of reported tornadoes by the Storm Prediction Center, many did not cause immense damage as they were short lived and localized over less populated areas.

Severe weather was not as widespread Sunday, but several tornadoes were reported in Minnesota and Nebraska. Tonight tornado watches and warnings remain in effect for parts of Arkansas, Illinois, and Wisconsin.

Below is an interactive map from Geocommons showing preliminary tornado reports and hail events from these storms. Pretty incredible.

View map on GeoCommons

Track of storm turns unfavorable for significant event in Denver
It won't be the first time Mother Nature does a 180, and it certainly won't be the last, but the dramatic difference between yesterday's model runs and today's sure is disappointing if you were eager for rain and snow in Denver. I have not taken precipitation completely out of the forecast as Sunday still looks cool and wet, but significant moisture and accumulating snowfall looks all but out of the picture of Denver. If we are lucky, we will eke out a few nice rain showers and even some slushy snow, but nothing of the magnitude previously forecast.

The western and central mountains still should expect to pick up some good late season pow this weekend. Many areas in the high country could see well over a foot by Sunday afternoon.

There is still time for forecasts to shift in a more favorable way for Denver, but at this point it does not look too promising.

Springtime in Colorado is a great time of year if you love the weather. Forecasters were left scratching their head after a normally snowy March brought record warmth and little snow to the state. It has been dry around here, too dry. Wednesday and Thursday we saw our first thunderstorms of the year, offering isolated relief, but a real soaker looks to be in store this weekend.

A cold wet system will begin bringing snow to the high country late Friday night, and will be heavy at times through Sunday. A Winter Storm Watch has been posted for much of the higher terrain in western Colorado where upwards of two feet could fall by Sunday.

Along the front range things won't get cranking until late in the day Saturday. Saturday night and Sunday there will be plentiful precipitation in and around Denver, the question is in the form of what? Models are in good agreement that east facing slopes south and west of Denver will see mostly snow. They too could be measuring it in feet. In Denver, things are bit more tricky, as is expected this time of year. For snow lovers, there is reason to believe it will in fact get cold enough for several inches of snow to accumulate in the city! Will not glue myself to any precise totals at this time.

This storm will be monitored very closely over the next 24 to 48 hours. Please stay tuned and watch for any weather and travel advisories that may be posted.