It’s officially an above-average snowpack year in Colorado, thanks to a massive storm that walloped the state last week.

As snow started falling on Wednesday, Colorado’s snowpack was sitting at about 99 percent of the norm for this time of the year. While snowpack has been fairly close to 100 percent of the norm for several weeks, the leap above 100 percent is particularly notable as Colorado’s statewide snowpack has failed to climb to the ‘above-average’ range throughout the entire winter season. That changed on March 14, with the 60-plus inches of snow that landed in Colorado allowing snowpack to skyrocket around much of the state. As of March 18, statewide snowpack sits at 109 percent of the to-date norm, according to the USDA.

It’s also worth noting that the state’s snow season is far from over. The typical snowpack peak doesn’t hit until April 7 – 20 days from now. And it’s looking like another big snowstorm is already on the radar for upcoming days, set to start on March 24.

Impacts of the swelling snowpack may mean a later start to summer recreation for those waiting for dry, snow-free alpine trails. The additional snowpack should also help the drought situation, with only 10 percent of the state currently experiencing drought (based on data collected prior to the big storm – new data will be released on Thursday). Already, the state’s drought situation is better than last year, when about 36 percent of the state was experiencing technical drought at this point in the year.

Find additional forecasting updates on the National Weather Service website.

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