A series of snowstorms in January has helped to lift the regional snowpack readings in Colorado, but more snow will be needed to bring the region up to its 30-year average.

In association with federal and state partners, Northern Water tracks snowfall and snowpack totals in the Upper Colorado River Basin and the South Platte River Basin, which includes tributaries such as the Cache la Poudre River, Big Thompson River, St. Vrain Creek and Boulder Creek. After a slow start to the season, regional snowpack readings are now close to the 30-year averages for late January, but are still lagging.

According to the Natural Resources Conservation Service, on Jan. 27, the South Platte Basin stood at 93 percent of its 30-year snowpack average, and the headwaters of the Colorado River were at 96 percent. The driest areas were in the southern portion of Colorado, with the Arkansas, Rio Grande and San Juan River basins each reading below 85 percent of average.

Through the winter, Northern Water will continue to monitor conditions, and the data accrued will be a significant factor in the Board of Directors’ decision in April to set a supplemental quota for users of Colorado-Big Thompson Project water.