Drought in Jackson County Below 9000 Feet, Colorado

April, normally the third snowiest month of the year with just over 9 inches, ended up being the third driest April on record for Denver. Only a trace of snow was recorded for the month with .23 inches liquid precipitation. The snowpack in the North Platte River Basin was only 44 percent of normal by the end of the month. The snowpack was much lower across some of the other Colorado river basins. The very dry conditions prompted the Governor to request a statewide emergency drought declaration from the U.S. Agricultural Secretary, making farmers and ranchers eligible for federal assistance.The persistent dry conditions made for an early fire season as well. The first significant fire of the season occured on April 23rd near Bailey. Very dry and windy conditions allowed the fire, initally started by a careless smoker, to blossom into a 2400 acre blaze before it could be contained. Fortunately no significant damage was reported to the homes or other properties in the area.