Can a Super El Nino Save Colorado From Deepening Drought Conditions?

Can a Super El Nino save Colorado from deepening drought conditions?

Not even a Super El Nino — which climatologists say is likely to develop this summer — could undo the damage in Colorado after a historically low snowpack. It may, however, offer a glimmer of hope that relief is on its way.  “Overall, between the very low snowpack and the warm, dry winter and start to spring …. we are in drought conditions across basically the entire state, and they, at this time, are worsening,” said Peter Goble, the assistant …

A super El Niño is in the forecast. Here’s what that means for Colorado.; Colorado just experienced its worst winter on record. The state could get moisture from a super El Niño later this year, but experts say to watch for a summer monsoon first.

As Coloradans grapple with a record low snowpack heading into summer, the super El Niño and strong monsoon season in the forecast could provide some late summer relief.

We wait for the return of El Niño as La Niña ends

When the Pacific Ocean runs cold, the snow rarely falls in faraway Colorado. For the past three out of four winters, the weather pattern known as La Niña has dominated the Colorado region, resulting in lower snowfall in the high mountains of Central Colorado. But this cool phase of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) has now run its course, and while this means we are currently in a neutral stage of the cycle, a strong El Niño warming is pre…