The numbers are in, and Cortez is above its average precipitation for the month of February.
But it’s sort of a “teaser,” said Jim Andrus, a National Weather Service weather watcher in Cortez.
“February looked above normal, but all of that fell in two days,” Andrus said. “The rest of the month was bone dry,” he said.
Water equivalent for the month – 1.19 inches – is 124% of the 0.96 inches we normally see.
But a storm over Valentine’s Day weekend brought in most of that.
In terms of snowfall, 6 of the 6.1 inches of snow the city received all month fell in that two-day storm.
“I wish the weather would stop teasing and be more consistent in its gift of precipitation,” said Andrus.
That 6.1 inches of total snow for the month is 85% of the 7.2 inches that Cortez usually gets in February, and brings this season’s total snowfall to 10.8 inches.
Cortez typically has received 25.4 inches of snow by now, more than double the current total for the season.
And though the city surpassed water equivalence totals for the month, it’s behind as far as year-to-date totals go.
Usually, the sum of January and February’s total precipitation is 2.02 inches. We’re sitting at 66% of that, at 1.34 inches.
That’s because Cortez only got 0.15 inches of precipitation in January, a mere 14% of the typical 1.06 inches for the month.
“Thus, our drought remains at moderate levels,” said Andrus.
Temperature-wise, no record lows were set, but five record highs were.
- On Feb. 3, 64 degrees eclipsed the 1934 record of 63 degrees.
- On Feb. 4, 67 degrees eclipsed the 1934 record of 64 degrees.
- On Feb. 5, 65 degrees eclipsed the 1963 record of 64 degrees.
- On Feb. 7, 63 degrees eclipsed the 2015 record of 61 degrees.
- On Feb. 26, 66 degrees eclipsed the 1950 record of 65 degrees.
“The highest February temperature was 67 degrees on Feb. 4, while the lowest February temperature was 7 degrees on Feb. 13,” said Andrus.
“The latest 30-day drought forecast gives us a break for March with equal chances of normal temperatures and precipitation,” he said.
“I’m maybe hopeful things will improve given that forecast,” he added.
The 90-day forecast “remains pessimistic, calling for above normal temperatures and precipitation.”
“We need more storms like that (Valentine’s Day weekend storm) to break through this drought pattern,” said Andrus.
