Thread: Snow pack in June

This is Trail Ridge Road, Colorado, yesterday. The snow pack in the Colorado Rockies is around 200% of average for the time of year and we are expecting widespread flooding as the snow melts. We drove up to where the road was closed for snow removal and hiked up another couple of miles. It was a treat to be able to walk on the road that is normally busy with tourist traffic. The second picture is at the end point of our little hike.

Lovely area. Used to climb out of Boulder and to go on bike trips along the peak to peak highway south of there.

Is there any concern of flooding this year as thunderstorm seasons gets into full swing on top of the large snow melt?

I love the sedimentary look. Different layer for each snowfall/storm during past winter? Doesn't look like much melting going on right now as there doesn't appear to be any water on road or even an icicle or two in sight.

As you can tell from this pic it was reasonably warm, and the sun was strong so once the ploughs have cleared the road it tends to stay clear and dry. This pic is the point where cars were stopped although the road was actually clear for several more miles. When we were walking back down to the car the park rangers opened the barrier and allowed traffic all the way to the Alpine Visitor Center so we drove back up and beyond the point we had walked to.

There is concern for flooding. We're headed off Grand Junction next week for a short break and we're expecting to see areas where the Colorado River is out of its banks.

Edit: Here's a better look at the snow strata, which I believe are one per snowstorm.

On a related topic, I was in Edmonton, Alberta yesterday and it snowed, which had the natives in a tizzy: "It not like it to snow this late in the year, eh! I don't rightly recall it happening for some time, eh!"

And now I'm Houston and its 38 deg. C.

Great pictures by the way.

This is where the snow goes when it melts. It ends up in California, and a small dribble gets to Mexico.


Colorado River at Grand Junction. The cliffs in the background are Colorado National Monument, which is an amazing place to explore.
This was last Wednesday. The rivers are even higher today.