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Snowstorms paint 'bullseye' on Denver Water collection area

February snowstorms drop 4-5 feet of snow in a week, boosting mountain snowpack.
February 24, 2025 | By: Jay Adams

Mid-February’s weeklong series of storms that dropped 4-to-5 feet of snow in areas of Denver Water’s collection area could be termed a “Sweetheart Surprise,” followed by a dumping of “Presidents Day Powder” that just kept going.

“It was an impressive week of snow with a bullseye right on our collection area,” said Nathan Elder, Denver Water’s manager of water supply. “After a couple dry weeks to start out the year, it was nice to see stormy winter weather return to the mountains.”

Elder said mountain snowpack in the parts of the South Platte and Colorado River basins where Denver Water collects its water jumped significantly due to the storms. 

From Feb. 14-21, snowpack in the Upper South Platte River Basin climbed from 84% of normal up to 108%. During the same time period in the Upper Colorado River Basin, the snowpack jumped from 105% of normal up to 120%.

A snow-covered creek with a mountain ski resort in the background.
Snow piles up along the banks of Tenmile Creek near Copper Mountain in Summit County on Feb. 19. The creek is one of the main tributaries of Denver Water’s Dillon Reservoir. Photo credit: Denver Water.

However you look at it, all the snow in the second half of February has been great news for our water supply. And there’s an interesting trend happening during the 2024-25 snow season in Colorado: The major storms keep hitting on the holidays.

The February storm cycle started just in time for Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14, continued dumping through Presidents Day, Feb. 17, and then another storm delivered a bonus round of snow Feb. 20-21. 

The snow is good news for Denver Water, which relies on mountain snow to supply water to 1.5 million people in the metro area.

Just take a look at the snow totals from the weeklong series of storms that spanned Feb. 14-21, as reported by the ski resorts located in Denver Water’s collection area:

  • Arapahoe Basin: 43”
  • Breckenridge: 47”
  • Copper Mountain: 45”
  • Keystone: 47”
  • Winter Park: 62”
A snowboarder in a helmet and red jacket slides down the mountain in a cloud of snow.
A snowboarder enjoys fresh powder at Winter Park in Grand County. The ski resort reported 62” of snow between Feb. 14-21. Photo credit: Winter Park Ski Resort.

It’s been a great winter so far at Winter Park and Copper Mountain, which have seen 257” and 255” of snow respectively as of Feb. 21, making them the two snowiest ski resorts in the state. 

Snowpack is a measurement of the amount of water in the snow if it were to melt. In general, about 10 inches of snow melts down to around 1 inch of water here in Colorado.

Chart on south platte snowpack, showing the increase in snowpack over the 2024-25 winter season.
The snowpack in the Upper South Platte River Basin where Denver Water captures water was at 108% of normal on Feb. 21. The blue line shows the accumulation in “steps” that coincidentally matched with various holidays. Image credit: U.S.D.A., Natural Resources Conservation Service.
Snowpack for the Colorado River, showing the increase in snowpack for the 2024-25 winter season.
The snowpack in the Upper Colorado River Basin where Denver Water captures water was at 120% of normal on Feb. 21. The blue line shows the accumulation in “steps” that coincidentally matched with various holidays. Image credit: U.S.D.A., Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Elder said what’s been interesting this year is that the majority of snow has fallen right around holidays starting after Halloween, then before Thanksgiving, between Christmas and New Years, and now between Valentine’s Day and Presidents Day.

“We can see the snowpack looks like steps on our charts around all these holidays,” Elder said. “With the recent storms, we saw basically an entire month’s worth of snow in seven days.”

Elder said that having the snowpack above 100% heading into March is a good sign for our water supply in the coming year.

A snow covered path between evergreen trees.
The Fraser River at the bottom of Berthoud Pass is covered in snow. The river is part of the Colorado River Basin where Denver Water captures snow for its water supply. Photo credit: Denver Water. 

“March and April are typically our snowiest months of the year in Colorado. Those two months usually provide about one-third of our annual snowpack. That’s because the snow that falls in those months has a higher water content than snow that falls in the beginning and middle of winter,” he said.

Denver Water’s total reservoir supply stands at 82% full as of Feb. 21, which is about average for this time of year. Remember that reservoir levels fall over the winter and then go back up in the spring when the snow melts.

As for what to expect for the rest of the ski season, maybe consider heading to the hills on St. Patrick’s Day or Easter, and who knows possibly even Mother’s Day in May!