Snow levels rise in the Sangres, but still below average

It’s beginning to look a lot more like Christmas.

Snowpack levels in the mountains above Taos have jumped significantly in the last couple weeks, but snow depths still lag behind average.

As of Dec. 6, the snow water equivalent (the amount of water in the snowpack) in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains east of Taos was 66 percent of normal, according to data from the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Snowpack is measured at several Snotel (snow telemetry) sites across the range.

As of Dec. 5, Snotel sites in the southern Sangres showed snow depths between four and 12 inches. One site at Taos Ski Valley recorded a snow depth of 13 inches on Dec. 5.

Taos Ski Valley was reporting a 20-inch base Dec. 6, with 26 inches of snow reported so far this season. The resort was originally scheduled to open Thanksgiving Day. It announced it was delaying that opening to Dec. 15, only to change the date to Dec. 9 after a series of storms dropped several inches on the mountain.

Snow was in the forecast ahead of opening day Dec. 9. Forecasters were also predicting a bout of cold air this week that was expected to get chilliest on the morning of Dec. 8.

Temperatures this week were expected to dip thanks to arctic air moving into Northern New Mexico. But overall, the Climate Prediction Center expects the winter to be warmer than average thanks to a weak La Niña weather pattern.

For the rest of the winter, forecasters expect normal to below normal precipitation.

The Climate Prediction Center expects a better chance of below average precipitation for the next two months, but drought conditions are not expected to worsen at least through the end of February.

The U.S. Drought Monitor currently shows no drought across most of Taos County, with “abnormally dry” conditions — the lowest level of drought — on the eastern and northern fringes.

Since Jan. 1, most of Taos County has seen above average precipitation, though it has been below average since Oct. 1.