March is the snowiest month along the Colorado Front Range and this March, according to meteorologists, is the 4th snowiest on record. Of course, the massive snowstorm that occurred 10 days ago contributed significantly to that total but less impressive snowstorms and snow showers have been spaced through the month and are continuing this week.
Indeed, as I write this post, an intense snow shower is passing over Littleton, dropping an inch over the past 30 minutes. While some may despise the occurrence of snow in spring, it is vital to the health of this semiarid ecosystem; combined with the thunderstorms of May-June and the monsoon rains of August-September, the upslope snowstorms of March and April serve to combat drought which increasingly threatens this region.
One would hope that a wet spring will limit the use of irrigation along the Front Range but green lawns, however small, seem to be important for most homeowners. As the population continues to explode, record-breaking spring snow will provide but a temporary reprieve from the relentless effects of climate change.
