Based on long term records, March is the snowiest month in Metro Denver. This is not unexpected since the undulating jet stream of spring ushers in a string of Pacific storms, creating upslope snowfall on the eastern flank of the Continental Divide.
In Denver's case, this scenario most often develops when the storm's center of low pressure crosses southern Colorado; counterclockwise winds surround the low, sweeping moisture toward the higher terrain of the Front Range. Typically, such storms bring heavy, wet snow that melts rapidly under the higher March sun.
As we have observed this year, global warming may accelerate the development of this spring jet stream pattern, producing upslope snowstorms earlier in the year. Snowfall was especially heavy in February, evidence that it may steal the crown from March as climate change progresses. As I discussed in a previous post, global warming may also affect the intensity and timing of the annual Southwest Monsoon, bringing more uncertainty regarding vital precipitation for this semiarid ecosystem.
