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Monthly Stats from FOX21 Chief Meterologist Terry Gerbstadt

Contact Terry with questions at: tgerbstadt@fox21news.com

APRIL 2013 

It was another cold month in both Colorado Springs and Pueblo. This is the fourth time in as many months the mean temperature for the month has fallen below normal. In both cases, the difference was almost four degrees, a relatively large difference. In Pueblo, this month was tied for the 11^th coldest April ever.

Unfortunately, the month was also another dry month. In Colorado Springs, the deficit was over an inch. Only a third of an inch of precipitation was recorded, just 23 percent of normal. For Pueblo, the numbers were even worse. The precipitation total was just .3 on an inch, 21 percent of the average. Take a look at the year to date figures. Colorado Springs is at 52 percent of normal, and Pueblo is worse off at 40 percent.

The National Weather Service says there are equal chances of an above, below or normal mean temperature for the month of May. Similarly, their forecast for precipitation does not lean one way or the other. In May the average precipitation is 2.03 inches in Colorado Springs and in Pueblo it's 1.51 inches. The drought this year has made even average look good!

MARCH 2013

For the third straight month, both Colorado Springs and Pueblo were colder than normal. The Springs by .6 of a degree and Pueblo by 1.3 degrees. That's in contrast to March of last year when we were well above the averages.

Despite the cooler temperatures, it was another dismal month in the precipitation category. Colorado Springs managed only 18 percent of the 30 year average. Pueblo did a little better with 23 percent. Snow fell on 14 days in Colorado Springs, but the total only amounted to 4.2 inches. That's just over half of the normal amount, but considerably better than last year when the total was less than an inch. Pueblo did much better. The March average is 5.7 inches and that's exactly the total for 2013.

The 30 day outlook from the National Weather Service calls for above average temperatures in April for both cities. They are noncommittal on the precipitation amounts. Typical totals are just under an inch and a half. Keep in mind that significant snow can fall in April. On average, Colorado Springs gets 4.9 inches and Pueblo receives 3.8 inches.

FEBRUARY 2013

Cold and wet! That describes February in Southern Colorado. Both Colorado Springs and Pueblo were colder than normal for the second straight month. The Springs missed the mark by 2.7 degrees. Pueblo was a little bit closer at -2 degrees. Both cities benefited from greater than average snowfall. Colorado Springs received snow on 18 days amounting to 10.6 inches which was more than double the normal snowfall. A big chunk of that came on the 20^th when the city picked up 7.3 inches Fourteen days with snow gave Pueblo 1.5 inches above the 30 year average.

Colorado Springs now has a year to date precipitation figure of over and inch, or 265% of normal. The number for Pueblo is a bit more moderate, but still 160% of normal. We're off to a good start. Let's see if this pace can be sustained. National Weather Service projections for March say both the mean temperature and the precipitation will be close to normal. Those same forecasts indicate that most mountain locations will get above average precipitation.

JANUARY 2013

Just about average! That applies to the month of January if you're talking about the mean temperature in Colorado Springs. The city came up just .2 of a degree shy of normal. Normal is a target we missed when the subject is monthly snowfall. Despite having snow on eight different days, the total of 3.2 inches was only 57% of average. The moisture content was less than .2 of an inch. About the only positive thing we can say is that it is better than last January's .02 of an inch. We had 25 fair days, three partly cloudy, and three cloudy.

A similar tale was being told in Pueblo, cooler than average and drier than average. The average temperature was 1.1 degrees below normal. That's a big difference from January 2012 we the mean temperature was about 5.5 degrees on the warm side of average. With just under four inches of snow, we were 40% shy of the normal amount of 6.5 inches. The total precipitation was just .21 inches so we're off to another dry start to the year.

The National Weather Service outlook for the month of February indicates we should expect a close to average mean temperature, and something close to the normal amount of snowfall. That would mean 4.9 inches in Colorado and 3.8 in Pueblo. At this point, average would be just fine.

DECEMBER 2012 and ENTIRE YEAR

Considering the dry year we have had, December wasn't a bad month. In Colorado Springs, 5.4 inches of snow fell giving us 95 percent of average. The number wasn't quite as good in Pueblo, but the city managed to pick up 73 percent of the thirty year average. However, the yearly figures were dismal. For Colorado Springs, the total of 8.11 inches was less than half of normal. That made 2012 the fourth driest year recorded. Those statistics go back to 1895. Pueblo had even more trouble. The total was only 40 percent of what is expected. Record keeping for Pueblo started in 1888.

Colorado Springs was 1.2 degrees warmer than normal for the month, while Pueblo was actually slightly cooler. However for the year, it was a record setter in the Springs. The mean temperature for the year was 53 degrees making it the warmest year recorded edging out 1934 by .6 of a degree. You might recall June 26^th. That's when we hit 101 degrees for an all-time record high temperatures. The lowest temperature came on December 12^th when the mercury dipped to -3 degrees.

In Pueblo, the mean temperature was 2.9 degrees above the average of 52. That tied 2012 with 1969 for the fifth warmest year. The hottest day came on June 24^th when the temperature topped out at 107 degrees. That fell two degrees short of the all-time record set in July of 2003. The coldest day was December 12^th. The temperature dropped to -8 on that day.