Tomer’s Take: The ‘Super Soaker Storm System’ on 5/10-5/12 delivered 3-4 feet of snow to Pikes Peak (14,115ft).
Photos were taken by Luke Doyle while clearing snow at Glen Cove and higher up on Pikes Peak.
Robust Precipitation
Precipitation totals 5/10-5/12. The closest CoCoRaHS observation to Pikes Peak is 3.86″ recorded in Manitou Springs.
Next, let’s get closer to Pikes Peak and look at SNOTEL sites. The closest site is Glen Cove at 11391ft. The SNOTEL sensors recorded 3.4 inches of snow-water-equivalent (SWE) by 5/12. The site added another 0.2″ of SWE on 5/13.
Bottom line, both precipitation observations are similar and in agreement.
- Manitou Springs: 3.86″
- Glen Cove: 3.40″
How Much Snowfall?
10:1 Ratio: 34 inches to 39 inches
12:1 Ratio: 41 inches to 46 inches
14:1 Ratio: 48 inches to 54 inches
At Glen Cove, air temps were around 30 degrees, so we’ll use 10:1.
At higher elevations, air temps were colder, so we’ll use 14:1.
Estimated snow totals:
Glen Cove likely had three feet while the upper mountain had close to four feet.