The Ordway new era., 1911-02-03
SHOWS OF A SEASON
Value as Source Of Supply for lr.
rigation Is Limited.
Agricultural Operations Are Most suc.
eessfuI at Attitudes Below 5000
Feet, With Possibly Some
Exceptions.

In the arid regions proper. the
streams that afford the principal
sources Of supply for irrigation rise
along the Continental divide and the
parallel ranges to the west. or among
their spurs. The snowfall of value
as source of supply for irrigation
during the summer may safely be lin
tied to areas In excess Of 1000 feet
In altitude. The area OF territory
above 1000 feet embraced In the
states and territories Of Colorado.
Idaho, Nevada. Utah. Arizona. New
Mexico is ll2.426 square miles. writes
F. II. Brandenburg in the Field and
Farm California. partly arid. has
6.24G square miles. In the study OF
snowfall In relation to irrigation. 1t
would seem that the ascertainment
Of the seasonal snowfall should prove
of greater value than data as to the
snowfall for the calendar year.
In Colorado the average for the area
between 5000 and 1000 feet is nifty
four inches: between 1000 and 5000
feet. ffty-eight inches: for the next
thousand. the amount Is 121 inches.
while for the next 1000 feet there Is
an Increase. but not so marked.
amounting to las inches. In Wyoming
between 5000 and 1000 feet the aver
age is forty inches: between 1000 and
5000 feet. fifty.seven inches. and prac-
tically double that value. or 11O
inches, between 5000 and 5000 feet.
Beginning with the area between 5000
and 1000 feet and taking succeeding
| al ~ m "
New Mexico are nineteen inches. for
ty, fifty and seventy-six inches re-
spectively. the last being for the area
between 5000 and 10000 feet. In
Nevada. for the area between 5000
and 900 feet, the records Of a large
number OF stations give an average OF
seven'y,two inches: for higher alti-
tudes the data are insufficient. but
the snowfall is doubtless greater.
The same is true Of the higher alti-
tudes in Utah. although the records
Of many stations in that state are
available for 5000 and 1000 feet and
1000 TO 5000 feet. the values being
flftysx inches and forty-one inches
respectively. For Idaho. Montana and
Arizona. data are available only for
5000 TO 1000 feet. In Idaho the
average is 1O3 inches. In Montana ~
inches. and in Arizona 46 inches. For
the entire area above 5000 feet In
Colorado the average for the driest
season is 64 inches. while for the wet
test the average Is $50 inches. In
Wyoming 1t Is 55 inches for the driest
as against an average Of 80 Inches
for the wettest. In New Mexico the
3 Txtrames are 20 inches and 50 inches:
Nevada, SO inches and 101 inches:
Utah, 16 and 81 inches: and for 5000
to 1000 feet the extremes are: In
Montana. 30 and 72 inches: Idaho. so
and 100 inches: Arizona. 20 and s6
inches.
In view OF the variations in the
amounts OF snowfall Of different sea-
sons, as Just shown. It Is manifest
that irrigation interests are much
toncerned as to the minimum and
maximum amounts that may be ex-
pected during a season. The great
est seasonal amounts Of snowfall
within the arid states. shown by the
records, are ms follows: Montana. at
lutte, altitude 5.728 feet. "a inches:
New Mexico. at Chama. altitude 1862
feet, 148 inches: Utah. at Park City.
altitude 6.846 feet. 1876 inches: Art
IONA, at Flagstaff. altitude 6.907 feet.
oOS inches; Wyoming. at Battle. alti-
tude 1916 feet. 246 inches; Idaho. at
Atlanta, altitude 1000 feet. 3lS inches:
Colorado, at Ruby. altitude 10000 feet.
GA inches; and Nevada. at Fordyce
Dam, altitude $500 feet. l.O67 inches.
the minimum record at this place In
ten seasons being 1913 inches.
During December and January the
snowfall is light along the eastern
slope OF the Continental divide and
/, is not uncommon for almost all the
snow that falls earlier In the season
to melt or evaporate under the infin-
ence Of the warm chinook winds
which prevail during these months.
April, May and June are exceeding
~ dry in southern New Mexico and
throughout Arizona. while July Is a
dry month in northern Utah: in Ne
vada, the dry period extends all
through July. August and September.
On the western slope Of the Conti-
mental divide. February. March and
April bring heavy SHOWS. while In the
Pacific states heavy SHOWS on the
mountain ranges are generally per-
sistent from December to March. Ag-
ricultural operations are most sue
cessful at attitudes below G,000 feet.
with the possible exception of locali-
ties where low altitude offsets to
some extent the influence of altitude.
such operations are, therefore. car
ried on in regions more or less re-
motely removed from the larger and
more reliable sources of supply.