The Water Information Program

The official weather site at Denver International Airport recorded just 3.26 inches of precipitation by Wednesday, National Weather Service hydrometeorologist Frank Benton said. That's a third less than the record set in the drought year of 2002, when 4.65 inches of precipitation was recorded by July 9. The 2002 year total of 7.48 inches of precipitation stands as the driest on record, dating back to 1872. The fact that many areas of the central and northern mountains had a good snow year is saving metro Denver from the serious consequences of a drought, Benton said. "That will fill up the reservoirs." Reservoirs on the South Platte River system are at 87 percent of their historical average, and those on the Arkansas River are at 84 percent, said Mike Gillespie, snow survey supervisor for the Natural Resources Conservation Service. Water storage on the Western Slope is more than 100 percent of average. 

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