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John Martin Reservoir State Park

Coordinates: 38°04′29″N 102°55′50″W / 38.07472°N 102.93056°W / 38.07472; -102.93056
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

John Martin Reservoir State Park
A view of the dam, near one of the park's campgrounds.
Map showing the location of John Martin Reservoir State Park
Map showing the location of John Martin Reservoir State Park
LocationBent County, Colorado, USA
Nearest cityLas Animas, CO
Coordinates38°04′29″N 102°55′50″W / 38.07472°N 102.93056°W / 38.07472; -102.93056
Area13,176 acres (53.32 km2)
Established2001
Visitors293,698 (in 2021)[1]
Governing bodyColorado Parks and Wildlife

John Martin Reservoir State Park is a state park in Colorado.[2] It contains John Martin Reservoir, which is the second largest body of water in Colorado by capacity.[3] It is also known for being a prime birdwatching location.[4] Bent County, Colorado has been documented to have over 400 different species of birds.[5] The namesake reservoir of the park is created by a 118-foot tall (36 m) and 2.6-mile long dam (4.2 km), which goes by the name of John Martin Dam.[6]

Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials released thirty black-footed ferrets into a prairie dog colony in the nearby Southern Planes Preserve in 2022.[7]

Climate

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According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, John Martin Dam has a cold semi-arid climate, abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps. The hottest temperature recorded at John Martin Dam was 115 °F (46.1 °C) on July 20, 2019, while the coldest temperature recorded was −27 °F (−32.8 °C) on January 30, 1949, January 18–19, 1984 and February 15, 2021.[8] The 115 °F (46.1 °C) reading is the highest reliably measured temperature ever recorded in the state of Colorado.[9]

Climate data for John Martin Dam, Colorado, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1941–present
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 79
(26)
83
(28)
90
(32)
95
(35)
103
(39)
111
(44)
115
(46)
111
(44)
106
(41)
99
(37)
87
(31)
79
(26)
115
(46)
Mean maximum °F (°C) 66.7
(19.3)
72.4
(22.4)
82.9
(28.3)
88.5
(31.4)
96.3
(35.7)
103.5
(39.7)
105.8
(41.0)
102.8
(39.3)
99.5
(37.5)
91.5
(33.1)
78.7
(25.9)
67.5
(19.7)
107.0
(41.7)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 46.3
(7.9)
50.3
(10.2)
60.8
(16.0)
69.0
(20.6)
78.7
(25.9)
90.4
(32.4)
94.7
(34.8)
92.2
(33.4)
84.8
(29.3)
71.7
(22.1)
58.1
(14.5)
46.5
(8.1)
70.3
(21.3)
Daily mean °F (°C) 31.3
(−0.4)
35.1
(1.7)
44.8
(7.1)
53.3
(11.8)
63.4
(17.4)
74.6
(23.7)
79.4
(26.3)
77.2
(25.1)
68.8
(20.4)
54.9
(12.7)
42.4
(5.8)
32.0
(0.0)
54.8
(12.6)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 16.3
(−8.7)
19.9
(−6.7)
28.9
(−1.7)
37.7
(3.2)
48.1
(8.9)
58.8
(14.9)
64.0
(17.8)
62.2
(16.8)
52.7
(11.5)
38.0
(3.3)
26.6
(−3.0)
17.5
(−8.1)
39.2
(4.0)
Mean minimum °F (°C) −0.6
(−18.1)
2.5
(−16.4)
12.1
(−11.1)
23.0
(−5.0)
33.6
(0.9)
46.2
(7.9)
53.9
(12.2)
51.7
(10.9)
38.7
(3.7)
22.7
(−5.2)
9.1
(−12.7)
−0.6
(−18.1)
−6.7
(−21.5)
Record low °F (°C) −27
(−33)
−27
(−33)
−22
(−30)
12
(−11)
21
(−6)
37
(3)
45
(7)
35
(2)
18
(−8)
−1
(−18)
−12
(−24)
−22
(−30)
−27
(−33)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 0.24
(6.1)
0.28
(7.1)
0.71
(18)
1.23
(31)
1.62
(41)
1.92
(49)
2.35
(60)
2.05
(52)
1.02
(26)
0.98
(25)
0.39
(9.9)
0.36
(9.1)
13.15
(334.2)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 1.7
(4.3)
2.4
(6.1)
1.4
(3.6)
0.2
(0.51)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.2
(0.51)
0.9
(2.3)
2.9
(7.4)
9.7
(24.72)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) 1.8 2.1 3.7 4.5 5.3 5.6 6.7 5.7 4.3 3.6 2.1 2.1 47.5
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) 0.8 0.9 0.4 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.2 0.4 0.9 3.8
Source 1: NOAA[10]
Source 2: National Weather Service[8]

References

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  1. ^ "Colorado State Parks Region Annual Visitation Report" (PDF). Colorado Counties, Inc. 2023. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 4, 2024. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
  2. ^ "John Martin Reservoir Home - Colorado State Parks". Archived from the original on July 23, 2009. Retrieved July 23, 2009.
  3. ^ Jay (March 26, 2014). "Esoteric Adventures: Eastern Colorado Water Adventures". esotericadventures.blogspot.com. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
  4. ^ Dumas, Tyler (January 12, 2024). "Nearly 80 bald eagles spotted in one day during survey at southeast Colorado reservoir". KRDO. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  5. ^ http://parks.state.co.us/NR/rdonlyres/498DD8FA-6959-49BA-AB27-382049664EF7/0/JM_Birdlist2313.pdf[permanent dead link]
  6. ^ "John Martin Reservoir State Park". www.sangres.com. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
  7. ^ Molseed, Megan (October 22, 2022). "One of North America's Rarest Mammals Released into State Park by Colorado Wildlife Officials". Outsider. Retrieved October 23, 2022.
  8. ^ a b "NOAA Online Weather Data – NWS Pueblo". National Weather Service. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
  9. ^ "State Climate Extremes Committee".
  10. ^ "U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access – Station: John Martin Dam, CO". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
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