| John Martin Reservoir State Park | |
|---|---|
![]() A view of the dam, near one of the park's campgrounds.  | |
![]()  | |
| Location | Bent County, Colorado, USA | 
| Nearest city | Las Animas, CO | 
| Coordinates | 38°04′29″N 102°55′50″W / 38.07472°N 102.93056°W | 
| Area | 13,176 acres (53.32 km2) | 
| Established | 2001 | 
| Visitors | 293,698 (in 2021)[1] | 
| Governing body | Colorado 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. Bent County, Colorado has been documented to have over 400 different species of birds.[4] 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.[5]
Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials released thirty black-footed ferrets into a prairie dog colony in the nearby Southern Planes Preserve in 2022.[6]
Climate
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.[7] The 115 °F (46.1 °C) reading is the highest reliably measured temperature ever recorded in the state of Colorado.[8]
| 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[9] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: National Weather Service[7] | |||||||||||||
References
- ↑ "Colorado State Parks Region Annual Visitation Report" (PDF). Colorado Counties, Inc. 2023.
 - ↑ "John Martin Reservoir Home - Colorado State Parks". Archived from the original on July 23, 2009. Retrieved July 23, 2009.
 - ↑ Jay (March 26, 2014). "Esoteric Adventures: Eastern Colorado Water Adventures". esotericadventures.blogspot.com. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
 - ↑ http://parks.state.co.us/NR/rdonlyres/498DD8FA-6959-49BA-AB27-382049664EF7/0/JM_Birdlist2313.pdf%5B%5D
 - ↑ "John Martin Reservoir State Park". www.sangres.com. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
 - ↑ 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.
 - 1 2 "NOAA Online Weather Data – NWS Pueblo". National Weather Service. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
 - ↑ "State Climate Extremes Committee".
 - ↑ "U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access – Station: John Martin Dam, CO". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
 

