US EditionRecord Low Colorado Mountain Snow Won't Bode Well for Water in the Drought-Stricken US West - The Nevada Independent
Statewide snow-water equivalent averaged 3.3 inches, or 22% of the 30-year median, after March heat drove the fastest melt on record.
- On April 1, Colorado snowpack hit its lowest level in recorded history, with statewide snow-water equivalent averaging just 22% of the historic median, according to the Colorado Climate Center.
- Record-Shattering heat in March drove the fastest snowpack melt-off ever recorded, with statewide levels dropping by nearly 5 inches in two weeks, according to Colorado State Climatologist Russ Schumacher.
- Of 64 mountain sites monitored across Colorado, 60 recorded their lowest snowpack measurements ever for April 1, and 18 locations had never been snowless before this year.
- More than one-fifth of Colorado is now facing exceptional drought conditions, the highest level, prompting governments and water managers to implement immediate water restrictions and wildfire preparations.
- Forecasters expect April will bring more active weather than March, which may slow the melting of remaining snow, though officials warn this will not alleviate the significant water deficits already established.
18 Articles
18 Articles
The Billings Gazette
Record low Colorado snow worsens Western drought
WALDEN, Colo. — Hydrologist Maureen Gutsch trudged through the mud and slush to confirm a grim picture: Colorado just had its worst snowpack since statewide record keeping began in 1941.
Record low Colorado mountain snow won't bode well for water in the drought-stricken US West - The Nevada Independent
After a warm winter with poor skiing conditions gave way to early springtime record heat, snow is vanishing from all but the highest elevations in the West. It's a clear sign that water shortages could worsen.
Vail Daily
Summit Daily NewsIt’s official: This is Colorado’s worst snowpack year on record, as some mountain sites start April snowless for first time ever
Large swathes of the Colorado Rocky Mountains that are usually covered in snow this time of year started out the month barren, leading climate experts say the state is officially facing its worst snowpack on record. Of the 64 sites across the mountains where manual snow course data has been collected monthly for more than half a century, 60 either tied or had the lowest measurements on record for April 1, according to the Colorado Climate Center…
As Colorado faces historically bad snowpack, a new study links low snow with more severe wildfires that damage forests
A new study out of Western Colorado University has implications for the wildfire season ahead as nearly the entire West faces record-low snowpack conditions. The paper, published last month in the peer-reviewed journal “Environmental Research...
Steamboat Pilot & Today
Glenwood Springs Post IndependentIt’s official: This is Colorado’s worst snowpack year on record, as some mountain areas start April snowless for first time ever
Large swathes of the Colorado Rocky Mountains that are usually covered in snow this time of year started out the month barren, leading climate experts say the state is officially facing its worst snowpack on record. Of the 64 sites across the mountains where manual snow course data has been collected monthly for more than half a century, 60 either tied or had the lowest measurements on record for April 1, according to the Colorado Climate Center…
March was extremely warm in the U.S., especially in the southwestern half of the continent. The western United States has also been warm all winter, and this combined to lead to record low snowpack in the mountains there in early April.
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