A good start to snow season; more needed
Dec 06, 2018 | 1749 views | 0 0 comments | 92 92 recommendations | email to a friend | print
The normally red cliffs along the Colorado River were dusted with a fair amount of snowfall last weekend and the La Sal Mountains got about 30 inches, according to the Utah Avalanche Center. Photo by Doug McMurdo
The normally red cliffs along the Colorado River were dusted with a fair amount of snowfall last weekend and the La Sal Mountains got about 30 inches, according to the Utah Avalanche Center. Photo by Doug McMurdo
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While the sun has mostly melted the snow on the valley floor, the same cannot be said in the La Sal Mountains, where more than 30 inches of new snow fell between Friday, Nov. 30, and Sunday, Dec. 2, which saw more than 19 inches of new snow in a 24-hour period, according to the Utah Avalanche Center. Another system is expected to arrive Thursday, Dec. 6, and the National Weather Service forecasts it will stick around through Friday, Dec. 7, with the weekend clear, but cold.

This year, record low snowpack, dismal river flows, and above-average temperatures across the West led to fires, extreme drought, and threats of water shortage. Officials with the group Western Resource Advocates are tracking snowpack trends across the region and have studied the impacts of climate change on water resources.

Over the last half-century, many Western states have experienced decreases in the proportion of winter precipitation falling as snow and an increase in the proportion falling as rain, which runs off more quickly. This is primarily due to increased temperatures, driven by climate change.

Low snowpack in 2018 led to historically low stream flows in several major Western rivers, including the Colorado, Yampa and the Rio Grande.

“Low snowpack harms multi-billion-dollar outdoor recreation and tourism economies in Western states, including Colorado and Utah,” said Western Resource Advocates in a statement. “Low snowpack also stresses municipal water supplies; the Colorado River, with its headwaters high up in the Rocky Mountains, contributes to drinking water supplies for upwards of 40 million people.

Trends show that in Lake Powell, which receives the vast majority of its water from snowpack, water levels are not rebounding sufficiently even after periods of above-average snowpack. This is a new trend beginning in the 21st century.”

Despite receiving some above-average snowfall in places throughout the Colorado River Basin, the Southwest continues to experience drought conditions. The most recent U.S. Drought Monitor confirms the Four Corners is facing exceptional drought, noted Western Resource Advocates.

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