Doing an interview with one of the few talk format radio stations left in the state this morning, interviewer observed that although everyone is saying that this winter in the upper midwest has been cold, hard and snowy – if you remember more that 40 years ago, this would just have been called “winter”.
While the Eastern US has had a lot of snow, and continuing cold, the Rockies are in a snow drought that is impacting the economy, above.
What happens in the mountains in winter, makes a big impact on what happens in Agricultural zones in Summer…
A good atmospheric river would go a long way to solve the problem. Stay tuned.
Key Points
- Hot, Hot, Hot. All five states in the Intermountain West region (Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming) had their warmest December on record.
- Low Snowpack. The recent record-setting warm weather led to precipitation falling as rain instead of snow, particularly at mid-elevations. Combined with lower-than-average precipitation, this resulted in reduced snowpack in the Intermountain West. Some stations are recording their lowest or near lowest snowpack on record.
- Current Impacts. Recreation is being impacted by the lack of snow, as some ski areas in the region have not yet been able to operate at full capacity.
- Looking Ahead. Models forecast above-normal temperatures for the next three months, which may continue to impact snowpack accumulation. February and March historically see the most snow of the winter months. However, even if heavy snowstorms arrive, they still may not be enough to make up for the deficits in snow accumulation to date across the region. Three-month precipitation outlooks for Arizona, New Mexico, and southern portions of Utah and Colorado favor below-average precipitation;northern Colorado and Utah have equal chances of above-, near-, or below-average precipitation; and above-average precipitation is favored for Wyoming. Drought conditions are expected to persist across the region and expand in southern Colorado and western New Mexico.
- Future Impacts to Water Supply. Snowpack directly impacts timing and volume of spring runoff, and with current forecasts showing below-normal spring runoff, concerns are growing in the region about water supply. Significant snow is needed over the coming months to compensate for the lack of accumulation so far. Most major reservoirs entered this water year with below-average water storage. Key headwaters for these reservoirs, including in the Colorado River and Rio Grande, need above-average precipitation, in some cases over multiple years, to bring water supplies back to sustainable levels.
Could there be something different about the…climate?