"If you are reading this on the East Coast, congratulations on the warmer weather you're finally getting this week. It was cold and snowy for a while there. Here in the West, we wish we'd been in your shoes. Spare a thought for the tens of millions of us who live on the other side of the continent, where a catastrophe is unfolding."
"Last year closed with the warmest December in the history of recordkeeping. It was 8.9 degrees warmer than the average from 1991 to 2020, and the warmest of all in a record that goes back to the late 19th century. Over this past weekend, my neighbors and my family walked with our dogs and our kids in T-shirts and shorts, because it was in the mid-60s in Colorado Springs."
"This year, our snowpack is among the lowest ever measured, which means it won't be enough to fill the rivers that are born in our mountains, which feed reservoirs and water farms from here to Los Angeles. Snow is finally coming to the mountains this week, but we still cannot avoid one of the worst water years in modern history."
A historically warm, dry winter in Colorado produced record-breaking temperatures and a greatly reduced snowpack. December ended 8.9°F above the 1991–2020 average, with mid-60s in Colorado Springs and a 68°F record in Denver on Feb 15. Snowpack levels rank among the lowest measured, leaving mountain rivers and reservoirs underfilled and threatening water deliveries to farms and cities downriver. The broader Western region is experiencing a drought on the scale of the past 1,200 years, stressing agriculture, municipal supplies, and the ski industry. Significant additional snowfall is required soon to avoid one of the worst water years in modern history.
Read at The Atlantic
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