Wyoming is among the western states projected to see multiple years in a row without any snow as soon as 35 years from now.
That’s according to a new recently released report published in Nature that notes that unless progress is made on climate issues, we could be in for a low-too snow future.
Almost 75 percent of water use in western states comes from snowpack, and Matt Rice with the group American Rivers says the report should be a red flag for water managers and policy makers to make plans now for a future with a lot less water. Rice says, “How do we build resilience in this new more arid future for the West? It’s important to make sure that we have the ability to keep water in rivers, to dedicate water to the environment, for fish, for wildlife.”
Rising temperatures already have cut snowpack by 20% below the 1950s’ levels, and researchers project that by the century’s end, most years – up to 94% – could see little or no snowfall within 35 to 60 years in the future.
Loss of snow will not just close ski resorts, but scientists already have linked vanishing snowfall to more frequent and catastrophic wildfires.
The report also concludes that the issue of water storage must be addressed with consideration of new conservation measures.
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