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There's A Troubling Twist To Average Snowpack

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Jun 3, 2009 7:02 pm US/Mountain

There's A Troubling Twist To Average Snowpack

Written by Environmental Specialist Paul Day
Reporting
Paul Day
DENVER (CBS4) ― What has turned out to be an average snowpack for Colorado this year has a disturbing twist.

"The impacts are somewhat troubling," said MIke Gillespite, supervisor for the government's snowpack survey.

Gillespite's records at the Natural Resource Conservation Service in Lakewood show the white stuff is melting out much faster than normal. In fact, on June 1, the statewide snowpack was just 32 percent of normal. And it's part of a trend. Eight of the past ten years have shown a similar early melt-out.

It means rivers will once again fall two or three weeks sooner than normal. People without access to reservoirs could come up short on water.

"The impacts will be seen later in the summer months when the streams recede back down closer to base flows," Gillespie said.

What's causing the early melt-out? Some of the blame this year goes to giant dust storms which coated the snowpack with heat absorbing material. But what about the other 7 years? Gillespie says he won't speculate whether it's global warming or part of a naturally-caused climatic variation.

Despite the early melt-out, reservoirs are at the highest levels in the past 10 years
Boaters should have a good early season until rivers begin to recede; and recent rains in the metro area mean the fire danger is reduced likely for at least a couple weeks.

(© MMX CBS Television Stations, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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