![]() In a 2018 study in NPJ Climate and Atmospheric science, the authors reported that “since 1915, the average snowpack in western states has declined by between 15 and 30 percent …. Our Changing Snowpack: Snowpack and Climate Change ![]() Even certain trees and animal species rely on snow as insulation and changes in snowpack and melt can affect fish spawning. Earlier snowmelt can mean a more challenging wildfire season. This increases how much snowmelt makes it to the rivers (again, that “runoff efficiency”), helps safeguard against wildfire conditions, and supports ecosystems for wildlife and plant species. ![]() A good snowpack also ensures high soil moisture. As we see some of our major reservoirs drop to unprecedented levels, we depend on precipitation to fill them up and continue to provide water to our cities and towns. Much of the recreation and agriculture that sustains economies throughout our region depend on healthy river flows, a steady and reliable snowpack, and predictable run off.Ĭommunities also rely on the snowpack to fill reservoirs that supply cities and towns with a steady supply of drinking water year-round. Snowpack is essential to creating healthy flowing rivers that support ecosystems and habitat for thousands of species, recreation, and tourism. Some of that water ends up soaking into the ground becoming groundwater.Īccording to the EPA, snowpack in most Western river basins is a larger source of water storage than human-built reservoirs. Mountain snowpack stores water in the winter and when it melts that water runs off into rivers and lakes, eventually reaching reservoirs which help provide hydropower, irrigation, and drinking water. While we might think of snowpack as the purview of winter recreationists, snowpack is a critical element of the water cycle in the West. More precipitation is falling as rain rather than snow, peak snowmelt and the timing of runoff has shifted earlier in the year, and how much of that snowmelt ends up in the rivers (also known as “runoff efficiency”) has decreased, all contributing to declining water levels in our streams, rivers, and reservoirs. While snowpack can naturally vary quite significantly from year to year, overall, climate change is negatively impacting this resource in multiple ways. A natural cycle of creating and distributing water across the West, “snowpack” refers to the amount of snow that accumulates in the mountains throughout the winter and early spring months. In the Colorado River Basin and areas that receive Colorado River water, this process provides drinking water to upwards of 40 million users across seven US states and northern Mexico. The NWS definition says the sky is classified as mostly cloudy when 3/4 to 7/8 of the sky is covered by clouds, and it can also be referred to as "considerable cloudiness.Water in the West is a cyclical process that flows through the seasons – snow blankets the mountains in the winter and early spring, then melts and runs off into rivers and lakes, and helps to fill our reservoirs through the late spring and summer months that eventually flow into our homes across the West. Sometimes, a "mix of sun and clouds" is used by some forecasters instead of "partly sunny" during the daytime hours, though it is not an official NWS term.Īs you may have guessed by now, mostly cloudy means there are more clouds than sun (or stars, at night). The NWS definition states that between 3/8 and 5/8 of the sky is covered by clouds when it's classified as partly cloudy or partly sunny. ![]() However, according to the National Weather Service, partly cloudy and partly sunny mean exactly the same thing. Sky Coverįor starters, partly sunny can only be used during the day. ![]() Here's a quick rundown that'll give you a little more background on a few commonly used weather terms. But do you know what those terms really mean? When you read your local weather forecast on, quite frequently you'll see terms like partly cloudy, partly sunny and mostly cloudy used. ![]()
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