California’s snowpack shrinks, igniting concerns of early wildfires
California’s snowpack is dwindling, and climate scientists believe another record-breaking hot summer could be in the cards, ramping up the possibility of an early fire season. The state’s snowpack is at 14% of average peak snowpack, down from 96% on April 1 — the date snow scientists consider the height of the snowpack, according to the state. The snowpack is melting a little faster than usual, but state scientists said the rate of snowmelt isn’t entirely abnormal. However, climate scientists believe early snowmelt this year could be partly due to human-caused climate change. Andy Reising, manager of the California Department of Water Resources’ snow surveys and water supply forecasting unit, said it’s important to understand that snow is not melting uniformly across all watersheds.
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