‘Don’t put any money on it’: Water commissioner warns ‘super’ El Nino does not guarantee record snowpack in Colorado
A water commissioner for the Blue River Basin gave an update on the state of water resources to Dillon Town Council Aug. 18. Troy Wineland told the council that about 99% of the state has been in some stage of drought throughout the summer after Colorado saw its worst snowpack year on record last winter. … Weather patterns have shifted from a La Niña to an El Niño, Wineland said, where temperatures over the Pacific Ocean increase and affect wind and precipitation behaviors globally. While El Niño typically brings above-average snowfall to the coasts and southern United States, Wineland said it consistently brings higher temperatures to Colorado’s central Rockies. “People are saying, ‘We had a bad year, we’re going to rebound, and we’re going to have a record snowback,’” Wineland said. “Please, please, please do not put any money on it.”
Other El Niño news:
- Stocktonia: Critical Stockton levee work races toward completion as ‘super’ El Niño brews
- KPBS (San Diego): With a strong El Niño on the way, only 17% of San Diego’s storm channels can handle a 100-year storm
- KCRA (Sacramento, Calif.): NorCal’s winter outlook: NOAA says El Niño is making wet conditions more likely
- UC Agriculture and Natural Resources: Blog: What is a strong El Niño and what does it mean for California?
