Monday Top of the Scroll: Another La Niña could be more bad news for the Colorado River
Our third La Niña weather pattern in three years seems almost certain, and one climate expert says that could be bad news for the already overtapped Colorado River. … The Climate Prediction Center for the National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration forecast a 91% chance of a La Niña weather pattern dominating the Northern Hemisphere from September through November, and a 54% chance from January through March of 2023. La Niña winters typically mean drier, warmer weather in the Southwest that can, although doesn’t always, spread as far north as Colorado’s southern Rockies, which would clearly drive down Colorado River flows. The last two to three years in particular have seen fairly low to very low river flows in the basin, at the same time La Niña conditions were present.
Related articles:
- Circle of Blue: Federal Water Tap, September 26: If Necessary, Interior Will Hold Back More Water in Lake Powell Next Year
- The Guardian: The secrets of Lake Mead and the drought exposing them
- Inkstain blog: It is time for the federal government to further reduce Glen Canyon Dam releases
- KOAA – Southern Colorado: Mighty Colorado River in crisis as water continues to drop at unprecedented levels
- Yale E360: New research - Loss of Arctic sea ice to give rise to more strong El Niños, study finds