Poor runoff could spell drought this summer in the Colorado River Basin, despite near normal winter snowpack
Snowpack was near normal for much of the upper Colorado River basin this winter. By April 1, which is what hydrologists typically consider to be the end of winter for water measurement, the upper basin had received about 90% of its historical median snowpack. … Despite the overall positive snowpack report, hydrologists and drought forecasters are not optimistic about runoff. Forecasters predict that through July, runoff will be at 67% of average above Lake Powell, the largest reservoir on the Upper Basin. “Dry soils across the West, both going into the winter season and during the spring, combined with a relatively hot, dry March have really diminished our predicted streamflow for the summer,” said Nels Bjarke, a hydrologist with the Western Water Assessment.
Other Colorado River Basin news:
- Las Vegas Review-Journal: Hoover Dam, called a ‘high hazard,’ may get $50M for upkeep
- KOLO (Reno, Nev): Lee, Cortez Masto introduce bill on Hoover Dam funding
- KSL NewsRadio (Salt Lake City, Utah): Utah’s snowpack melting fast as state suffers drought conditions
- Source New Mexico: Brace for a bleak water year on top of ‘nightmare’ fire weather season
- Denver Gazette (Colo.): Particularly dry Colorado region could get 24″ of snow over upcoming days
