An otherwise dismal snow year in Colorado has one clear upside: At least the snow that has fallen on the state isn’t dusty. Each year, storms pick up dust from across the Southwest and drop it on Colorado’s mountain snowpack, where it can hasten melting. Earlier snowmelt has ripple effects on water supplies, forecasts, irrigators and ecosystems. … Dark dust layers on the snow’s surface absorb more solar radiation, which causes the snow to melt faster and earlier in the season. When that happens, it changes how plants use water. They send more moisture into the air, which reduces the amount of water entering streams and rivers, according to researchers.

Other snowpack news around the West:

• Edhat (Santa Barbara, Calif.): California’s snowpack shrinking rapidly, raising concerns for summer water supply
• Los Angeles Department of Water and Power: News release: Eastern Sierra snowpack levels show progress
• This Is Reno (Nev.): Few winter storms leave Tahoe area snowpack below normal despite near-normal precipitation
• The Record Courier (Gardnerville, Nev.): February snow melting off in a hurry
• Denver Gazette (Colo.): Snowpack still at record low in Colorado with hot and dry days likely ahead
• University of Nevada, Reno: Blog: What makes Tahoe snow so unique?