Dangerously hot and dry conditions in Colorado and other Southwestern states fueled by rising global temperatures are endangering the health of residents, reducing snowpack and water supplies, and driving large and more intense wildfires, a major report from the federal government has found. The findings were released Tuesday in the National Climate Assessment, the federal government’s primary compilation of scientific knowledge on climate change and its effects on Americans. … Warming temperatures and more intense periods of drought have depleted water supplies above and below ground, according to the report. The warming has also diminished the amount of snowpack and changed the timing of snowfall in Colorado and other mountain states, imperiling a flow of runoff that recharges the Colorado River and other water systems.

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