According to a new study from the University of Colorado Boulder, there is an increase in winter snowmelt across the West. The analysis from CU Boulder examined 40 years of data and determined that snowmelt has been increasing in all of the cold season months – from October to March. The study indicated that melt before April 1 has increased by an average of 3.5% per decade. This trend is shifting the timing of water entering the system, which could affect everything from wildfire seasons to agricultural irrigation needs. The new research was published in Nature Climate Change. This was the first study to compile data from all 1,065 automated stations that continuously record snowpack in western North America, showing that winter melt trends are widespread.
Read more on this story from University of Colorado Boulder.
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