Leaner snowpack and earlier melt has Western water out of whack, study shows

KUNC | By Emma VandenEinde

Published May 30, 2023 at 12:25 PM MDT

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Katherine Hale, the lead author of the study, bends down to grab something out of her backpack while collecting measurements near the Continental Divide in the Front Range, Colo., in May 2022. She is not surprised by the findings that snowpack water storage has been decreasing over time.

Kate Hale

A new study out of the University of Colorado Boulder shows that less snow is falling and snow is melting earlier in the Mountain West, a trend that has big implications for agricultural, wildfire risk and water supplies.

A new study out of the University of Colorado Boulder shows that less snow is falling and snow is melting earlier in the Mountain West, a trend that has big implications for agricultural, wildfire risk and water supplies.