Good news for Colorado; it has been snowing a lot this Winter! We all know that snow is a major factor in how the western states get their water. The timing for snow melt is very important. Both the later in the year and the faster it melts, the better. In this case, there will be more water, for a longer period of time. This was actually studied in 2011-12.
Research was conducted by the US Geological Survey scientists after the snow melts in 2011 and 2012. In 2011, there was a high amount of snow that was produced over the Winter months, which started to melt around the month of May and ended melting in July. This was considered a quick melt, and it resulted in a lot more water flowing into the rivers. But in 2012, there was a very low amount of snow that was produced. Because there wasn’t much of a base, the snow started melting early in the season and ultimately took a long time to fully melt. As a result, there was a significant shortage in the water flowing into the rivers.
This Winter, we are hoping for a lot more snow to increase the likelihood the melt will start later into the summer and go quickly. If so, the amount of water generated will help prevent the drought in the western states from getting even worse.
Photo Credit: Juliet Studness
Cited Sources
“From Snow to Flow.” Water Data Labs, https://labs.waterdata.usgs.gov/visualizations/snow-to-flow/index.html#/.