Melt Rate Of Wyoming Snowpack Well Ahead Of Historic Averages

[hatrack]

CHEYENNE, Wyo. -- Recent warm weather is melting snowpack across Wyoming faster than normal, state and federal officials say. The Natural Resources Conservation Service reports that snowpack statewide dropped from 95 percent of average to 83 percent of average between April 10 and Monday.

"We're right at the time when the snowpack would peak, the middle of April, so it's not unusual that snowpack would be dropping this time of year," said Ed Kouma with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation's Water Management Branch in Wyoming. Harry LaBonde, deputy Wyoming state engineer, said weather the past couple of weeks had been warmer than average, which has resulted in melting snowpack.

But LaBonde said, "Whether that trend will continue or not, I'll defer to the weathermen."

LaBonde said there have been a number of reports in the past 10 years or so stating that peak runoff is occurring earlier in the springtime as a result of global warming. On the Upper North Platte River, snowpack dropped from 107 percent to 98 percent of normal from April 10 to April 17. Snowpack on the Powder/Tongue River drainage dropped from 77 percent to 61 percent in the same period. Only the upper Yellowstone River drainage basin increased its snowpack in the week, from 104 percent of average to 105 percent.

EDIT

http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2006/04/20/news/wyoming/55-melting.txt

[phantom power]

1. These snowpack trends...

ought to scare the shit out of everybody who lives west of the Mississippi. And you folks east of the Mississippi ought to be scared too, cuz when the water runs out, 100 million of us will be heading your way.

[depakid]

2. without water

it's going to be kind of tough get that shale "oil."