It’s been dry in Colorado. No doubt about it. But there is time yet to make up for diminished snowpack, right?
Maybe not.
Word from those participating in the National Drought Early Warning Outlook said Colorado’s outlook is pretty dismal.
According to a story in The Daily Camera:
“The conditions for Colorado are very poor,” said Mike Strobel, director of the National Water and Climate Center under the Natural Resources Conservation Service, based in Portland, Ore.
Strobel said in an interview following his presentation that Colorado was at 72 percent of its normal snow pack as of Feb. 1, and at 69 percent of its average reservoir storage on that same date.
Several basins in Colorado, Wyoming and New Mexico are at less than 50 percent of their normal snowpack.
That’s going to leave the region with many and varied problems this spring and summer, including increased fire danger, water restrictions and drought conditions for farmers.
It’s something we all need to think about as we start watering lawns and washing cars. Voluntary conservation at the outset will hurt a lot less than mandatory restrictions down the road.