Nearly half of the western United States has emerged from drought this spring, scientists said Tuesday, but the welcome wet conditions haven’t fully rejuvenated the region.
Deep snowpack across much of the West will provide short-term relief, said hydrologists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, but the equally deep “bathtub loops” in Lake Powell and Lake Mead reservoirs are a reminder of the long way to bring supply and demand into balance.
This winter brought abundant and continuous snow from the Sierra Nevada to the Rocky Mountains, stranded population in their homes while setting records for accumulation and bringing much of the region out of the drought. The amount of precipitation is impressive, said Joseph Casula, director of NOAA’s Western Regional Climate Services, but the fact that snow is stuck so late in the season is probably even rarer.
“As the climate warms, the odds of such a prolonged cold anomaly occurring over an area as large as the West — the odds of that going down and down,” Cassola said.
Continued slow thawing helps reduce the risk of flooding and delays the worst wildfire threat in the region. Meanwhile, all that rain and snow is mean CA can provide 100% of the water required by cities and farms for the first time in years, and more flooding of farmland With excess runoff to replenish precious groundwater.
The big question is how much relief winter snow will bring to the Colorado River, which has been depleted by climate change, growing demand, and overuse.
a May 1 forecast By the Colorado River Forecast Center, said up to 11 million acres of water, or 172% of the average, could flow into Lake Powell, a massive reservoir that stores Colorado River waters for Arizona, Nevada, California, Mexico and dozens of tribes. This amount may be less depending on how much water the US Bureau of Reclamation spreads between upstream reservoirs.
According to the office 24 months operating planLake Powell could rise to about 3,590 feet by midsummer, 60 feet higher than it is today. This is a level not seen since 2020.
The strong winter takes some of the pressure off the system and gives states a little more room to come to an agreement on how to implement water cuts, said Jennifer Pitt of the National Audubon Society, which works to restore rivers throughout the basin.
With Lake Powell and Lake Mead reaching record lows last summer, the US Bureau of Reclamation told states they would need to cut their water use by 15% to 30%. Those cuts remain negotiationWhile federal officials are considering seizing more water at major dams.
“If everyone plays a role in solving the problem and we don’t put the entire problem on any one user, sector or geographic area, then when the pain is spread out, maybe the pain will be a little less everywhere,” Pete said. .
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