WALDEN | Colorado hydrologist Maureen Gutsch trudged through the mud and slush to confirm a grim picture: The state just had its worst snowpack since statewide record keeping began in 1941.
Even more troubling, mountain snow accumulations peaked a month early and contained just half the average moisture.
As a warm winter with poor skiing conditions gave way to early springtime record heat, snow is vanishing from all but the highest elevations in the West. It’s a clear sign that water shortages could worsen the ongoing significant drought, barring an unexpected deluge…