Warming temperatures and shifting precipitation patterns will reshape the American, Bear and Cosumnes river watersheds, intensifying snowpack loss and placing greater strain on California’s water supply, a two-year study has found.
A draft watershed resilience report by the Regional Water Authority reviewed by The Sacramento Bee projects earlier snowmelt, shifting runoff patterns, and more water lost to evaporation due to climate change.
The report, expected to be released by the end of March, noted an average of 6.3 degrees of warming by the end of the century compared with temperatures from 1981 and 2010, with the Sierra region expected to warm even faster, and the American River area projected to face an average of 39 additional extreme heat days each year…