The West’s mid-March heat wave and deepening drought are worsening the outlook for Colorado River flows this year, according to forecasters.
What was already a dismal snowpack in the river’s Rocky Mountain headwaters has begun melting early, with little prospect for replacement from major snowstorms. The result is a substantial downgrade from the government streamflow forecast of March 1 and the potential for it to drift lower still under expected blue skies ahead.
“The two-week weather outlook is favoring continued warmer and drier than normal weather,” Colorado Basin River Forecast Center hydrologist Cody Moser said, “and if this persists, record low spring runoff is increasingly likely at some locations.”…