Bad snow news for skiers and drinkers

Due to climate change, aka global warming, Rocky Mountain snowpack is getting smaller.

I'm really starting to get concerned about New Mexico's water supply.

Warmer Springs Causing Loss of Snow Cover throughout the Rocky Mountains
 

"Each year we looked at temperature and precipitation variations and the amount of water contained within the snowpack as of April," said USGS scientist Greg Pederson, the lead author of the study. "Snow deficits were consistent throughout the Rockies due to the lack of precipitation during the cool seasons during the 1930s – coinciding with the Dust Bowl era.  From 1980 on, warmer spring temperatures melted snowpack throughout the Rockies early, regardless of winter precipitation. The model in turn shows temperature as the major driving factor in snowpack declines over the past thirty years."

Runoff from Rocky Mountain winter snowpack accounts for 60 to 80 percent of the annual water supply for more than 70 million people living in the western U.S., and is influenced by factors such as the snowpack’s water content, known as snow water equivalent, and the timing of snowmelt."

 Got that?  Global warming = warmer springs = less snow = less water.  Reason for serious concern.