CLIMATE MATTERS: Heavy snowpack this winter will help reservoir levels in the Salt and Verde basins. - KVOA Tucson News
CLIMATE MATTERS: Heavy snowpack this winter will help reservoir levels in the Salt and Verde basins. | Climate Matters | kvoa.com
TUCSON, Ariz. (KVOA) — You have seen all the pictures and the videos from the snow on Mount Lemmon and other mountains around southern Arizona. Most of that snow will eventually melt and feed into our river system.
The good news is that our snowfall is not being impacted by the changing climate.
This is more a product of El Niño producing more snowfall at various intervals over the last 120 years. When we are in a La Niña pattern like we could be next winter, we will see less snow during the winter months.
This year we are seeing a strong El Niño which has led to more snow in our state on the mountains. That has led to heavy snowpack and that's a good thing because now the snow will melt slowly over time and be able to feed our water table and reservoirs into spring helping farmers in the city use more water that doesn't need to be shipped in from other places.
Related Knowledge Center: Climate: water resources
Extreme weather and prolonged drought in some regions are affecting electricity generation — notably hydroelectric and nuclear power.