Sierra snowstorms and raging rivers by Peter Gibbs
Many of the rivers across New Mexico are flowing at twice their normal Spring levels, as above-average snowpack and rising temperatures are sending copious amounts of water into catchment areas. Flows in the Rio Grande river, which runs through Albuquerque are expected to double again between now and May.
This may sound like good news for a region which, along with many other parts of the American West, has suffered a decade or more of drought but there are some concerns.
Engineers will be trying to manage water flows by controlled release from dams, but many structures have been built during the dry years in areas that are historically prone to flooding. Falling temperatures in the mountains have recently slowed the rate of melting, allowing river levels to stabilise. However, officials are concerned that a spell of heavy rain and warm weather, leading to rapid melting of the deep snow pack, would inevitably lead to flooding.
Further north, the mountain ranges of the Sierra Nevada have also picked up a deeper than normal covering of snow this winter and it hasn’t stopped yet. A storm dumped up to nine inches (23cm) of snow along the eastern side of the range on Tuesday, closing roads in Nevada for a time.
With so much snow around, some ski resorts are planning to extend their season. Squaw Valley, near Lake Tahoe in California, still has 10 feet of snow on the upper slopes and is expected to stay open until Memorial Day, 30th May.
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