Overview
- Scientists report unusually rapid melt from the Sierra Nevada to the Colorado Rockies after record March heat left little mountain snow.
- Denver Water ordered its first restrictions since 2013 and asked for a 20% cut in use after snowpack in its supply basins fell to the lowest levels in 40 years.
- Major Colorado River reservoirs remain well below average as Lake Powell has dropped about 7 feet this year, threatening supplies for 40 million people and hydropower output.
- Wildfire season is likely to begin early as high-elevation forests dry sooner than normal, with the latest federal outlook showing above-average June risk across the Four Corners.
- A March 23 study in Environmental Research Letters links earlier melt to larger and more severe fires, though cooler, wetter spring weather could still reduce some of the danger.