Early snowmelt in Western mountains means drier summers, more wildfire risk: study

Leaner snowpack in Western Canada and United States mountain ranges is causing drier summers and increasing wildfire risk, says a new study from the University of Colorado Boulder. Lead author Kate Hale said her team analyzed mountain snow data and found snowpack water storage decreased more than 25 per cent from 1950 to 2013. This, she said, can be attributed to earlier snowmelt, less snowfall and more rain. “We actually saw some of the strongest signals up in the Canadian Rockies, by way