Snowpacks are diminishing in Washington and Idaho quicker than anticipated, and it's safe to say the climate is changing - even right here on the Palouse.
According to a study by researchers at Oregon State University, the two states - and the rest of the West - are seeing precipitation in the form of more rain and less snow, largely due to rising temperatures.
Those same researchers examined 1,766 long-term snow monitoring locations throughout the western United States and found snowpacks had diminished at more than 90 percent of those sites. One-third of those sites saw a significant decline.
That's quite a change.
So, what does it all mean?
The droplets from the sky may be better for your daily commute, but it won't help build back snowpacks or assist firefighters during the peak of wildland fire season, not as much as the white stuff anyway.
The snowpack acts a natural form of water storage; it's able to store large quantities of water, which keeps undergrowth from drying out and fueling wildland fires.
The same can't be said for rain, which runs off, isn't stored for nearly as long and can result in warmer than usual springs that help melt snowpacks. Well, that's what the researchers say, anyway.
They also say 70 to 80 percent of surface water in the Pacific Northwest is derived from snowpacks, and the average snowpack in Western states has declined between 15 and 30 percent since 1915. That's a whole lot less runoff, which we count on to keep our streams and rivers flowing, our cropland irrigated and provide animals and people drinking water.
Whether you want to believe it or not, the climate is changing - even if it's not yet all that glaring here in the Inland Northwest.
It's not like everyone is up in arms about the lack of snow and increase in rain. And who would keep track of that? Only researchers would. And chances are, their research is better than yours.
Climate change is happening, and one day, we will feel the pinch here on the Palouse. We hope we are prepared when that day comes.
