Western cities map snow by air to refine water forecasting

By BRITTANY PETERSON
Associated Press

GUNNISON, Colo. (AP) — Drought-prone cities in the U.S. West are mapping snow by air to refine their water forecasts. It’s one way water managers are adjusting as climate change disrupts weather patterns and makes forecasting trickier. Western states for decades primarily measured snow through remote sensing sites that were generally at elevations of around 9,000 feet. That helped them estimate how much water would later fill reservoirs. In mid-April, a plane equipped with lasers, sensors and cameras flew over the Colorado River’s headwaters to measure the area’s snow by air for the first time. The measurements could give local officials more confidence in water forecasts.