Wyoming Is Now Facing The Worst Mega-Drought In Over 1,200 Years
By Kim Magaraci|Published April 27, 2020
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Kim Magaraci
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Kim Magaraci graduated Rutgers University with a degree in Geography and has spent the last seven years as a freelance travel writer. Contact: kmagaraci@onlyinyourstate.com
According to hydrologists, climatologists, and those who study weather patterns, the Western United States is in a decades-long pattern of drought that can compare to the megadroughts of the 13th century. Drastically dry conditions like this haven’t been seen for more than 1,200 years.
Wyoming is no exception, and over the past 20 years, drought in Wyoming has created all sorts of problems on the open range, in forests, and in our parks.
Even in years where there is average or above average snowfall, issues with how quickly it's melting in a warming world causes drier conditions and can contribute to drought in Wyoming.
Earlier snowmelt caused by a warming climate also means slower snow melt, which leaves our rivers and streams drier. When snow takes longer to melt and starts earlier in the season, it doesn't flow as easily to our waterways.
The result is that rivers, usually filled to the banks by a steady snowpack, run dry. The vegetation along the banks can't stay alive without lots of water.
When you combine the early snowmelt with below-average precipitation, a huge problem can arise when the heat of the summer and thunderstorms come rolling in.
