Slate takes a look at the coming El Niñoâthe biggest everâand while there's lots of rain coming to California this winter (rain the state needs, rain that won't be enough), we're not going to see much snow:
One place that probably wonât benefit from this winterâs El Niño is the Northwest. Itâll be another low-snowpack year, putting additional pressure on salmon, hydroelectricity, and ski resorts in the Cascades. Local officials are treating the current âwet droughtââin which rain and high temperatures have replaced snow for many parts of the Northwestâas a possible preview of global warming. Officials in Washington state, for example, are modifying river flows as a last-ditch effort to provide cooler water for migrating salmon. As this year has proved, a dearth of snow has lasting implications for several monthsâincluding an increased risk for huge wildfires come summer. Expect more of the same next year.
Who is going to get snow? Colorado. Head east, young snowboarders. And... yes, people who lose their homes to wildfires have bigger problems than snowboarders with nothing to ride.