TELLURIDE – According to a recently published report by the
National Wildlife Federation on the effects of global warming,
Colorado’s ski industry has reason to worry. Published on Jan.
28 and titled “Odd-Ball Winter Weather: Global Warming’s Wake-Up
Call for the Northern United States,” the report outlines
oddball winter events across the country and states that those
oddities in weather events will continue if global warming
pollution continues unabated. For ski resorts in Colorado, the
report predicts that winter weather will continue to become
milder and shorter with snowfall inconsistencies. In fact, the
report states that the extent of snow cover across the Northern
Hemisphere has decreased by approximately three to nine percent
since 1978, with especially rapid declines in the western U.S.
At the same time, the last few decades have brought fewer
seasons with extremely high snowfall levels and more seasons
with extremely low snowfall totals. Illustrating the oddball
behavior, the report compares the ye