Many folks look outside on cool, rainy spring days and see flooded rivers and streams, green grass and cool temperatures and assume we are safe from drought. Yet climate change is wildly unpredictable, lulling us into false security with wet, cool, spring days, while preparing another summer of hot, dry temperatures. Because of a lean snowpack and low soil moisture, nature’s sprinkler system doesn’t have enough water in its tank. To sustain healthy rivers and healthy forests throughout summer, we must have a robust snowpack that couples with rain showers throughout May and June to skirt the more devastating impacts of drought: low stream flows, warm water temperatures, and wildfire.
