DENVER (AP) — A draft report on climate change says computer models disagree on whether Colorado’s precipitation will increase or decrease as temperatures rise.
The report, released Wednesday, says most projections indicate less snow will accumulate in Colorado’s mountains because warming trends are causing it to melt earlier in the season.
The report was prepared for the Colorado Water Conservation Board by the University of Colorado’s Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences. The board is accepting public comment through April 11.
It says statewide annual average temperatures have risen 2 degrees Fahrenheit in 30 years, the same as North America as a whole.
The report says computer models project Colorado temperatures will rise 2.5 to 5.5 degrees by mid-century, compared with a 1971-2000 baseline.
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