Global Warming Means Less Snow For Skiers, Boarders

By AP (Associated Press) - March 9, 2006

OSU Researchers Examine Issue

MOUNT HOOD, Ore. — Talk about slushy skiing. Oregon State University researchers say global warming may make for more rain and less snow during the winter in the Pacific Northwest.

snowIf average temperatures rise two degrees as predicted, ski resorts in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and parts of Montana could see a lot more rainfall in the winter over the next 40 years.

Popular ski resorts such as Mount Hood Meadows could see rain instead of snow about seven times more often during the winter and Willamette Pass may see it 22 times more often.

The region has already experienced some of the largest declines in snowcap in the Western United States. But the OSU researchers say they’ve now been able to identify more precisely where the snow may disappear.