Publication: Associated Press

UCLA Expert: Park Williams: Associate Professor and Climate Hydrologist, Department of Geography

Synopsis: Climate change is turning major snow falls into more extreme mountain rain, worsening both dangerous flooding and long-term water shortages.

UCLA News:  “The implications are serious,” Williams said. Scientists expect more precipitation with warmer temperatures, but heavy snow’s flooding impact is lessened because it takes time to melt and it’s easier to monitor snowpack to see what’s happening, he said. “But as the proportion of mountain precipitation falling as snow decreases, flood hazards may enhance especially rapidly.” According to Williams, as warming causes rainier extremes, society is going to have to choose between cutting water use because of low water levels in reservoirs to absorb a possible large sudden mountain runoff event or building expensive new reservoirs.

Read more at Associated Press.