Scant snow, rain leave reservoirs around West below average

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — Scant snow and rain are leaving reservoirs around the West well below average.

The bright spots are the Green River basin in Wyoming and the Duchesne in northeast Utah. And, forecasters say near-normal March temperatures in the Colorado River basin mean snow hasn’t melted as quickly.

Still, the Colorado Basin River Forecast Center says there’s only a 10 percent chance that enough precipitation will fall this spring to bring inflows back to average.

Weather patterns in the next couple of weeks could bring rain and snow to West and boost water supplies, but confidence in the forecast is low right now.

The lackluster runoff won’t immediately affect millions of Colorado River water users.

But the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation says another dry year could trigger shortages.