Snowmelt - Historical Cases

Historical Cases

In northern Alaska, the melt-date has advanced by 8 days since the mid-1960s. Decreased snowfall in winter followed by warmer spring conditions seems to be the cause for the advance. In Europe, the recent heat wave has especially been anomalous at higher altitudes. For the first time on record, some of the highest Alpine peaks in Europe are snow-free. Although it would seem that the two are related, the question of how much of this is due to climate change firmly remains a center of debate.

Increased water runoff due to snowmelt was a cause of many famous floods. One well-known example is the Red River Flood of 1997, when the Red River of the North in the Red River Valley of the United States and Canada flooded. Flooding in the Red River Valley is augmented by the fact that the river flows north through Winnipeg, Manitoba and into Lake Winnipeg. As snow in Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota begins to melt and flow into the Red River, the presence of downstream ice can act as a dam and force upstream water to rise. Colder temperatures downstream can also potentially lead to freezing of water as it flows north, thus augmenting the ice dam problem. Some areas in British Columbia are also prone to snowmelt flooding as well.