Climate forecast: Warmer, less reliable Truckee River
By Benjamin Spillman, Reno Gazette-Journal
An updated report on climate change that forecasts less snow in the Sierra Nevada and warmer temperatures across the Great Basin doesn’t bode well for fishing and water sports in the Truckee River.
And while average to above average mountain snow in winter 2015-16 has provided a welcome reprieve from five years of drought conditions, the long-term forecast for the remainder of the century is a different story.
The latest version of the Bureau of Reclamation’s SECURE Water Act Report forecasts a continued warming trend that threatens to undermine environmental features that make the Truckee River a vibrant place for fishing and other water sports.
The report, which has segments for several major Western river basins, says the mean annual temperature in the Truckee River Basin, an area that includes Reno, Carson City and Lake Tahoe, is expected to increase 5 to 6 degrees Fahrenheit during the 21st century.