GHG Accumulation in our atmosphere has led to increasing instability and chaotic weather.
Our weather and climate are getting less predictable with less precipitation. That means more drought and hotter temperatures.
A recent report in the Uncompahgre Valley reported that 72% of farmers and ranchers were directly effected by drought and some are selling their operations (Nathan Perry 2026).
Our Changing climate is influenced by several factors but predominantly it is influenced by our atmosphere trapping heat due to much higher concentrations of greenhouse gases.
Increased heat in our atmosphere dramatically influences normal weather patterns to become more chaotic- hurricanes, droughts – and are much less predictable.
Fortunately our weather has not been as disruptive as the hurricanes along the coast, and tornadoes in the Midwest. Unfortunately we are seeing lower elevation aspen groves dying, we are seeing much lower amounts of snowfall, snow storms are not as common, drought is a common problem, forage production is greatly reduced and our temperatures are setting record highs.
The Uncompahgre Valley is already faced with a water shortage. With our snowfall this year, reported by Russ Schumacher, Colorado’s State Climatologist, is the lowest at this point in the winter since at least 1987 and this year has the lowest snow water equivalent since the two terrible years of 1977 and 1981, and lower than any of the other years in the record.