J2.13 SYNOPTIC AND MESOSCALE PATTERN ASSOICATED WITH SUPER-COOLED LIQUID WATER CONTENT OVER THE MEDICINE BOW AND SIERRA MADRE MOUNTAINS

Snowpack in the Western high mountains during the winter and the attendant spring runoff provides needed water to lower elevations. Agriculture, recreation, water supply, and hydro-electric power are but a few of the users of this renewable resource. Snowpack becomes even more critical over the Intermountain West during the moderate to extreme drought conditions reported by NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center (CPC). Although Snowpack telemetry (SNOTEL) sites within the Medicine Bow and Sierra Madre Mountain ranges initially recorded snow water equivalents (SWE’s) nearly 130 % of average by February 2006, much of the Intermountain West remained below seasonal normals. Cloud seeding technology for enhanced snowpack may be beneficial for long-term water management. Th