By Paul Homewood
h/t Joe Public
Only one year to go then. They'd better get their blowtorch out!
Those who originally named the peak spoke as they probably found it, calling it "Snow Dun", from the Saxon for "snow hill". But Snowdon may lose its snow cover within 13 years as a result of climate change, Welsh scientists say.
Snow has been disappearing for some time from the peak, the highest in Britain south of the Highlands, but the Countryside Council for Wales (CCW) disclosed that this winter's accumulation is the lowest since records began 14 years ago. With only a couple of snowfalls this winter, the total depths measured are way down on previous years and, if the trend continues, any kind of the cover could disappear by 2020.
The loss of snow is already threatening the rare Snowdon lily, a relic of the last ice age, which relies on harsh winters to survive and is losing its habitat to bracken and other plants.
Lembit Opik, the leader of the Liberal Democrats in Wales and the MP for Montgomeryshire, said: "Snow-capped Snowdon has been an iconic Welsh image for centuries. It is shocking to think that in just 14 years, snow on this great mountain could become nothing but a permanent and distant memory."
Currently Snowden is covered in the white, thing of the past:
from Climate Change Skeptic Blogs via hj on Inoreader http://bit.ly/2ShKlPX
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