The Never Summer Range May Need To Be Renamed

I've been in Colorado this week attending meetings at the National Center for Atmospheric Research and then taking some college tours with my son.  We had time today to visit Rocky Mountain National Park and do some sightseeing and hiking.

Although I've never spent any time in them, I've always had a thing for the Never Summer Range, which is just west of the park.  The name appeals to meteorologists, and on top of that, the peaks are named after clouds (e.g., Mount Stratus, Mount Nimbus, Mount Cumulus).  As can be seen below, however, the Never Summers may need to be renamed.  They are virtually snow free this fall.

The lack of snow is apparent throughout the Colorado Rockies.  The Andrews Glacier is hanging on, but barely.

Let's hope this winter brings the goods big time so we can have a temporary restoration of some of these dying snow fields.