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TELLURIDE SKI & GOLF COMPANY AND TIlE SOUTHWESTERN WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT PROGRAM--1997-98 FOR TIlE TELLURIDE SKI AREA AND UPPER SAN MIGUEL DRAINAGE BASIN The 1997-1998 winter season weather pattern in the United States was significantly influenced by El Niflo, a warming of the Peruvian coastal waters in the Pacific Ocean due to the slowing (or reversal) of the southern hemisphere's easterly winds. This slowing (or reversal) of the easterly winds inhibited the normal upwelling of deeper cooler ocean water, Moisture evaporated from the Pacific Ocean over the resulting warmer water was more abundant and at a closer proximity to the United States than normal which caused changes to the "normal" winter weather pattern. Generally, in an EI Niflo year, higher precipitation amounts are seen at the Western coastal and mountainous regions and in the Southern U.S, In an El Niflo event, a split flow between the northern and southern jet streams occurs. This caused Western Colorado in particular to receive lower precipitation than normal during the 1997-98 winter season. El Niflo years generally have slightly higher precipitation in the Springtime for Western Colorado. Because of the extensive media coverage about El Nino's potential for causing above normal snowfall in the Western mountainous areas (which may have included Colorado on a less intensive EI Niilo year), some residents in neighboring towns to the Telluride Ski Area became concerned about the potential for higher snowfall amounts and possibly a greater avalanche danger, and possible enhancement by the cloud seeding program. The cloud seeding participants (Telluride Ski area and the Southwestern Water Conservation Board) chose to be conservative in the number of early winter seeding operations because of these concerns. As it turned out, the months of November and December were well below normal in snowfall because of EI Niflo ... the split flow weather pattern did not allow for many seeding opportunities and many precipitation systems missed Colorado. Western Weather Consultants received the initial copy of the 5-year cloud seeding Permit on November, 1997 and the final version in January, 1998. This Permit discusses the operations and limitations during any seeding event. It also has reporting provisions to those concerned with the cloud seeding program.