Scientists, meteorologists and ski resort employees all agree: Climate change could have devastating effects on the winter sports industry.

What are the resorts on Mt. Hood doing?

We spoke with a scientist, a meteorologist and a ski resort at Mount Hood to see how winter sports will be affected in coming years.

The amount of snow in the west has seen an average drop of 41 percent.

In fact, according to a letter published by researchers at the University of Arizona , between 1982 and 2016, the snow season across the western half of the US decreased by an average of 34 days.

They cite erratic snowfall totals and weak starts to the ski season in world-famous hubs like Vail, Colorado.

In recent years, headlines across the country have started shedding light on the effect climate change could have on the $20 billion winter sports industry.

Chapter one : Science behind climate change in the Northwest

Dr. Nick Bond, a Washington State University climatologist, says climate change isn't just marching forward -- it's speeding up.

The Pacific Northwest's highest mountains and volcanoes will really see shifts in the second half of this century. Dr. Bond says parts of the country will become a "different place."

"Our snow pack is going to be a lot less, from a water resources point of view," he said. "There's going to be probably a lot more floods in the winter. The precipitation that falls will be a lot more in the form of rain than snow, and there will be less water to get us through the dry summer."

Dr. Bond said we can expect a degree or two warming in the next couple of decades (with variation year to year), but after that, you can expect annual warming of three to five degrees.

KGW Meteorologist Matt Zaffino, who has been covering Pacific Northwest weather for the past 35 years, agrees.

"What I have seen is a trend towards the snow coming later in the year," Zaffino said. "We'll get a lot of heavy rain in November on relatively bare mountain ground, and that can lead to debris flows that wash out roads. We saw that on Mount Hood several times with Highway 35 in the last 10 years or so."