A new snow drought update shows much of the western U.S. is off to a rough start this winter, with record warmth and rain replacing snow in many places. As of early January, snow cover across the West was the lowest ever recorded for this time of year, and more than three-quarters of snow monitoring sites are reporting below-normal snowpack.
The hardest-hit areas include Colorado, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Oregon, and Washington, where many river basins are sitting well below average — some under 60 percent of normal. The San Miguel-Dolores-Animas-San Juan River Basin is currently averaging around 55%. Here in the Southwest, it’s been warm and dry, while in the Pacific Northwest, storms brought plenty of moisture but mostly as rain, not snow.
Snowpack matters because it acts like a natural reservoir, slowly releasing water in spring. With less snow and earlier melt, water supply concerns are growing, especially in the Colorado River Basin and along the Rio Grand. Recreation is also taking a hit, with limited terrain at some ski areas.
While a few storms may bring snow in the short term, forecasts lean warm and dry over the next couple of weeks — meaning snow drought conditions could worsen if winter doesn’t turn around soon.
