water supply

Colorado Parks and Wildlife has begun selling 2026–2027 fishing licenses and is inviting anglers to a public meeting in Granby as regional snowpack sits well below average.

Below average snowfall this year is hurting the ski industry's bottom line in the Rocky Mountains, as resorts work to get guests on the slope with less snow. CSU Professor Michael Childers says this should prompt long-term thinking about climate change and the ski industry.

The Fetcher ranch in northwest Colorado is on the frontlines this year of record-low snowpack across the West. It's adding a sense of urgency among seven states to finalize a plan for how to conserve the dwindling Colorado River.

An unusually warm and dry January has pushed much of the western U.S. into one of the worst snow droughts in decades, with record-low snowpack raising concerns for water supplies and wildfire risk.

Cold nights are important for preserving snowpack and making snow at ski resorts. Climate change is affecting both.

A new snow drought update shows record-low snow cover across much of the western U.S., with warm temperatures and rain replacing snow. Experts warn that low snowpack could worsen water supply concerns and impact recreation if conditions don’t improve.

Forecasters say La Niña remains in place, but a shift to neutral conditions later this winter could shape snowpack and water supplies.

Farm leaders warn of mounting losses as trade tensions, global beef markets, and low snowpack threaten agricultural stability heading into 2026.

The Upper Arkansas Basin in the central part of the state is currently the driest, with about 49% of the normal snowpack.

Warmer temperatures in November meant that less snowpack accumulated. But storms did increase soil moisture in the Upper Colorado River Basin, making future precipitation more likely to run off slopesides and boost rivers and streams.