Overview
- An intense late-March warm spell has stripped mountain snow across the West, with Sierra Nevada snow cover dropping from 52% on March 1 to 21% by March 24 in satellite images.
- Federal monitoring shows only five of roughly 70 Western river basins at or above normal snow water equivalent, with Colorado’s snowpack shedding more than 2.5 inches of water in a week during the heat wave.
- In California, forecasters report the fastest March drop in snow water on record, with peak melt running weeks early and April 1 readings in some areas expected to rival 2015 lows.
- Researchers report that low snowpack and early melt prime forests for worse fires by drying soils and vegetation sooner, which increases burn severity and the risk of long-term forest loss.
- Water utilities are moving to conserve supplies as forecasts flag reservoir risk, with Denver Water limiting summer outdoor watering and federal outlooks pointing to Lake Powell potentially falling below hydropower levels in December 2026.