Overview
- - New readings show the Sierra Nevada at about 18% of average and Utah near 19% just before the usual April peak, with Utah’s statewide level projected to drop closer to 15%.
- - A late‑March heat dome drove temperatures far above normal and rapidly burned off snow, with attribution studies finding such heat would have been virtually impossible without human‑caused climate change.
- - Colorado officials report record‑low snowpack and note some rivers, like the San Juan, have already peaked weeks early, which means farmers without reservoir storage could lose access to water sooner than usual.
- - Water managers warn of reduced deliveries for some users, Denver Water declared a Stage 1 emergency with a 20% cut and outdoor watering limits, and federal forecasts indicate Lake Powell could fall below hydropower levels later in 2026.
- - With less snow acting as the West’s “natural reservoir,” experts expect a longer, riskier fire season, early grass fires have already appeared, and any spring storms are unlikely to erase the region’s sharp deficit.