Overview
- NOAA reports Western snow cover on Feb. 1 was the lowest in the satellite record, measured at 139,322 square miles.
- Oregon, Colorado and Utah recorded statewide snowpack lows as a stubborn high‑pressure ridge kept the region warm and diverted storms.
- Much of this winter’s precipitation fell as rain instead of snow, with early melt observed near 10,000 feet and snow water equivalent far below normal.
- The Colorado Basin River Forecast Center projects Lake Powell inflows at about 38% of average through July, imperiling water deliveries and hydropower with the reservoir roughly one‑quarter full.
- Ski areas report reduced terrain and lower visitation — Vail Resorts said skier visits were down 20% by early January — while a short‑term wetter pattern is expected but unlikely to erase deficits.