Western US Snowpack Hits Record Low as California Falls to 18% of Average
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · May 11
Western US Snowpack Hits Record Low as California Falls to 18% of Average
14 articles · Updated · The Guardian · May 11
Climate Central data shows water stored in the western snowpack fell to its lowest level on record at the usual seasonal peak, after a record-warm winter and a March heatwave.
California's statewide snowpack was just 18% of average on April 1, while airborne Lidar surveys mapped the losses with roughly 3-centimeter accuracy and showed the decline continuing.
Nevada officials said spring runoff is arriving about two months early, draining mountain water supplies sooner and extending the dry season that raises wildfire risk.
Colorado River reservoirs already at critically low levels are unlikely to be replenished by snowmelt, adding pressure on water supplies for cities and farms across the West.
More than 60% of the lower 48 is now in drought, and experts say this year's snow drought may foreshadow increasingly normal conditions in a warming climate.
As megafires fueled by drought threaten homes, who will be left to insure the American West?
Can high-tech water recycling save Western cities as their historic mountain reservoirs dry up?
With states deadlocked, will the Supreme Court redraw the water map of the American West?
The 2026 Snow Drought: How Record Heat and Early Melt Threaten Water, Energy, and Ecosystems in the West
Overview
In April 2026, the Western United States experienced a historic snow drought, with the April 1 snowpack measurement among the lowest ever recorded. California’s snowpack peaked unusually early, around February 24, and rapid snowmelt began weeks ahead of schedule. This was driven by extremely hot and dry conditions throughout March, intensified by a warm atmospheric river in late February. Much of the winter precipitation fell as rain instead of snow, leading to earlier runoff and shrinking snowpack. These changes, clearly linked to record-breaking heatwaves, highlight the growing impact of climate change on water resources and regional drought risk.