The western US is in a snow drought, and storms have been making it worse

Lejo Flores, an associate professor of geosciences, published "The western US is in a snow drought, and storms have been making it worse" in The Conversation on Jan. 8, 2026.

An excerpt from the article follows:

"Much of the western U.S. has started 2026 in the midst of a snow drought. That might sound surprising, given the record precipitation from atmospheric rivers hitting the region in recent weeks, but those storms were actually part of the problem.

Typically, hydrologists like me measure the snowpack by the amount of water it contains. When the snowpack's water content is low compared with historical conditions, you're looking at a snow drought.

A snow drought can delayed ski slope opening dates and cause poor early winter recreation conditions.

It can also create water supply problems the following summer. The West's mountain snowpack has historically been a dependable natural reservoir of water, providing fresh water to downstream farms, orchards and cities as it slowly melts. The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that up to 75% of the region's annual water supply depends on snowmelt."

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