From Us Locally Sourced February 10, 2026

Covering Disappearing Snowpacks

Explore how “snow droughts,” like the one seen this winter in the Western US, are becoming more common at historically snowy elevations as our planet warms

By CCNow
Locally Sourced

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Story Spark: Disappearing Snowpack

Snow is hard to find this winter in many places famed for their snowy slopes. Record low snowfall in the Western US has pushed Colorado, Utah, and portions of California into “uncharted territory” with some areas seeing their snowpack, or accumulated compressed snow, at their lowest levels in decades. Even if relief, however unlikely, arrives with a late season snowstorm, this bad season speaks to a larger issue of “snow droughts” afflicting many of the world’s mountain ranges, including the Hindu-Kush Himalayas and the European Alps, as a result of warming temperatures, shifting precipitation patterns, and weakening storm systems. 

The impact of this disappearing snowpack extends far beyond poor conditions for winter recreation — and prospective sites for future Winter Olympic Games. Snow plays a vital role in protecting ecosystems, lowering the threat of wildfires, and replenishing water reservoirs downstream. The US Geological Survey estimates that up to 75% of the American West’s annual water supply depends on snowmelt, while the melting snow in the Himalayas feeds a dozen of Asia’s major rivers — forming the backbone of drinking water, irrigation, and hydroelectric power for billions. 

As warming winters lead to more rain than snow events at historically snowy elevations, investigate how this precipitation change threatens local economies, strains ongoing water scarcity, and impacts your area’s agriculture. Also understand that even in a warming climate, there will still be good snow years. A rebound in snowpack next year does not mean the overall trend has changed; data shows a slow and steady decrease in springtime snow cover across the Northern Hemisphere since the 1980s.

Expert Tips

Daniel Swain, PhD, a weather and climate scientist at the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources (UCANR), offers tips on reporting on shrinking snowpacks. He frequently provides climate context about extreme events like floods, droughts, and wildfires to facilitate accessible and accurate coverage of these events. 

There’s two main ways to get a low snowpack. One, of course, is to have no precipitation of any kind falling. The other way is to have plenty of precipitation, but it’s too warm, so it melts quickly or simply falls as rain. This is what we have been seeing across much of the Western US this winter — as record warmth is leading to a record low snowpack, despite above average precipitation. Make it clear which issue your area is facing; it could be both. 

Elevation matters. Going up a couple thousand feet can be like going decades back in time in terms of temperatures, and that matters a lot for snowpack. We’re seeing very little, if any, declines in snowpack at much higher elevations, but huge losses at low to moderate elevations, between 3,000 and 6,000 feet, where the majority of people live. What’s going on at the top of the mountain is not just unrepresentative of what’s happening at lower elevations, but also less important when it comes to ecosystems, wildfire risks, and watersheds. 

Winter weather isn’t simple, so speak to a scientist. Communicating the nuances of elevation changes and the competing influences of a warmer atmosphere is important: Warmer temperatures lead to less snow, but warmer air holds more moisture, which can lead to more snow in some situations. Reach out to your local meteorologist and ask about these things, because these details matter and it’s easy to miss important pieces of what’s going on. 

Stories We Like

  • The Xylom highlights how apple farmers in India must haul piles of snow, called “white manure,” from higher elevations to irrigate their orchards left parched by lack of snowfall in the valleys. 
  • Climate journalist Ben Tracy, on assignment for Climate Central, examines how a giant “snow cooler” could help keep some ski slopes alive for winter, and why future Winter Olympic Games will need more than just tech to survive.  
  • A lack of snowpack and other climate change impacts primed the Pacific Northwest for historic and deadly flooding last year, Grist reports.
  • With climate change increasing the spread of wildfires, Inside Climate News explores how the snowpack is melting earlier in burned forests — long after the flames have been extinguished. 
  • KING 5 Seattle examines what the shrinking snowpack in the Pacific Northwest means for fishing, farming, skiing, and more in a recent climate special.
  • In New Hampshire, researchers struggle to piece together the extent of the state’s shrinking snowpack due to scattered historical observations, New Hampshire Bulletin reports.

Resources

Experts

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