Lack of snowpack in western states raises concerns of drought and wildfires this summer

 

Map and headline:  Snow Brains, 4/3/2026

Brent Glogau reports:

Regional Snowpack Breakdown 

There’s really not much analysis needed. 

The entire map is either red, orange, or yellow indicating we barely built the snowpack: 

• California: ~20% of normal 

• Nevada: ~20% 

• Utah: mostly 0–30%

• Colorado: ~15–40% 

• Arizona & New Mexico: near 0% in many basins

Not a single area is green, blue, or especially dark blue. 

Many were hoping for a miracle March to help save the snowpack, but it never happened. At this point, some ski areas are still open, but for many, the season is a wrap. 

Interestingly, when looking at the year-to-date precipitation totals, the West received enough precipitation, but it just wasn’t warm enough for it to fall as snow.

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