"WALDEN, Colo. — Hydrologist Maureen Gutsch trudged through the mud and slush to confirm a grim picture: Colorado just had its worst snowpack since statewide recordkeeping began in 1941.

Even more troubling, mountain snow accumulations peaked a month early and contained just half the average moisture.

As a warm winter with poor skiing conditions gave way to early springtime record heat, snow is vanishing from all but the highest elevations in the West. This week’s record measurements are a clear sign that water shortages could worsen the ongoing significant drought, barring an unexpected deluge.

Gutsch struggled to match the mood of the sunny, 56-degree (13.3 degrees Celsius) weather as she stood in a section of the Rocky Mountains that’s considered the headwaters of the Colorado River."

Mead Gruver and Brittany Peterson report for the Associated Press April 1, 2026. [2]