"Warm temperatures and extremely low snowfall threaten water resources for the year."

"While record snowfall and single-digit temperatures pummel much of the United States, an extreme snow drought and unusually warm weather are keeping skiers off the mountains, snowmobilers off the trails and water out of the rivers across much of the West.

In many places famed for deep natural snow, including Park City, Utah; Vail, Colo.; and central and eastern Oregon, much of the ground is bare or blanketed with mere inches rather than feet of snow.

The extent of snow-covered ground is at a record low. Instead of the typical winter sports, people across the West are still hiking and biking in 50- and 60-degree weather.

Many are closely watching snowpack measurements because snow in the mountains provides natural storage for water in the arid West. The runoff will be slowly released in the coming months, acting as a primary water resource for millions of Western residents and for irrigating farm fields and filling trout streams and reservoirs."

Jim Robbins reports for the New York Times February 2, 2026. [2]

SEE ALSO:

"Western Ski Resorts and Their Terrible, Horrible, No Snow, Very Bad Year" (New York Times) [3]

"California’s Snowpack Is Shrinking, but Winter Isn’t Over Yet" (KQED) [4]