Snowpack is low

Snowpack — the mountain snow that melts into streams and reservoirs — is running far below normal across parts of the Northwest and Rockies as spring water season begins. (usda.gov) In Idaho, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said the state’s snowpack peaked on March 17, nearly three weeks early, and was one of the lowest on record since federal measurements began in the 1930s. By April 1, about 25% of Idaho’s snowpack had already melted statewide. (usda.gov) The Natural Resources Conservation Service said Idaho’s statewide snowpack reached 68% of normal, and the agency warned that “every Idahoan will feel the impacts” in creeks, rivers, lakes and reservoirs this spring and summer. (clearwatertribune.com) In Colorado, a dry winter pushed snowpack in the Colorado River Basin to about 25% of normal near the basin’s usual April 6 peak, according to the Colorado Basin River Forecast Center. State officials said the shortfall has renewed interest in cloud seeding, which tries to make storms drop a little more snow by releasing silver iodide into suitable clouds. (coloradosun.com, kunc.org) Colorado’s weather modification manager, Andrew Rickert, told KUNC he had recently heard from two major ski resorts asking about cloud seeding after the state’s record-low winter snowpack. Colorado has run cloud-seeding programs since the 1950s, but officials describe it as a limited tool that depends on storms already being present. (kunc.org, cbsnews.com) On Vancouver Island, British Columbia’s April 1 survey put snowpack at 44% of normal even though the province as a whole was near normal at 92%. CBC reported researchers expect lower summer streamflows and added stress for salmon already dealing with warmer water and habitat damage. (cbc.ca, gov.bc.ca) Low snowpack changes more than ski conditions. Federal drought officials said April 1 snow water equivalent — the amount of liquid stored in snow — is a key measure for spring runoff, and this year’s western snow drought points to tighter water supplies for farms, fish habitat, hydropower and wildfire season. (drought.gov) The pattern has also started to shape summer planning. Long-distance hikers and local water managers both use runoff timing to judge creek crossings, reservoir refill and fire risk, and an early melt shifts all three earlier on the calendar. (usda.gov, drought.gov) The immediate question now is whether late-spring rain and cooler weather can slow the losses. Idaho water officials said a cool, wet spring would help extend supplies, but the winter deficit is already locked into much of the 2026 runoff season. (clearwatertribune.com, usda.gov)