Sudden snowpack drop

Snowpack is the water stored in mountain snow, and across the western United States it fell with unusual speed in March 2026 after extreme heat. (nohrsc.noaa.gov) NASA satellite comparisons cited in April 2026 coverage showed mountaintops in Utah, California, and Colorado losing large amounts of snow between February and March. Climatologist Russ Schumacher said March is usually a major snow month, but this year brought “way-off-the-scale warmth” instead. (thecooldown.com) California’s April 1 survey at Phillips Station found no measurable snow, and the state Department of Water Resources said record-hot March weather and high-elevation rain erased the Sierra Nevada snowpack months early. By April 11, California’s statewide snow water equivalent chart showed 0.0% of average in the northern, central, and southern Sierra. (water.ca.gov) (cdec.water.ca.gov) Colorado’s numbers were also historic. The Colorado Climate Center said April 1, 2026 was the worst snowpack year in recorded state history, and Russ Schumacher wrote that 60 of 64 long-term snow-course sites were lowest or tied for lowest on record. (climate.colostate.edu) A seasonal summary published April 12 by Poudre Rock Report said the winter of 2025-2026 was Colorado’s warmest on record and had the lowest snowpack ever recorded. The report said 18 of 64 mountain sites had no snow at all on the survey date, and five of those sites had never previously dropped below 5 inches of snow water equivalent on that date. (poudrerockreport.com) Snow water equivalent is the amount of liquid water inside the snowpack, and water managers use it to estimate spring and summer runoff. When that reservoir shrinks early, rivers, reservoirs, farms, and cities get less delayed meltwater later in the season. (poudrerockreport.com) (thecooldown.com) The timing is part of the problem. April 1 is typically near the seasonal peak in California and Colorado, but March 2026 heat pushed melt forward before the normal late-season buildup arrived. (water.ca.gov) (climate.colostate.edu) The National Operational Hydrologic Remote Sensing Center’s Central Rockies analysis shows how fast the retreat continued into April. On April 12, 2026, snow-covered area in that region was 19.5%, down from 48.8% a month earlier. (nohrsc.noaa.gov) That leaves two immediate effects heading into late spring: less water stored for summer and thinner coverage for trails and high-country travel. The opening image in this story is a snow reservoir that emptied early. (thecooldown.com) (poudrerockreport.com)