January 8, 2026

Snow Drought Status Update

Record Warmth, Rain Instead of Snow Intensifies Snow Drought Across the West

Key Points

• Snowpack is an important and large natural reservoir for many Western communities, storing water in winter as snow that typically runs off in spring. Shifts in the timing and amount of snowmelt or runoff can present challenges to drought and water planning.

• Snow cover across the West on January 4 was 141,416 square miles—the lowest January 4 snow cover in the MODIS satellite record (since 2001).

• Snow drought is most severe in Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico. Over 80% of all Snow Telemetry (SNOTEL) stations in each state are experiencing snow drought, defined as snow water equivalent (SWE) below the 20th percentile.

• So far in Water Year 2026 (October 1, 2025–January 4, 2026), more rain than snow has fallen in many areas. Every major river basin in the West experienced near-record or record warmth through December 2025, inhibiting the accumulation of snow.

• Precipitation in the Pacific Northwest was above-normal in December but mainly fell as rain, intensifying snow drought. In the Southwest, snow drought intensified because December precipitation was below normal.  

• Snow is expected in parts of the West over the next few days, but the 2-week outlook shifts towards warm and dry conditions across the region. Snow drought will worsen if little to no new snow falls and existing snow melts. 

• Water supply concerns are increasing as snow drought in parts of the Colorado River Basin and other headwaters intensifies due to warm and dry or warm and rainy conditions. 

• Snow drought is impacting recreation across the West. For example, many ski areas are not able to open or have very limited terrain.

The rest of this snow drought update is available online.

For More Information, Please Contact:

Daniel McEvoy, Western Regional Climate Center

Daniel.McEvoy@dri.edu

Jason Gerlich, NOAA/NIDIS/CIRES Pacific Northwest Regional Drought Information Coordinator

Jason.Gerlich@noaa.gov

Amanda Sheffield, NOAA/NIDIS/CIRES California/Nevada Regional Drought Information Coordinator

Amanda.Sheffield@noaa.gov

NIDIS and its partners launched this snow drought effort in 2018 to provide data, maps, and tools for monitoring snow drought and its impacts as well as communicating the status of snow drought across the United States, including Alaska. Thank you to our partners for your continued support of this effort and review of these updates.

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NIDIS is an interagency program within the Climate Program Office, which is part of NOAA's Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research.