NOAA - Western US Snowpack Lowest In Decades, Esp. In CO River Headwaters Area; 2/1/26 Total Cover Lowest On Record

[hatrack]

https://www.cpr.org/cdn-cgi/image/width=1440,quality=75,format=auto/
Ed. - This photograph, dated 2/6/26, was taken in the Sunshine Mountains west of Boulder.

A warm, dry winter has left the Western United States with its worst snowpack accumulation in decades, according to federal data, which could portend a dangerous wildfire season and future water supply shortages. The “snow drought” is driven by record-breaking warm temperatures, causing precipitation to fall as rain instead of snow, and a lack of major precipitation in January, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Snowcover on Feb. 1 across the West was the lowest on record for that date, according to federal satellite data which goes back to 2001. The majority of snow monitoring stations in Colorado are observing low or record-low snowpack, with records stretching back to the 1980s. The lack of snow is already hurting Colorado ski resorts and mountain towns, which rely on winter tourism. But the hot and dry conditions may have dire downstream effects if snowpack doesn’t improve. That would require significant snowfall within the next two months, according to NOAA.

The lack of precipitation at the headwaters of the Colorado River is among the most severe in the entire basin, according to NOAA’s Colorado Basin River Forecast Center (CBRFC). Snowmelt from the Rockies flows into the Colorado River and its tributaries. The water then flows downstream to vital reservoirs like Lake Powell, which stores water for millions of people. Water from Lake Powell is released to generate hydroelectricity, and eventually courses downstream to states like Arizona and California.

Lake Powell is currently at only about a quarter full; forecasts for how much water it’s poised to receive are dim. The CBRFC estimates that the water supply flowing into Lake Powell will be just 38 percent of average through July. That marks a significant drop from the forecast just last month. The dire conditions could let up — wetter-than-normal weather is expected over the next two weeks, according to the National Weather Service. Some snow is expected on the Western Slope next week, but conditions are predicted to remain mostly sunny and warm on the Front Range and Eastern Plains. But with temperatures expected to stay high, it may be hard to keep any snow from melting.

EDIT

https://www.cpr.org/2026/02/06/dry-warm-winter-worst-snowpack-in-decades-colorado/

[mountain grammy]

1. I've now lived in Colorado for 42 years

nearly half my life.. 30 years at 8500 feet.. the last record high (before last year) on Christmas day was 28 degrees. on 12/25/2025 it was 54 degrees.
5 days at 50+degrees in December and no snow. What's even weirder is seeing above freezing temps at night.

Denver has felt more like Phoenix this winter.. gonna be 65 today! the most bizarre weather since I moved here in 1984.

[hatrack]

2. To me, the whole heart of the article was the photograph on the opening page . . .

February 6th, an hour's drive west of Boulder, and not a flake to be seen. Staggering.

[mountain grammy]

3. Indeed

It is staggering

[Mountain Mule]

4. I live in SW Colorado

And we have been experiencing record warmth and a record lack of snow. I never knew that day after day of sunshine could be so depressing.