Western U.S. snow drought reaches critical levels

While the eastern half of the United States basks-slash-suffers with above-average snowfall for the first time years, things aren’t so rosy across the western half of the country.

The U.S. West is suffering from a historic snow drought right now.

Winter snows are life for the western states.

Not only is winter recreation a supporting economic pillar, but the region heavily relies on mountain snowpack for its water supply heading into the warmer months. Ample snowfall also provides critical hydration ahead of wildfire season.

Weather patterns across the West have been anything but favorable for snowfall this season.

Persistent ridges of high pressure have kept above-seasonal temperatures locked over the region. In fact, the northwestern, western, and southwestern climate regions recently experienced their warmest December in 131 years of recordkeeping. Average temperatures across the region came in 8-9°F above normal.

We’ve also seen numerous strong atmospheric rivers wash ashore. These surges of tropical moisture push warm temperatures inland, raising snow levels to the point where heavy rain falls high into the alpine.

As a result, snow cover throughout the western states is the lowest it’s been in decades. The snow-water equivalent for the vast majority of the region was lower than 50 percent of normal at the start of February. Only a few spots in Wyoming, Montana, and central California kicked off the month with near-normal values.

The long-term outlook doesn’t hold much news. NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center calls for above-seasonal temperatures to persist through the end of this month and into the beginning of the spring.

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