Warmer winters and snow drought may threaten western U.S. water by speeding flows, study finds

As future shifts in climate lead to more rain and less snow in the western United States, new research finds that water will move faster through a landscape, likely leading to negative impacts on summer water levels and water quality.

#SnowDrought #water

https://news.oregonstate.edu/news/warmer-winters-and-snow-drought-may-threaten-western-us-water-speeding-flows-study-finds

Hydropower generation expected to recover despite snow drought in the West

U.S. hydropower generation is expected to increase by 5% in 2026 but remain 1.8% below the 10-year average following snow drought conditions in some states.

#hydropower #SnowDrought #drought #water

https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=67444

#Colorado residents face earliest #WaterRestrictions ever — a harbinger of worse to come

Nearly every snow basin in the Mountain West had one of its warmest winters on record and is well behind normal for water supplies.

March 27, 2026, 9:11 AM EDT
By Evan Bush

"As a result of a #SnowDrought and a #HeatWave that have both set records, some Colorado residents face the earliest restrictions on their water use ever imposed.

"#DenverWater announced Wednesday that it is seeking a 20% cut in water use, asking people to turn off automatic watering systems until mid-May and restricting the watering of trees and shrubs to twice a week.

" 'The situation is quite serious,' said Todd Hartman, a spokesperson for the utility. 'We’re in such a dire situation that we could be coming back to the public in two or three months and saying you’re limited to one day a week.'

"It is the earliest in the year that Denver Water has ever issued a restriction, Hartman said.

"Colorado’s #snowpack peaked at extremely low levels on March 12 — nearly a month earlier than usual — then cratered during the recent heat wave that cooked nearly every state in the West.

" 'We already had the lowest snowpack we’ve seen since at least 1981, and now, with the heat wave conditions, we’ve already lost about 40% of the statewide snowpack' since the March 12 peak, said Peter Goble, Colorado’s assistant state climatologist. 'Conditions are looking more like late April or early May.' "

Read more:
https://www.nbcnews.com/science/environment/colorado-earliest-water-restrictions-ever-snow-drought-rcna265377

#USWx #WesternUS #Drought #ClimateCrisis #WaterIsLife #ClimateChange

This Year's Snow Drought is Etching Itself Into Utah Forest History

Without a winter snowpack to convert into spring runoff, trees will shift into very low gear, growing little and leaving narrow bands in their tree-ring records. In really bad years there is no growth, and no ring, at all.

#tree #drought #Utah #SnowDrought

https://www.usu.edu/today/story/this-years-snow-drought-is-etching-itself-into-utah-forest-history