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December 6, 2023

Low Precipitation and Warm Temperatures Drive Western Snow Drought Risk

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September 22, 2023
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Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Western Region for June–August 2023. Dated September 2023.

Temperatures were above normal across the Pacific Northwest and much of the Southwest. New Mexico, Washington, and Oregon had their third, fifth, and seventh warmest summer on record, respectively. Remnants of Hurricane Hilary brought heavy rainfall to southern California and the Great Basin in mid-August and contributed to much-above-normal total summer precipitation across the region.

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June 12, 2023
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This article in Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences was the result of NIDIS-supported research. Learn more about this research.

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June 20, 2023
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Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Western Region for March–May 2023. Dated June 2023.

Temperatures were generally cool to cold west-wide, with notable cold anomalies along the California coast and in the interior Intermountain West. With few exceptions, spring was wetter than normal in the western U.S., largely owing to a wet March.

June 15, 2023

This Year’s Snow Season Wipes Away Drought in Much of the West with the Exception of the Pacific Northwest

May 11, 2023

Rapid Snowmelt in the Pacific Northwest Contrasts with a Slow Melt of the Record Snowpack in the Rest of the West

May 11, 2023

2023 Winter Deluge Provides Relief Across Much of the West, But Long-Term Drought Questions Remain

April 6, 2023

Historically High Snow Levels in the Sierra Nevada and Great Basin; Snow Drought for Parts of the Pacific Northwest

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March 20, 2023
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Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook for the Western Region for December 2022–February 2023. Dated March 2023.

Temperatures were below normal across nearly the entire West with the exception of parts of southeast New Mexico. A series of atmospheric rivers from late December through mid-January brought heavy precipitation to California, the Great Basin, and parts of the northern Rockies where total winter precipitation was record high in some instances.

March 16, 2023

While the Snow Piles Up Across California and the Great Basin, Snow Drought Concerns Have Popped Up in Parts of the Northwest and Southern Colorado

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