Intermountain West Snow Drought and Water Supply Briefing

Welcome

Speaker: Meredith Muth, NOAA’s National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS)

Snowpack and Drought Conditions and Outlook

Speaker: Dan McEvoy, Desert Research Institute and the Western Regional Climate Center

• Severe snow drought, one of the worst in the past 40 years, persists for much of the Colorado and Rio Grande Basins, even with recent snowfall.
• Dry conditions are only partially responsible for the low snowpack. Persistent above-average temperatures have led to precipitation falling as rain, as well as increased snowmelt. This has greatly increased the severity of the low snowpack conditions.
• It will be difficult for the Colorado and Rio Grande Basins to recover at this point in the season, and peak snow water equivalent (SWE) will likely be much below normal.
• For more information on snowpack, visit the NRCS Snow and Water Interactive Map.

Regional Water Supply Status and Forecasts

Speaker: Paul Miller, NOAA National Weather Service Colorado Basin River Forecast Center 

• Historically dry conditions are reflected in water supply forecasts. Lack of precipitation-producing events has led to record-low snowpack in some areas. Warm temperatures have also contributed to poor snowpack conditions.
• Recent storm activity has had little impact on snowpack and water supply forecasts. The recent storm activity over the Colorado River Basin has only been minimally beneficial.
• Streamflow forecasts are still important despite dry conditions, and reservoir operators continue to rely on forecast information to efficiently and effectively manage resources.
• For more information, visit the Colorado Basin River Forecast Center.

Potential Impacts to Wildfire Activity

Speaker: Tim Brown, Desert Research Institute and Western Regional Climate Center

• Snow is a factor in determining how much grass compaction occurs.
• Late winter through spring precipitation will be a factor in determining how much additional fuels will grow.
• Timing and extent of spring green-up may impact when larger fire occurrence begins.
• Higher-elevation vegetation may become drought stressed from reduced soil moisture.
• Reduced snowpack could limit prescribed fire activity during the spring.
• For more information on fire outlooks, visit the National Interagency Fire Center’s Wildland Fire Outlooks.

Q&A and Closing

Speaker: Meredith Muth, NOAA/NIDIS

• Subscribe to NIDIS emails for the latest regional drought updates, webinars, and news. You can also sign up to receive drought alerts when the U.S. Drought Monitor or U.S. Drought Outlook updates for your city/zip code. 

Additional Regional Resources

• Read a 2025 hazard summary for the Intermountain West (Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming) from Western Water Assessment.
• Stay up to date on current conditions, outlooks and forecasts, and snow drought across the Intermountain West with drought.gov. You can also view data and maps by state: Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming.