State of the Western U.S. Snowpack: Most of Utah, Colorado, Oregon, Nevada, and New Mexico at or Above Normal While California and Other States Struggle

For Utah, Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico, and Oregon, most of the snowpack is normal or above-normal for this time of year. A fairly dry December was followed by an active January that produced a lot of snowfall for these regions. However, that’s not the case for the rest of the West.

Most of Washington, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, California, and Arizona are sitting a below average snowpack right now, with large portions of Montana severely hurting for moisture. California’s Lake Tahoe area is struggling with its snowpack sitting at 57% of its average for this time of year.

This may change soon as a rare and severe atmospheric river is slated to impact much of the western U.S. next week, bringing heavy rain and snowfall to much of the West. Could this be the season saving storm for Tahoe, Jackson Hole, and other ski-meccas that are dealing with a low snowpack right now?