Winter’s Alarmingly Low Snowpack Offers a Glimpse of the Changing Rhythm of Water in the Western U.S.

Winter is more than just a season in the Western U.S. It is a savings account to get farms and homes through the long, dry summer ahead. As the snowpack that accumulates in the mountains through winter slowly melts in late spring and summer, it feeds into rivers and reservoirs that keep communities and ecosystems functioning.

The April 1 snowpack measurement has long been the single most important number in Western water management, considered a strong proxy for how much water the mountains are holding in reserve.