Last Update: 06/03/2026 at 6:25 AM EST
Western Snow Drought And Fire Risk
Coverage from The New York Times, The Guardian, and others
Articles
69
Latest Article
06/01
Active Days
1841
Executive Summary
Western snowpack and drought conditions are worsening under unusually warm winters, raising wildfire risk and tightening water supplies across the western United States. The same climate pattern also appears in Himalayan snowfall declines and broader fire-loss studies.
Key Points
- Warm winters are turning precipitation from snow to rain across much of the western United States, leaving snowpack well below seasonal norms.
- Low snowpack is now a direct water-supply issue, with implications for the Colorado River, reservoirs, groundwater recharge, hydropower, and agriculture.
- The drying pattern is also raising wildfire risk by exposing vegetation earlier and extending the period of fire-prone conditions.
- Recent reporting shows the problem is not limited to one state: Washington, California, Colorado, Oregon, and Utah all appear in the same stress pattern.
- Research-backed drought framing remains strong, with tree-ring reconstructions and climate models linking a substantial share of the drought severity to anthropogenic warming.
- The wildfire signal has broadened beyond burned area alone; recent studies emphasize severe losses, deaths, and insured damage even when global burned area is lower.
- A smaller but related thread points to similar snow and water stress in the Himalayas, where declining snowfall threatens runoff and downstream water security.
Featured Article
In the Western United States, snowpack is well below average this winter, raising wildfire risk and threatening water supplies.
Coverage Timeline: 1841 Days
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Additional Articles
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Scientists and water managers in the American West report record-warm winter and March heat reduced snowpack, shrinking Colorado River runoff and raising drought, wildfire risk, and water restriction planning.
A 2025 wildfire study links high insured losses and deaths in California, Canada, Europe, and South Korea to climate-amplified extreme fire-weather conditions despite lower global burned area.
Sylvia Dee and coauthors report in PNAS that El Niño and Indian Ocean Dipole extremes increase violent conflict risk, especially in drought-prone Central America and southern Africa.
Wildfire experts warn 2026 U.S. fires could worsen due to weak Western snowpack, drought and low soil moisture, alongside federal program and staffing changes.
Experts attribute Georgia wildfire growth to drought and climate change-driven atmospheric drying, with nationwide early-season fire acreage far above the 10-year average.
Scientists report record spring drought across the Lower 48, with NOAA metrics and low snowpack indicating heightened wildfire, food, and water risks during the upcoming months.
Union of Concerned Scientists warns May-to-October Danger Season will bring intensified heat, drought, wildfires, flooding, and hurricane risk as federal weather and climate capacity declines in the United States during 2026.
NASA Earth Observatory reports snow drought in western United States in early 2026 due to warmer temperatures.
Forecasters and climate scientists warned this week in the Sierra Nevada, California, that warm antecedent conditions followed by rapid heavy snowfall produced high avalanche danger and multiple fatalities.
Adrian Harpold at the University of Nevada, Reno reports that unusually warm Sierra Nevada winters shift snowpack and runoff timing, reducing late-season water and increasing wildfire risk.
Climate Central-linked record warmth and a March 2026 heat wave in the western U.S. produced record-low April 1 snowpack, raising water and wildfire risks.
California researchers report snowpack decline and heat waves in the Sierra Nevada during this winter.
The Bureau of Reclamation is set to decide whether Glen Canyon Dam should release cool mix flows from Lake Powell to protect humpback chub amid hydropower cost impacts in coming weeks.
A Science Advances study reports longer North American wildfire burn windows since the mid-1970s driven by hotter, drier nighttime weather.
Researchers from institutions in India, Nepal, and the UK report in 2025 that Himalayan winter snowfall and snow persistence are sharply declining, threatening regional water security and increasing mountain hazards.
Cal Fire, NOAA, and academic experts connect early-2026 U.S. wildfire growth to hotter, drier, and windier conditions expected to worsen under climate change.
Kaiwei Luo and coauthors report in Science Advances (2020s) that climate change has increased wildfire burning hours, especially across the American West.
Modeling for California viticulture links high-emission climate projections with changing wildfire weather, finding suitability declines in Napa and Sonoma and variety-specific quality responses.
Climate change attribution links hotter air to more severe drought, and a super El Nino may amplify drought and wildfire risks in 2026.
Kaiwei Luo and coauthors reported in Science Advances that wildfire burning hours rose about 36% over five decades, especially in the American West.
California snow surveys found Sierra Nevada snowpack at 18% of average by April 1 after extreme heat, increasing risks for water supply and wildfire management.
Western states in the United States face snow drought as record warmth from February through March reduces snowpack across major basins.
California state water officials report January snow surveys showing Sierra Nevada snowpack well below average across the western United States.
Climate risks from drought are expected to intensify during a strong El Nino period, amplifying heat, wildfire, and food and water insecurity in multiple regions.
Warm snow drought conditions in California and the Sierra Nevada are accelerating snowmelt, shrinking snowpack, and increasing wildfire and water-supply risks in 2026.
Guided climbing operations report shorter Mount Rainier and other mountain seasons in the 2020s as warming reduces snowpack and increases icefall, rockfall, and route-closure risks.
Scientists report that record-low snowpack and record warm winter temperatures across the Western United States in early 2026 are endangering regional water supplies and increasing wildfire risk.
Colorado School of Mines researchers report April 30 Nature Water findings that warmer temperatures shift Rio Grande headwaters runoff timing from snow to rain.
Researchers report global warming driven rise in hot dry days since recent decades, elevating wildfire risk in temperate and subtropical regions.
Satellite analyses and experiments link invasive annual grass expansion with warmer climate and human ignitions to increase wildfire frequency across U.S. regions, including the Lahaina area.
In the Denver-to-Rocky-Mountains region and across the Great Lakes, warming has reduced snowpack and lake ice, shrinking reservoir and ecosystem stability.
Canada and multiple regions reported extreme 2025 wildfires, with Los Angeles and European fires causing deaths and mass evacuations and EU countries requesting joint firefighting resources.
Researchers from UCLA NASA and the Columbia Climate School report a 22 year megadrought in the southwestern North American region spanning southern Montana to northern Mexico, with aridity likely to persist through 2022 due to anthropogenic warming.
The March 2026 western United States heatwave broke warm records and rapidly reduced California and Upper Colorado Basin snowpack, increasing spring and summer water-supply risk.
Columbia University researchers report in Science that a warming climate has intensified a megadrought across the western United States and northern Mexico during 2000–2018.
Science Advances research links flash drought intensification since 2017 to warming-driven evaporation and CO2-related vegetation transpiration across Eurasia, the Amazon, and Africa.
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New Jersey wildfire officials reported May 3 wildfire spread risk increased as temperatures rose, humidity fell, and winds strengthened, with prescribed burning constrained by winter snow and 2024 drought.
UCS tracks Danger Season May-October extreme weather across the United States in 2026, citing climate-amplified heat, drought, wildfires, flooding risks and potential super El Niño effects.
Colorado wildfire officials forecast a significantly higher wildfire risk this summer, attributing conditions to drought, low snowpack, climate change, and wildland urban interface development.
The National Interagency Coordination Center projects above-normal wildfire threat across the western U.S. this summer, citing snow drought, early snowmelt, and extreme heat.
Water managers and researchers report record-low Mountain West snowpack in March, raising Colorado River Basin water-supply, hydropower, and wildfire risks.
Climate Central reported that exceptional heat and rain-dominated winter conditions across the western United States reduced mountain snowpack, increasing water shortages and wildfire risk.
World Weather Attribution analysis links record-setting early-spring heat in the US west to climate change, raising drought, water-supply, and wildfire risks.
Russ Schumacher and Daniel Swain report record-low mountain snowpack across the American West after historically warm winter and extreme March heat, increasing dry-season water and fire risks.
March heat across nine U.S. states coincides with critically low western snowpack as Tropical Cyclone Maila and Asia heat-stress risks threaten multiple regions.
U.S. wildfire totals through March 27, 2026 exceed the 10-year average as drought, poor snowpack, and unseasonable heat increase risk across the Western United States and Great Plains.
On April 1, the National Interagency Fire Center outlook projected significant wildfire potential for southern Wyoming, driven by low snowpack, early heat, and climate change-linked warming.
Experts warn that historic snowpack decline and a mid-March heat wave across the Colorado River Basin and nearby states will raise summer risks to water supply, Lake Powell power generation, and wildfire conditions.
The National Interagency Coordination Center projected an above-normal wildfire threat across the Western United States for the upcoming summer season based on snow drought, earlier snowmelt, and an extreme heat wave.
Bureau of Reclamation officials are expected to decide on Glen Canyon Dam cool mix flow releases as climate-driven Colorado River storage declines threaten humpback chub and electricity costs.
Union of Concerned Scientists warns that Danger Season in North America faces elevated extreme heat, drought, wildfire, flooding, and hurricane risks amid climate change and reduced U.S. climate-science and resilience capacity.
Bureau of Reclamation is deciding on June to October cool mix flow releases from Glen Canyon Dam to protect humpback chub amid Colorado River drought and low Lake Powell storage.
A US wildfire risk outlook forecasts above-normal wildfire conditions through April as hot temperatures and drought expand, straining insurance systems and federal wildfire capacity.
In the US West, record-low snowpack during a historic snow drought is increasing water shortage and wildfire risks as unusual warmth linked to climate change accelerates snowmelt.
California water officials report Sierra snowpack at 66 percent of average as February storms arrive, signaling continued drought risk.
Portland State University researchers report that Oregon wildfire-burned forest snow in the western Cascades melts faster during rain-on-snow events, increasing flood and water-supply risks.
Daniel Swain and federal water managers warn record-warm conditions are shrinking Colorado River snowpack, increasing Lake Powell and hydropower risk as interstate water allocation talks stall.
California water officials report Sierra Nevada snowpack fell to 18% of historical average on April 1 after late-season March heat accelerated snowmelt.
University of Washington researchers report that warmer winters in the Pacific Northwest increase rain-on-snow and ice-crust formation, altering avalanche risk by region.
Oregon, facing drought and higher wildfire risk after NOAA forecasts a dry spring, issued drought emergencies for three eastern counties as snowpack dropped to about one-third of normal.
Climate scientists in the western US report warm March conditions that melted depleted snowpack, advancing melt schedules and increasing April water and wildfire risk.
University of Washington researchers, published February 25 in ARC Geophysical Research, project more rain-on-snow ice crusts and avalanche-prone layers in inland Pacific Northwest winters.
California and the Southwest confront worsening drought and wildfire risk in 2020 season, stressing water management and prevention costs.
Bullfrog Marina on Lake Powell, Utah faced low-water disruption in May 2025, and the National Park Service planned a Stanton Creek boat launch to improve resilience.
In North America during May-to-October 2026, climate-worsened extreme weather preparedness is described as threatened by weakened federal climate data systems and rising disinformation.
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Climate Central study shows spring warming in 80 percent of major US cities since the 1970s, with longer warm seasons and wildfire risk rising.
Washington state officials warn that as summers grow hotter, climate driven drought could trigger the next megafire in the Olympic and Cascade forest regions of Washington.