The mountains of the western United States are sporting thin winter coats in early 2026. Although most regions saw average or above-average precipitation in fall and early winter, warmer temperatures meant that much of it fell as rain. The result has been an unusually low snowpack for this time of year, constituting a snow drought.
This image, acquired with the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) on NASA’s Terra satellite, provides a wide view of meager western snow cover on January 15. On that day, measurements derived from satellite observations showed that snow blanketed 142,700 square miles (369,700 square kilometers) of the west. That’s the lowest coverage for that date in the MODIS record dating back to 2001 and less than one-third of the median. Coverage had increased slightly by January 26.
In addition to snow cover area, snow water equivalent (SWE)—the amount of water stored in the snowpack—is an important indicator of winter conditions in the West. In early January, the National Integrated Drought Information System reported that snow drought, defined as SWE below the 20th percentile for a given date, was most acute in Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico. At least one ground-based monitoring station in every major western watershed recorded the lowest SWE in at least 20 years on January 26, according to data published by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.
Overall, the preceding few months were very wet and warm across the West. For the water year beginning on October 1, 2025, many regions saw average or above-average precipitation. However, record warmth across a vast expanse of the region meant that much of …