Weather
This past winter told two very different stories across the United States. While skiers in parts of the Northeast dealt with frequent cold snaps and healthy snowfall, much of the rest of the country experienced an unusually warm and dry season.
According to a new report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), meteorological winter (December through February) ranked as the second warmest on record in the United States, based on data going back to 1895. Only last winter, the 2023-24 winter season, was warmer nationwide. The warmth was especially pronounced across the West and parts of the Plains.
Nine states recorded their warmest winter ever: Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Texas, Oklahoma, Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming.
Several major Western cities also recorded their warmest winters on record, including Albuquerque, Phoenix, Las Vegas, and Salt Lake City. In Dallas, winter felt more like spring. The city logged 16 days with temperatures of at least 80°F, the highest number ever recorded during meteorological winter.
It wasn’t just warm. Much of the country was also exceptionally dry. Across the Lower 48, the season ranked as the driest winter in 45 years. Large portions of the West entered winter already dealing with drought conditions. Persistent warmth only made things worse, particularly in the Rockies where precipitation frequently fell as rain instead of snow. The result has been one of the most significant snow droughts in decades across parts of the Rocky Mountains, raising concerns for ski areas, spring runoff, and long term water supplies.
Interestingly, the Northeast experienced almost the opposite pattern. Frequent cold outbreaks brought some of the coldest winter conditions the region has seen in more than a decade, along with several major snow events. That contrast highlights how uneven the winter was across the country. While some ski areas benefited from consistent cold and snowfall, others struggled with thin snowpacks and unusually warm temperatures.
Beyond skiing, the impacts could extend into the warmer months. Reduced snowpack can mean less water available for rivers, agriculture, and reservoirs when the spring melt arrives.
With winter now behind us, attention turns to spring storms and whether they can help salvage snowpack across parts of the West. A few well timed systems can still add meaningful depth in the mountains, but after one of the warmest winters on record in the United States, many regions will be entering spring with a thinner margin than usual. For skiers, water managers, and communities that rely on mountain snowpack, the coming weeks could play an outsized role in shaping how the rest of the year unfolds.
