Weather
It’s no secret that the 2025-26 winter has not been one to write home about for pretty much the entire American West. Record-high temperatures and low precipitation have been catalysts for a dramatic lack of snow from the Southern Rockies to the North Cascades (and everywhere in between).
The Sierra Nevada, a region used to seeing some of the highest snow totals on Earth, was not spared from our not-so-wintery winter. By mid-February, per the California Data Exchange Center, the California snowpack was just below half of its April 1st average (the typical high-water mark for the yearly snowpack in the region). However, California’s snowless start to the season looked set to dramatically change as a huge winter storm barreled straight toward the Sierras in the third week of February.
Over a roughly 72-hour period between February 17 and 20, the Sierra Nevada Mountains were buried by up to 100 inches of snow in one of the largest storms in recorded history. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Certain areas in the Sierras saw well over 100 inches of snow, while resorts such as Heavenly, Kirkwood, and Mammoth all received four to six feet of snowfall. While this storm alone would not have been enough to outright save the ski season in California, it looked like a massive step in the right direction—until, as so often happens in the Sierras, the weather took a sudden and substantial turn.
On Tuesday, February 24, temperatures surged, and snow levels rose to nearly 10,000 feet. Over two inches of precipitation fell as rain—even in upper mountain areas—wiping out much of what had fallen during the historic storm just days prior. Worse yet, rain continued to fall throughout the mountains, with some areas reporting up to six inches since February 24. As temperatures held 15-20°F above the seasonal average, the snowpack in California returned to its early-February dire straits in just a few short weeks, with certain regions now sitting at merely 34% of average.
The lack of enduring snowpack could have wide-sweeping impacts beyond spelling trouble for skiers hoping for a late-season turnaround. As reported by the Los Angeles Times, the state of California and its nearly 40 million residents rely on Sierra Nevada snow for nearly one-third of their water supply. With snowpack sitting so far below average—only 53% of normal as of March 9—there could be a dramatic shortage of water as the state heads into the hot, dry summer months. Furthermore, a diminished snowpack also spells increased wildfire risk in a state already plagued by such disasters, even in a normal year.
While the immediate effects of a below-average snowpack are already impacting winter recreation, the long-term environmental and economic consequences for California and the broader Western United States are still unfolding. As the season nears its end, meteorologists and water resource managers will continue to closely monitor the region for any late-season storm systems or temperature shifts that could alter final snowpack totals and water supply outlooks.
