Scientists are finding that snowfall is more connected to water underground than we knew. Using satellite data, they found groundwater levels actually rise during big snow years, in contrast to most y...

In this episode we speak with journalist Mitch Tobin. Tobin co-directs the Water Desk at CU Boulder’s Center for Environmental Journalism, and he also publishes his own excellent newsletter, Snow.News...

Q&A with hydrologist Adrienne Marshall on why this past winter’s snowpack fell so low, how global warming increased the odds and what the future may hold

Q&A with hydrologist Adrienne Marshall on why this past winter’s snowpack fell so low, how global warming increased the odds and what the future may hold

In the spring of 2026, anomalously low snow conditions in the western United States threatened winter recreation and water supplies. Here, we inves...

A Colorado road trip amid smoky skies, shrinking reservoirs, and the last remnants of the snowpack

In early June, water experts gathered at the University of Colorado Boulder to talk about the future of the Colorado River.  The lifeline for 40 million people in the Southwest is in dire shape. Too m...

Scientists use machine learning and hand-collected data to better predict snowfall and storm impacts

Plus, San Juan Mountains aerial photos reveal season's dwindling snowpack

Plus: recent snowpack coverage and remembering my dad, who helped inspire my snow journalism

Officials at the annual Rio Grande Compact Commission meeting said that they expect river flows this year to be among the lowest in history.

At the water year's midpoint, meager snow cover raises alarms for the months ahead

This season's snow drought is a chilling harbinger in our warming climate

Aerial and ground-based photos of Lake Powell's Bullfrog Marina in southern Utah. Photos by Alexander Heilner/The Water Desk with aerial support from LightHawk.

The West's snow drought deepens due to record-breaking temperatures

Lake Tahoe went from blizzard to dirt in weeks amid rates of snowmelt that hydrologists described as historic. And now comes a record-shattering March heat wave.

Storms drop dust from the Southwest onto Colorado's snowpack each year, except this one. The clean, white snow will be a boon, if it lasts.

Avalanches, snow blankets, wolverine reintroduction, a snowpack update, and the storm of the (sad) season

As the climate changes, ski resorts have begun relying more on machine-made snow, which comes with environmental consequences and limitations.

Snow showers in this week’s forecast offer a dose of relief, but they won’t be enough to get the Colorado out of a tough, dry year.

Putting a price tag on the water stored in the region’s high-elevation frozen reservoir

Colorado’s mountain snowpack is in bad shape this year. It’s been extremely warm, and snowstorms have been few and far between. Based on data from the SNOTEL network, the amount of water stored in the...

Washington's snowpack sits at its third-lowest level in generations. There's still time this winter for more snow, but current trends aren’t bringing optimism.

Putting a price tag on the water stored in the region’s high-elevation frozen reservoir By Mitch Tobin, The Water Desk The American West’s snowpack is valuable for many reasons. Snowmelt supplies much...

Plus: an update on the snowpack (bad) and photos from a rare powder day (good)