iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Mitch Tobin @mitchtobin.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Tough to see: I recently took a drive and drone flight around the Ferris Fire burn scar, which spans nearly 65,000 acres in southwest Colorado. waterdesk.org/photos-ferri...

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Mitch Tobin @mitchtobin.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Farther downstream, here’s the Dolores River winding through canyon country in drone footage I shot in September 2020 near Gateway and Bedrock, Colorado. More photos and videos: waterdesk.org/multimedia/p...

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Mitch Tobin @mitchtobin.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

New in The Water Desk’s free multimedia library: photos of the Dolores River and McPhee Reservoir in southwest Colorado. When I visited in early September, the reservoir was 42% full and the river—a tributary of the Colorado—was running low. waterdesk.org/photos-dolor...

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Mitch Tobin @mitchtobin.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

A smoky, shriveled Blue Mesa Reservoir, along Colorado’s Gunnison River, on July 1. More photos of this part of the Colorado River Storage Project are available in The Water Desk’s free multimedia library: waterdesk.org/photos-blue-...

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Mitch Tobin @mitchtobin.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

The Gold Mountain Fire burns north of Ouray, Colorado, on July 1.

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Mitch Tobin @mitchtobin.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

A sea of red across the West, with many basins at just a fraction of normal snow water equivalent on March 31. (These maps lag by a day.)

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Mitch Tobin @mitchtobin.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

Colorado's snowpack is at just 22% of the median for April 1. The gray band marks the record highs and lows for the statewide snowpack since 1987. The colored lines trace individual seasons over nearly four decades. The plunging black line represents the current season—an extreme outlier.

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Mitch Tobin @mitchtobin.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

This map shows the percentile for each state’s April 1 snowpack. Eight states are at 0—the lowest on record. Washington is leading the way at the 5th percentile.

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Mitch Tobin @mitchtobin.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

Here are statewide snowpack levels as a percentage of the April 1 median (1991-2020).

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Mitch Tobin @mitchtobin.bsky.social · 18/03/2026

On Saturday, I drove over three mountain passes in southwest Colorado and flew my drone to capture photos of the low-to-nonexistent snowpack. These images show the conditions along U.S. 550 between Durango and Ouray.

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Mitch Tobin @mitchtobin.bsky.social · 12/03/2026

🌡️ "Every major river basin in the West experienced its first or second warmest winter (December, January, and February) on record." www.drought.gov/drought-stat...

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Mitch Tobin @mitchtobin.bsky.social · 12/03/2026

❄️ Another bleak snow drought update as the West faces a March heat wave: "Snow drought worsened from February into early March due to record warmth, despite near-normal precipitation across much of the West." www.drought.gov/drought-stat...

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Mitch Tobin @mitchtobin.bsky.social · 09/03/2026

Despite last week's storm, Colorado’s statewide snowpack is at a record low—just 63% of normal. Only 30 days to go until the state's median date for peak snowpack: April 8. Colorado's snowmelt supplies water to 19 other states and Mexico. nwcc-apps.sc.egov.usda.gov/basin-plots/...

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Mitch Tobin @mitchtobin.bsky.social · 09/03/2026

The snowpack is below normal in every river basin in the West. This March 8 map shows that a few watersheds are above 90% (green), but all that red shading indicates less than 50% of the 1991-2020 median for snow water equivalent. www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs-ini...

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Mitch Tobin @mitchtobin.bsky.social · 03/03/2026

This morning's total lunar eclipse.

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Mitch Tobin @mitchtobin.bsky.social · 17/02/2026

And here's the Winter Storm Severity Index for the next three days, showing where impacts are expected to be greatest. www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/wwd/wssi/wss...

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Mitch Tobin @mitchtobin.bsky.social · 17/02/2026

Here's a 72-hour snow accumulation map from the Colorado Climate Center based on data from the Weather Prediction Center. climate.colostate.edu/ski-dashboar...

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Mitch Tobin @mitchtobin.bsky.social · 17/02/2026

Some impressive snowfall totals are in the forecast. The West's snowpack could sure use it. The map below, via Pivotal Weather, shows the projected 48-hour accumulation from the National Weather Service. home.pivotalweather.com

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Mitch Tobin @mitchtobin.bsky.social · 05/02/2026

More grim news about the West's snow drought: 🛰️ Lowest Feb. 1 snow cover in the satellite record (since 2001) 📉 Record-low Feb. 1 statewide snowpack in Oregon, Colorado, and Utah ⚠️ “A Dry, Warm January Leaves the West With the Worst Snowpack in Decades” www.drought.gov/drought-stat...

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Mitch Tobin @mitchtobin.bsky.social · 03/02/2026

Widespread bleak readings for the West's snowpack — and the water it contains. All of the red dots on this map represent monitoring stations where snow water equivalent was below the 15th percentile on February 2. nwcc-apps.sc.egov.usda.gov/imap/

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Mitch Tobin @mitchtobin.bsky.social · 29/01/2026

NASA: Western U.S. snow cover is tracking at record-low levels for January, based on satellite observations dating back to 2001. science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-...

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Mitch Tobin @mitchtobin.bsky.social · 23/01/2026

The Winter Storm Severity Index for the next 3 days shows the huge footprint of this dangerous weather system. WSSI highlights areas where travel and daily life may be disrupted by snow, ice, and wind. www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/wwd/wssi/wss...

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Mitch Tobin @mitchtobin.bsky.social · 22/01/2026

Colorado needs this incoming storm in the worst way. Snowmelt from Colorado supplies water to 19 other states and Mexico, but statewide snowpack is at a record low — just 56% of the median for this date. nwcc-apps.sc.egov.usda.gov/basin-plots/...

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Mitch Tobin @mitchtobin.bsky.social · 22/01/2026

In this January 21 map of snow water equivalent, basins in red are below 50% of the 1991–2020 median; orange indicates 50–69% of normal. www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs-ini...

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Mitch Tobin @mitchtobin.bsky.social · 20/01/2026

Northern lights and the Milky Way near Durango tonight.

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Mitch Tobin @mitchtobin.bsky.social · 15/01/2026

🌡️ December brought record-breaking average temperatures to 9 Western states, and Idaho had its second-warmest December on record (dating back to 1895). www.nrcs.usda.gov/sites/defaul...

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Mitch Tobin @mitchtobin.bsky.social · 09/01/2026

⚠️ Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico have the most severe snow drought conditions. 📉 More than 80% of all SNOTEL stations in each state have snow water equivalent levels below the 20th percentile. www.drought.gov/drought-stat...

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Mitch Tobin @mitchtobin.bsky.social · 09/01/2026

❄️ Snow drought update 🛰️ The West’s January 4 snow cover was the lowest for that date in the satellite record since 2001. 🥵 “Every major river basin in the West experienced near-record or record warmth through December 2025, inhibiting the accumulation of snow.” www.drought.gov/drought-stat...

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Mitch Tobin @mitchtobin.bsky.social · 15/12/2025

❄️ Snow drought update 🛰️ West's Dec. 7 snow cover: lowest for that date in satellite record since 2001 🥵 “Nearly every major river basin in the West experienced a November among the top 5 warmest on record." www.drought.gov/drought-stat... 📸 My view at Purgatory, north of Durango, on Dec. 12

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Mitch Tobin @mitchtobin.bsky.social · 04/12/2025

Here's the basin-by-basin look at snow water equivalent. www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs-ini...

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Mitch Tobin @mitchtobin.bsky.social · 04/12/2025

Looking at percentiles, the snowpack is dismal in most Western states. Idaho and Wyoming are at record-low levels for this date relative to the 1991-2020 period of record. www.snow.news/p/grim-weste...

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Mitch Tobin @mitchtobin.bsky.social · 04/12/2025

The West could sure use some snow. The snowpack in seven states is below 50% of normal. It's still early in the season, but there's a lot of catching up to do. More details in my latest post at snow.news: www.snow.news/p/grim-weste...

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Mitch Tobin @mitchtobin.bsky.social · 12/11/2025

Tonight's northern lights in southern Colorado

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Mitch Tobin @mitchtobin.bsky.social · 07/11/2025

Interesting graphic from NASA illustrates how the Milankovitch cycles change the Earth's motion and influence its climate. science.nasa.gov/science-rese...

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Mitch Tobin @mitchtobin.bsky.social · 05/11/2025

Rough start for Colorado's snowpack, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center. www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=...

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Mitch Tobin @mitchtobin.bsky.social · 30/09/2025

And here's the total snowfall accumulation since October 1, 2024.

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Mitch Tobin @mitchtobin.bsky.social · 30/09/2025

Today is the last day of the 2024-2025 Water Year. This animation shows snow water equivalent from October 1, 2024, to June 1, 2025. www.nohrsc.noaa.gov/nsa/

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Mitch Tobin @mitchtobin.bsky.social · 24/09/2025

It's great to see snow falling again in Colorado. This map shows accumulations over the past 14 days.

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Mitch Tobin @mitchtobin.bsky.social · 06/03/2025

New snow drought update says the snowpack is "abysmal" in Arizona and New Mexico. www.drought.gov/drought-stat...

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Mitch Tobin @mitchtobin.bsky.social · 05/02/2025

"Exceptional snow drought persists in the Southwest (Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah) as a result of record dry conditions." www.drought.gov/drought-stat...

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Mitch Tobin @mitchtobin.bsky.social · 18/12/2024

How Colorado’s snowpack is stacking up so far this season. After a great November (salmon-colored), it’s been a lousy December (beige) for snow in the high country. nwcc-apps.sc.egov.usda.gov/awdb/basin-p...