Majority of Western United States with Record Low Snowpack: How it Affects Ski Resorts and What it Means For the Summer - SnowBrains

"This winter has been historic in all the wrong ways for the West. October gave us hope with cold temperatures and early snowfall, but then it warmed up and dried out in November. December threw much of the region into monsoon season when the jet stream pushed warm South Pacific air and moisture into the Cascades and northern Rockies. Then New Year's came, and Mother Nature decided to take part in Dry January."

"Snowpack is also vital for western cities and farms through the dry summer months. The Colorado River supplies water to Los Angeles and Las Vegas. There's also a large agricultural industry in Southern California that relies on water from the Colorado River to irrigate crops. The same goes for the Arkansas River basin that supplies water to farming communities across eastern Colorado, Kansas, and Oklahoma."

This winter produced an unusual sequence of weather across the West: early cold and snow in October, warming and drying in November, a December influx of warm South Pacific air and moisture, and a dry January. Many major ski destinations are operating with far less terrain open and some resorts report very low seasonal totals, with a few temporarily closing for evaluation. Snow drought poses risks to Mount Hood glaciers and ecosystems. Snowpack deficits threaten water supplies relied upon by cities and large agricultural regions served by the Colorado and Arkansas River basins. The northern Rockies are nearer normal, and colder, wetter weather is now forecasted.

Read at SnowBrains