2026’s historic snow drought brings worries about water, wildfires and the future in the West

The 2026 water year has been anything but ordinary. In fact, its snow drought has few parallels in recent history.

By: Alejandro N. Flores, Boise State University, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: March 25, 2026

Words: 1,126

Last Updated: 4 months, 1 week ago

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By Alejandro N. Flores, Boise State University

Across much of the Western United States, winter 2026 was the year the snow never came. Many ski resorts got by with snowmaking but shut down their winter operations early. Fire officials and water supply managers are worried about summer.

Where I live in Boise, Idaho, temperatures hit the low 80s Fahrenheit (high-20s Celsius) in mid-March. The same heat dome sent temperatures soaring to 105 …

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