Mitch Tobin
@mitchtobin.bsky.social
❄️ Snow science, climate change, and Western water | ✍️ Author of snow.news |💧Co-director of waterdesk.org, University of Colorado Boulder | 🏔️ Multimedia journalist based in Durango
Pinned
Photo essay: Low tide in Colorado
Images from a thin winter
www.snow.news
Dismal snowpack in Colorado. Went on a ski road trip anyway. Documented the low-tide winter in a photo essay for snow.news.
www.snow.news/p/photo-essa...
www.snow.news/p/photo-essa...
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...
WSSI highlights areas where travel and daily life may be disrupted by snow, ice, and wind.
www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/wwd/wssi/wss...
January 23, 2026 at 5:18 PM
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...
WSSI highlights areas where travel and daily life may be disrupted by snow, ice, and wind.
www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/wwd/wssi/wss...
Reposted by Mitch Tobin
Some good historical perspective here on the winters of 1976-77 and 80-81 before the ski areas had snowmaking. The current winter is likely sitting worse than 80-81 at this point, maybe not quite as bad as 76-77, but hard to compare because there wasn't much real-time snow data then. #cowx
Biggest snowstorm of the snow-starved 2025-26 ski season expected to land Friday and Saturday
Biggest snowstorm of the snow-starved 2025-26 ski season expected to land Friday and Saturday
Ski areas limping through the 2025-26 ski season are hoping for big numbers from weekend storm as the next couple weeks look dry and warm
coloradosun.com
January 23, 2026 at 3:41 PM
Some good historical perspective here on the winters of 1976-77 and 80-81 before the ski areas had snowmaking. The current winter is likely sitting worse than 80-81 at this point, maybe not quite as bad as 76-77, but hard to compare because there wasn't much real-time snow data then. #cowx
A serious snow drought is gripping much of the American West as record-breaking warmth has dominated the winter so far.
New post at snow.news has the latest on the West’s thin snowpack:
www.snow.news/p/snow-droug...
New post at snow.news has the latest on the West’s thin snowpack:
www.snow.news/p/snow-droug...
Snow drought update: record warmth, thin snowpack
Plus, SnowSlang: O is for "orographic lift"
www.snow.news
January 22, 2026 at 8:49 PM
A serious snow drought is gripping much of the American West as record-breaking warmth has dominated the winter so far.
New post at snow.news has the latest on the West’s thin snowpack:
www.snow.news/p/snow-droug...
New post at snow.news has the latest on the West’s thin snowpack:
www.snow.news/p/snow-droug...
Reposted by Mitch Tobin
Another climate feedback loop: Snowpack has trouble sticking around after forests are burned in megafires www.circleofblue.org/2025/water-c...
In Burned Forests, the West’s Snowpack Is Melting Earlier
KEY POINTS Elevation, temperature, burn severity, vegetation type, and the amount of incoming solar radiation are among the drivers explaining when snowpack disappears after a wildfire. Wildfires had ...
www.circleofblue.org
January 21, 2026 at 4:40 AM
Another climate feedback loop: Snowpack has trouble sticking around after forests are burned in megafires www.circleofblue.org/2025/water-c...
Reposted by Mitch Tobin
As of today we have a new record low snowpack for the Upper Colorado River basin for late January.
January 21, 2026 at 5:25 PM
As of today we have a new record low snowpack for the Upper Colorado River basin for late January.
Reposted by Mitch Tobin
Series of big storms are needed to make up huge snow supply gap, Colorado water experts say
Series of big storms are needed to make up huge snow supply gap, Colorado water experts say
There’s still winter left, but Colorado experts say the state needs some mega snowstorms to reach an average snowpack and water supply.
coloradosun.com
January 21, 2026 at 3:09 PM
Series of big storms are needed to make up huge snow supply gap, Colorado water experts say
Northern lights and the Milky Way near Durango tonight.
January 20, 2026 at 4:20 AM
Northern lights and the Milky Way near Durango tonight.
🌡️ 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...
www.nrcs.usda.gov/sites/defaul...
January 15, 2026 at 11:29 PM
🌡️ 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...
www.nrcs.usda.gov/sites/defaul...
"Vail Resorts said far fewer skiers have visited its mountains so far this season, in large part because of low levels of snowfall."
In the Rockies, only about 11% of its terrain opened in December because snowfall was nearly 60% below the 30-year average.
www.wsj.com/us-news/vail...
In the Rockies, only about 11% of its terrain opened in December because snowfall was nearly 60% below the 30-year average.
www.wsj.com/us-news/vail...
Snow-Starved Resorts Draw Fewer Visitors to Vail
The resort operator’s skier visits are down 20% so far this season, with snowfall in the Rockies about half the norm.
www.wsj.com
January 15, 2026 at 8:29 PM
"Vail Resorts said far fewer skiers have visited its mountains so far this season, in large part because of low levels of snowfall."
In the Rockies, only about 11% of its terrain opened in December because snowfall was nearly 60% below the 30-year average.
www.wsj.com/us-news/vail...
In the Rockies, only about 11% of its terrain opened in December because snowfall was nearly 60% below the 30-year average.
www.wsj.com/us-news/vail...
Reposted by Mitch Tobin
Globally, no single day in 2025 was cooler than its 1991-2020 average.
climate.copernicus.eu/global-clima...
climate.copernicus.eu/global-clima...
January 14, 2026 at 12:44 PM
Globally, no single day in 2025 was cooler than its 1991-2020 average.
climate.copernicus.eu/global-clima...
climate.copernicus.eu/global-clima...
Reposted by Mitch Tobin
Exceptional. Record-smashing. Disturbingly warm. December 2025 was one for the record books in Colorado.
🌡️ Warmest December
🌡️ >1000 daily high temperature records
🌡️ Warmest October thru December by far
🌡️ 4th-warmest year
Read more in our monthly summary: climate.colostate.edu/monthly_summ...
🌡️ Warmest December
🌡️ >1000 daily high temperature records
🌡️ Warmest October thru December by far
🌡️ 4th-warmest year
Read more in our monthly summary: climate.colostate.edu/monthly_summ...
January 13, 2026 at 11:40 PM
Exceptional. Record-smashing. Disturbingly warm. December 2025 was one for the record books in Colorado.
🌡️ Warmest December
🌡️ >1000 daily high temperature records
🌡️ Warmest October thru December by far
🌡️ 4th-warmest year
Read more in our monthly summary: climate.colostate.edu/monthly_summ...
🌡️ Warmest December
🌡️ >1000 daily high temperature records
🌡️ Warmest October thru December by far
🌡️ 4th-warmest year
Read more in our monthly summary: climate.colostate.edu/monthly_summ...
Reposted by Mitch Tobin
Welp, it's officially Colorado's worst season-to-date snowpack on record. Just a smidge below 1990, 2000, 2013, 2018 levels.
Records only date to 1987, but still worst snowpack in ~40 years of data with little relief in sight = no bueno.
#COwx
Records only date to 1987, but still worst snowpack in ~40 years of data with little relief in sight = no bueno.
#COwx
January 13, 2026 at 5:51 PM
Welp, it's officially Colorado's worst season-to-date snowpack on record. Just a smidge below 1990, 2000, 2013, 2018 levels.
Records only date to 1987, but still worst snowpack in ~40 years of data with little relief in sight = no bueno.
#COwx
Records only date to 1987, but still worst snowpack in ~40 years of data with little relief in sight = no bueno.
#COwx
Reposted by Mitch Tobin
The current inflow forecast for Lake Powell is bleak.
Lots of winter left to go, but the Colorado Basin River Forecast Center shows if conditions stay dry this spring could bring one of the top 10 lowest flows into Powell, pushing it closer to a loss of hydropower production this summer.
Lots of winter left to go, but the Colorado Basin River Forecast Center shows if conditions stay dry this spring could bring one of the top 10 lowest flows into Powell, pushing it closer to a loss of hydropower production this summer.
January 12, 2026 at 10:43 PM
The current inflow forecast for Lake Powell is bleak.
Lots of winter left to go, but the Colorado Basin River Forecast Center shows if conditions stay dry this spring could bring one of the top 10 lowest flows into Powell, pushing it closer to a loss of hydropower production this summer.
Lots of winter left to go, but the Colorado Basin River Forecast Center shows if conditions stay dry this spring could bring one of the top 10 lowest flows into Powell, pushing it closer to a loss of hydropower production this summer.
Reposted by Mitch Tobin
🌱 The Ted Scripps Fellowships offer a 9-month residential program for experienced journalists to audit CU Boulder environmental courses and develop a journalism project with $80K stipend, tuition, and project funding. Apply by March 1 → www.colorado.edu/cej/ted-scri... #JournalismFellowship
Ted Scripps Fellowships in Environmental Journalism
Interested in deepening your understanding of environmental issues and expanding your journalistic skills? CU Boulder's reputation as one of the nation's best
www.colorado.edu
January 10, 2026 at 4:37 PM
🌱 The Ted Scripps Fellowships offer a 9-month residential program for experienced journalists to audit CU Boulder environmental courses and develop a journalism project with $80K stipend, tuition, and project funding. Apply by March 1 → www.colorado.edu/cej/ted-scri... #JournalismFellowship
Reposted by Mitch Tobin
Much of the West is experiencing a snow drought, with record warmth as well. “This is up there with some of the worst [winters], if not the worst.” www.cnn.com/2026/01/09/c...
January 9, 2026 at 2:53 PM
Much of the West is experiencing a snow drought, with record warmth as well. “This is up there with some of the worst [winters], if not the worst.” www.cnn.com/2026/01/09/c...
"Snow cover in the Upper Colorado River Basin, which includes Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Wyoming, sat at 28% of the 25-year median as of Jan. 1, according to the forecast center — the lowest recorded level since 2001."
www.sltrib.com/news/environ...
www.sltrib.com/news/environ...
Utah’s snowpack is at a record low. Here’s what the latest water forecast shows.
Snowpack in the mountains that feed the Colorado River, the water supply for 40 million people, is off to its worst start in a quarter century.
www.sltrib.com
January 9, 2026 at 7:54 PM
"Snow cover in the Upper Colorado River Basin, which includes Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Wyoming, sat at 28% of the 25-year median as of Jan. 1, according to the forecast center — the lowest recorded level since 2001."
www.sltrib.com/news/environ...
www.sltrib.com/news/environ...
❄️ 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...
🛰️ 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...
January 9, 2026 at 3:33 PM
❄️ 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...
🛰️ 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...
Dismal snowpack in Colorado. Went on a ski road trip anyway. Documented the low-tide winter in a photo essay for snow.news.
www.snow.news/p/photo-essa...
www.snow.news/p/photo-essa...
Photo essay: Low tide in Colorado
Images from a thin winter
www.snow.news
January 8, 2026 at 6:10 PM
Dismal snowpack in Colorado. Went on a ski road trip anyway. Documented the low-tide winter in a photo essay for snow.news.
www.snow.news/p/photo-essa...
www.snow.news/p/photo-essa...
A recent study argues for monitoring the West’s snowpack at strategic hotspots rather than mapping entire basins.
But the paper has sparked pushback from supporters of airborne snow monitoring.
My latest story for The Water Desk unpacks the science and implications:
waterdesk.org/2025/12/scie...
But the paper has sparked pushback from supporters of airborne snow monitoring.
My latest story for The Water Desk unpacks the science and implications:
waterdesk.org/2025/12/scie...
Scientists clash over how to track the West’s vital snowpack
Supporters of airborne snow surveys dispute “hotspots” study on water forecasts
waterdesk.org
January 6, 2026 at 4:50 PM
A recent study argues for monitoring the West’s snowpack at strategic hotspots rather than mapping entire basins.
But the paper has sparked pushback from supporters of airborne snow monitoring.
My latest story for The Water Desk unpacks the science and implications:
waterdesk.org/2025/12/scie...
But the paper has sparked pushback from supporters of airborne snow monitoring.
My latest story for The Water Desk unpacks the science and implications:
waterdesk.org/2025/12/scie...
❄️ Is it OK to eat snow?
🤖 Can AI improve snowfall forecasts?
⛷️ How do ski resorts make snow?
I cover these—and seven more snow stories—in the latest snow.news post.
👉 www.snow.news/p/10-snow-st...
🤖 Can AI improve snowfall forecasts?
⛷️ How do ski resorts make snow?
I cover these—and seven more snow stories—in the latest snow.news post.
👉 www.snow.news/p/10-snow-st...
10 snow stories on my radar
Forecasting, eating, making, and visualizing snow, plus a snowpack update
www.snow.news
December 18, 2025 at 9:17 PM
❄️ Is it OK to eat snow?
🤖 Can AI improve snowfall forecasts?
⛷️ How do ski resorts make snow?
I cover these—and seven more snow stories—in the latest snow.news post.
👉 www.snow.news/p/10-snow-st...
🤖 Can AI improve snowfall forecasts?
⛷️ How do ski resorts make snow?
I cover these—and seven more snow stories—in the latest snow.news post.
👉 www.snow.news/p/10-snow-st...
❄️ 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
🛰️ 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
December 15, 2025 at 9:11 PM
❄️ 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
🛰️ 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
Reposted by Mitch Tobin
Almost every station in the Tahoe is measuring record low snowpack/liquid equivalent to date. Precipitation enters the forecast this week, but the freezing level is predicted to remain >9,000 ft. That means rain will be the dominant precipitation type for >95% of the Lake Tahoe watershed. #CAwx
December 15, 2025 at 5:50 PM
Almost every station in the Tahoe is measuring record low snowpack/liquid equivalent to date. Precipitation enters the forecast this week, but the freezing level is predicted to remain >9,000 ft. That means rain will be the dominant precipitation type for >95% of the Lake Tahoe watershed. #CAwx
Reposted by Mitch Tobin
Skimpy snow makes life worse for skiers — and everyone else
The sport may seem selfish, but it reminds us why good snowpack matters.
The sport may seem selfish, but it reminds us why good snowpack matters.
Skimpy snow makes life worse for skiers — and everyone else
The sport may seem selfish, but it reminds us why good snowpack matters.
www.hcn.org
December 11, 2025 at 9:00 AM
Skimpy snow makes life worse for skiers — and everyone else
The sport may seem selfish, but it reminds us why good snowpack matters.
The sport may seem selfish, but it reminds us why good snowpack matters.
Reposted by Mitch Tobin
New report from the Colorado River Research Group: Dancing with Deadpool. It begins: "Conditions on the Colorado River are, to put it bluntly, dire." www.colorado.edu/center/gwc/C...
December 10, 2025 at 12:40 AM
New report from the Colorado River Research Group: Dancing with Deadpool. It begins: "Conditions on the Colorado River are, to put it bluntly, dire." www.colorado.edu/center/gwc/C...
Reposted by Mitch Tobin
High temperatures coupled with mostly below normal precipitation caused low snow-water equivalent (SWE) and worsening drought conditions in November.
Learn more: wwa.colorado.edu/resources/in... @cires.colorado.edu #wx #weather #snowpack #drought
Learn more: wwa.colorado.edu/resources/in... @cires.colorado.edu #wx #weather #snowpack #drought
December 10, 2025 at 12:01 AM
High temperatures coupled with mostly below normal precipitation caused low snow-water equivalent (SWE) and worsening drought conditions in November.
Learn more: wwa.colorado.edu/resources/in... @cires.colorado.edu #wx #weather #snowpack #drought
Learn more: wwa.colorado.edu/resources/in... @cires.colorado.edu #wx #weather #snowpack #drought