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
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/...
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/...
January 22, 2026 at 8:49 PM
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/...
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/...
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...
www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs-ini...
January 22, 2026 at 8:49 PM
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...
www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs-ini...
And the SNOTEL station on Vail Mountain hit a record low on Tuesday. The snowpack monitoring site was installed during the 1978-1979 water year.
www.vaildaily.com/news/vail-mo...
www.vaildaily.com/news/vail-mo...
Vail Mountain now facing worst snowpack in recording station’s 47-year history
The SNOTEL recording site on Vail Mountain showed, on Tuesday, 4.4 inches of snow-water equivalent, making something many suspected would happen to now be official: It’s the worst snowpack in the area...
www.vaildaily.com
January 15, 2026 at 8:29 PM
And the SNOTEL station on Vail Mountain hit a record low on Tuesday. The snowpack monitoring site was installed during the 1978-1979 water year.
www.vaildaily.com/news/vail-mo...
www.vaildaily.com/news/vail-mo...
⚠️ 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...
📉 More than 80% of all SNOTEL stations in each state have snow water equivalent levels below the 20th percentile.
www.drought.gov/drought-stat...
January 9, 2026 at 3:33 PM
⚠️ 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...
📉 More than 80% of all SNOTEL stations in each state have snow water equivalent levels below the 20th percentile.
www.drought.gov/drought-stat...