Incoming rain, snow for West after most intense March heat wave ever still won’t fix unprecedented snowpack
Through the first week of April, roughly 1-3 feet of snow could fall on the mountain peaks of the West.
Incoming rain and snow in West will do little to relieve major snow drought
Snowpack levels are between 10-20 below average across the West heading into April, and while some rain and snow is on the way, it won't do much to relieve the heavy deficit. Weeks of extreme heat from California to Colorado accelerated snowmelt for much of the snow that was hanging on.
After weeks of a heat dome parked over the West, driving temperatures to record-highs across multiple states, the heat eases up and rain and snow are on the way for the first part of April.
The West has recorded snow levels far lower than usual this year, and back-to-back storms from atmospheric rivers in January and February were supposed to help increase snowpack in the mountains.
Across the West, mountain snow typically begins accumulating in September and October, peaking around April 1, before ending in May.
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When early-season snow stopped falling from early January to early February, those back-to-back storms brought minor relief, bringing some hope for a more robust recovery since there was still time for the snow season to peak.
However, when the heat dome settled over California, Arizona, Nevada and Colorado in early March, it just stayed there, breaking hundreds of daily temperature records and melting a lot of the snow for weeks straight.
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Big Bear, CA - December 21: People ski and snowboard at Bear Mountain Ski Resort on Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025 in Big Bear, CA.
(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times / Getty Images)
This has left the snowpack at shockingly low levels. In a typical season, snow melt continues through late May.
But this season is far from typical. Basins across the southwest are reporting the snowpack to be less than 10% of average.
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Along the Upper Colorado River, the snowpack has completely melted, at 0% of average, according to the FOX Forecast Center.
The FOX Forecast Center warned that the lack of water from the snowpack could send Lake Mead and Lake Powell, two major reservoirs located in Nevada, Arizona and Utah, to remarkably low levels.
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Image 2 of 3California Sierra snowpack average for this season. ( )
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Additionally, accelerated snow melt could lead to drought conditions and increased fire weather risk across the West.
Thankfully, the record-breaking heat dome gives way to cooler, wetter conditions for the end of March and beginning of April.
Through the first week of April, roughly 1-3 feet of snow could fall on the mountain peaks of the West, with less accumulation at lower elevations.
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While it is helpful, these upcoming snowfalls won't do much to help the 10-20 foot snow deficit, the FOX Forecast Center said.
The first round of rain and snow moves into the Northwest and Northern Rockies on Monday. On Tuesday, the snow will push further south into Colorado and Utah.
The FOX Forecast Center said on Wednesday a second system will move in right on its heels and may linger into Easter weekend.