Every spring, California measures the snow on the Sierra Nevada, because melting snow fills reservoirs through the dry summer. On 1 April, at Phillips Station, surveyors found no measurable snow at all. Record March heat and rain falling at high altitude had erased the snowpack months early.
On 8 April, Washington state declared a drought across all its watersheds, its fourth drought declaration in four years. Its mountains held about half their usual snow.
Going into April with half of our usual snowpack is alarming
Casey Sixkiller, Director, Washington State Department of Ecology
Snow is a reservoir
Mountain snow works like a giant water tank, releasing water slowly through spring and summer. When it melts early or never builds up, rivers run low just when farms and cities need water most.
In Washington’s Yakima Basin, farmers with newer water rights were told to expect only 44% of their usual supply.
What smarter water storage changes
- Supply: capturing early meltwater before it runs away.
- Farming: planning crops for the water that will actually come.
- Saving: cities that prepare early avoid emergency cuts.
How you can help
Share this story and think about where your own summer water comes from. Even rich regions are learning that snow can no longer be relied on.
Source: California Department of Water Resources, 1 April 2026; Washington State Department of Ecology, drought declaration; quote from OPB, 8 April 2026.
