Snow Today

Snow Today has expanded spatial coverage from the western US and New Zealand to now include Alaska and four Canadian provinces: Yukon, Northwest Territories, British Columbia, and Alberta. Snow-covered area in March averaged across the western United States was 34 percent of average, at 209,000 square kilometers (81,000 square miles) of snow cover, ranking last in the 26-year satellite record. Snow water equivalent (SWE) decreased in all western states except Montana and Washington.

Snow-covered area across the western United States was 38 percent of average for February, ranking last in the 26-year satellite record. The is the second month in a row to reach a record low. Snow water equivalent (SWE) at the beginning of February varied by state, with below average values throughout most of the region.

A snow drought has gripped the US West. January has set a record for lowest snow cover in 26 years of satellite monitoring. Although snow water equivalent (SWE) had some increases at almost all monitoring stations, many still finished the month with below-average SWE.

Snow-covered area in May across the western United States was 9 percent above average, at 105,000 square kilometers (41,000 square miles) of snow cover, ranking twelfth in the 25-year satellite record. Snow-covered area for May was 67,000 square kilometers (25,000 square miles) below 2011, the highest year, and 53,000 square kilometers (21,000 square miles) above 2015, the lowest May on record. 

Snow cover dropped in most of the US West during April, but still led to average snow cover overall, ranking twelfth in the 25-year satellite record. Snow water equivalent (SWE) decreased in every state in the western United States, with coastal states showing the largest decreases at individual stations.

Snow-covered area in March across the western United States was 8 percent below average, ranking seventeenth in the 25-year satellite record. Snow cover duration was just above the twenty-fifth percentile. Snow albedo, also known as snow brightness, started low in early March and then oscillated between high, then low, and then high during the month. Snow water equivalent (SWE) relative to average showed little change during the month, despite SWE gains at many stations across the region.