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Severe Drought Predicted for American West This Summer

4/9/2026

31 2 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

The American West faces a severely dry summer with wildfire risk after an unusually warm winter and a March heat wave that depleted snow levels.
Recent measurements show the region's snowpack is alarmingly low, with some areas reporting virtually no snow.
Nels Bjarke of the University of Colorado predicts a seriously dry summer.
Snowpack in western Colorado is less than half of normal.
Noah Molotch notes this drought is unprecedented.

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Story summary

The American West faces a severely dry summer with wildfire risk after an unusually warm winter and a March heat wave that depleted snow levels.
Recent measurements show the region's snowpack is alarmingly low, with some areas reporting virtually no snow.
Nels Bjarke of the University of Colorado predicts a seriously dry summer.
Snowpack in western Colorado is less than half of normal.
Noah Molotch notes this drought is unprecedented.