USDA Blog » Final Yearly Snowpack Forecast Divides West into a Wet North and Dry South

Every winter Westerners look to the mountains and may not realize they’re peering into the future. More snow cap means more water come spring and summer. Many lives and livelihoods depend on nature’s uneven hand.

Thanks to USDA’s National Water and Climate Center, what used to be speculation is now science. Through a network of high-elevation weather stations across the West, the center accurately forecasts how much water Western states will receive from snowmelt.

USDA Blog » Final Yearly Snowpack Forecast Divides West into a Wet North and Dry South