sierra snowpack

Stretches of calm weather in the mountains might seem harmless, but they can quietly increase avalanche danger over time. And traveling in groups doesn’t always make skiers and snowshoers safer. That’s one of the key takeaways from experts in the Sierra Nevada, where one of the deadliest avalanches in U.S. history recently struck near Lake Tahoe.

The Natural Resources Conservation Service of Nevada, or NRCS, conducted a snow survey on Mar. 2 to assess the status of the region’s snowpack.

Rising temperatures across the Sierra Nevada, affects the snow levels. But does it bring a risk for flooding?

New research shows that mountain regions around the world are warming faster than the lowlands below them. Scientists say that could have big consequences for the Mountain West, where communities rely on snow and ice for their water supply.

More than 100 years ago, a professor in the Mountain West invented a tool and technique to measure the amount of water in a snowpack — a discovery that still lives on to this day.

The wet season got off to a weak start in the Mountain West, but federal officials say recent winter storms have helped strengthen some snowpacks.

Federal officials say many parts of the West continue to see “massive” drought improvements, with some of the most significant changes in the Mountain West.

A new study shows that extreme spring heat waves can wipe out mountain snowpack at alarming rates, with big consequences for the West’s water supplies.

A new study shows wildfires are burning more high-elevation areas, and that’s impacting the snowpack across the West.

As historic levels of drought persist across the Mountain West, water officials in Northern Nevada are warning that peak fire conditions might appear sooner this year than in the past – and at least one rural reservoir is so dry it can’t provide water for irrigation.