sierra snowpack

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.

Read or listen to the morning news headlines for Tuesday, April 5, 2022.

The Sierra Nevada’s elevated snowpack has been embraced by many people in the region. That includes farmers, who are working to bounce back from consecutive drought years. KUNR business reporter Kaleb Roedel spoke to one local farmer to learn more.

Here are your local news headlines for the morning of Friday, Apr. 2, 2021.Nevada’s COVID-19 Test Positivity Rate Remains SteadyBy Paul BogerAccording to…