… Research groups, news organizations and water officials have been blaring warnings about the worst snowpack in history and water supply concerns heading into the summer. In some ways, conditions are so bad, the state is headed into uncharted territory, experts said. In the face of a worrisome year, farmers, reservoir operators and city utilities are focused on getting the best data possible. They’re turning to scientists and pilots with newfangled snowpack measurement methods — plus the tried-and-true measurement methods used since the early 1900s. Their goal: Figure out how to use a scant water supply as effectively as possible.

Other snowpack and drought news around the West:

• ABC7 (Los Angeles): Experts warn faster snowmelt could strain water supplies, urgency for storage solutions
• The Fence Post (Greeley, Colo.): Western snowpack record-low, hopes resting on April and El Nino moisture
• Utah News Dispatch: Drought and low snowpack raise wildfire risk as Trump’s budget creates a funding puzzle
• SFGate: Crater Lake snowpack collapse could fuel fires, reshape ecosystem