Warming temperatures and shifting precipitation patterns will reshape the American, Bear and Cosumnes river watersheds, intensifying snowpack loss and placing greater strain on California’s water supply, a two-year study has found. A draft watershed resilience report by the Regional Water Authority reviewed by The Sacramento Bee projects earlier snowmelt, shifting runoff patterns, and more water lost to evaporation due to climate change. … It also predicts snow water equivalent measurement at 7.2 inches on average — a 66% decrease compared with historical data — by the mid‑century period, between 2041 and 2070, and 4.6 inches — a 79% decrease — by the end of the century for the American River region.

Other snowpack and water supply news around the West:

• Bay Area News Group: Watch: Maps show how California shifted from severe drought to abundant rain
• KESQ (Thousand Palms, Calif.): Rainfall has erased drought from California. What does that mean for the Coachella Valley’s aquifer?​
• The Nevada Independent: Much of Nevada plagued by snow drought
• KSJD (Cortez, Colo.): Snow drought worsens across the West
• KUSA (Denver, Colo.): It’s officially Colorado’s worst season-to-date snowpack on record
• ABC10 (Sacramento, Calif.): El Niño chances returning for 2026. Here’s what it means for United States