Spring is a critical time for the Colorado River Basin watershed, when snowmelt flows into major reservoirs. But after a hot and dry winter, the state of spring runoff is grim, especially at Lake Powell, where forecasters are predicting the lowest water flows ever recorded. The Colorado River Basin Forecast Center expects 800,000 acre feet of water to flow into Lake Powell in the period between April and July this year. That’s just 13% of the 30-year average, between 1991 and 2020. What’s more, about half of that water has already showed up to Lake Powell, thanks to a record-breaking warmup in March that triggered an early runoff, said Cody Moser, senior hydrologist at the Colorado River Basin Forecast Center, in a webinar on Thursday. 

Other snowmelt and drought news around the West:

• Nevada Current: As drought worsens, Western states brace for wildfires, water shortages
• Sierra Sun (Truckee, Calif.): April precipitation ‘too little, too late’ for ideal Nevada water supply
• The Foothills Focus (Tempe, Ariz.): Phoenix eyes new action on water crisis
• ABC15 (Phoenix): Arizona golf courses balance green fairways, shrinking water supplies