… Mountain snowpack is the West’s largest reservoir, providing water for 100 million people and diverse ecosystems. The amount of water stored in the snowpack historically peaks around April 1. But this year, the snowpack in many places was absent, or nearly so, by then — the lowest level in the 45 years since automated measurements began. … The lack of snow was unusually widespread across the Western U.S. But considering it as a whole makes it easier to miss the regional manifestations and implications of a winter that also brought record flooding and record dryness in addition to record heat. Here’s how the snow drought played out in a few regions that exemplify this winter’s variability.

Other snow drought news:

• KSL (Salt Lake City): Utah’s snowpack situation is a piece of a larger Western problem
• Grist: This simple metal tube helps scientists predict drought before it happens
• U.S. Energy Information Administration: Blog: Hydropower generation expected to recover despite snow drought in the West