Nevada Snowpack Quarter Below January Median; Warmest December Ever For Elko, Reno And Las Vegas
Snowpack in Nevada is off to a grim start as high temperatures have prevented snow packs from forming, despite high precipitation. Snowpack in Nevada and the Eastern Sierra – a major source of water for the Truckee River in northern Nevada – are below normal at 74% of median for the time of year. While precipitation in December was well above normal, warmer than normal temperatures mean that has not translated to robust snowpacks throughout much of the state.
Most of Nevada’s water supply starts as snowfall that accumulates in the mountains during the winter before melting in the spring, meaning substandard snowpacks can leave the state with a weak water supply. Northern and Eastern Nevada were the hardest hit by the snow drought in December, according to the U.S. Department of Agricultural Natural Resources Conservation Service’s winter outlook report. Snowpack in the Upper and Lower Humboldt River Basin – major sources of water for Elko County – is about 28% of median, a significant decrease from early-December when snowpack in the region was 96% of median.
Snowpack in several basins that feed into the Truckee River also experienced a reduction in snow water equivalent in January, but remained near or above the median for the time of year. The decrease in snowpack across Nevada was largely a result of above normal temperatures melting snowpack away, according to Nevada State Climatologist Baker Perry.
Elko, for example, experienced its warmest December on record. Above normal temperatures prevailed throughout nearly the entire month of December, with Reno and Las Vegas also observing their warmest December on record. Warmer temperatures also prevented snowpack from forming, despite precipitation in December reaching 151% of median throughout Nevada, well above normal.
EDIT
https://nevadacurrent.com/2026/01/22/warm-temperatures-hamper-snowpack-formation-in-nevada/
= new reply since forum marked as read
