Picture by Mitch Bowers
It’s mid-January. By now, Western river corridors are normally buried beneath a comforting blanket of white—cash within the financial institution for July hatches and August dry-fly motion. However this 12 months, a look on the SNOTEL map reveals a starkly totally different actuality: purple and orange dots dominate the panorama, signaling a winter that merely hasn’t arrived.
In response to the National Integrated Drought Information System, snow cowl throughout the West is at its lowest extent within the MODIS satellite tv for pc file, which dates again to 2001. The perpetrator isn’t essentially an absence of moisture, however slightly an absence of chilly. Unseasonably heat temperatures have pushed the freezing line increased in elevation, inflicting a lot of the season’s precipitation to fall as rain slightly than snow. December temperatures in Utah and Colorado had been the warmest on file.
“A lot of the western U.S. has began 2026 within the midst of a snow drought,” reports The Conversation. “Which may sound stunning, given the file precipitation from atmospheric rivers hitting the area in current weeks, however these storms had been really a part of the issue.”
Regional Breakdown: The Good, The Unhealthy, and The Naked
Utah & Colorado: The Epicenter
The scenario is most important within the central Rockies. Snow water equal in Utah and Colorado is lower than 60% of median in most basins, with southwestern and western Colorado and the Higher Colorado basin of Utah hit hardest. Utah’s assistant state climatologist Jon Meyer highlighted broader issues: “We take a look at the potential for the Olympics developing and desirous to have fairly good snow situations for the 2034 Winter Olympics, and years like this spotlight the chance of how local weather change is impacting snowpack in Utah.”
California: A Story of Two Sierras
The Golden State presents a divided image. Statewide, the snowpack is 71 p.c of common in response to the California Department of Water Resources’ first survey of the season. The info reveals a pointy north-south divide: the Southern Sierra is performing nicely at about 114% of regular, whereas the central Sierra lags at 61%. Anglers concentrating on the northern drainages ought to anticipate leaner flows.
Pacific Northwest: Moist however Heat
Washington and Oregon have seen near-normal precipitation totals, however the heat has taken its toll. In response to Washington’s Department of Ecology, “For Washington water provides, there isn’t a substitute for snow. We depend on a thick snowpack to construct up over winter, after which step by step soften in spring and summer time, feeding rivers and refilling aquifers.”
The December atmospheric river that dumped file precipitation really made issues worse. The rainfall melted a big quantity of snow in mountain watersheds, reducing the quantity of water saved within the snowpack by about 50% within the Yakima River Basin.
Montana: The Brilliant Spot
If there’s a silver lining, it’s in Large Sky Nation. The Flathead River basin reached a snow water equal of 114% of regular by January 9, with the Solar-Teton-Marias basin at 126%. Nonetheless, hydrologists describe the state as a “story of two snowpacks,” with low-elevation SNOTEL stations persistently under 70% of median whereas excessive elevations present a distinct pattern.
What This Means for the 2026 Fishing Season
For fly anglers, this trajectory suggests a summer time season requiring adaptability. Low snowpack traditionally correlates with diminished runoff quantity, earlier peak flows, and—most critically—increased water temperatures earlier in the summertime.
Put together for Early Hoot Owl Restrictions
Freestone rivers in Utah, Colorado, and the Pacific Northwest are at highest threat. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks institutes “hoot owl” restrictions—prohibiting fishing from 2 PM to midnight—when water temperatures attain no less than 73 levels for 3 consecutive days. Water temperatures of 77 levels or extra could be deadly to trout. With out the sluggish launch of snowmelt to chill rivers in July and August, anticipate these restrictions earlier and extra extensively than in typical years.
Shift Your Technique
If these tendencies persist by means of spring, anglers ought to diversify their locations. Tailwaters just like the Inexperienced in Utah or the Fryingpan in Colorado depend on reservoir storage slightly than speedy runoff, offering colder, extra steady flows. Excessive-country streams typically keep cooler longer—this is likely to be the summer time to hike in deep slightly than floating the massive rivers. Based mostly on present information, Montana and the Southern Sierra could supply essentially the most dependable flows come late summer time.
Whereas late-season storms might nonetheless flip the tide, the present deficits would require what water managers name a “miracle March” to offset. For now, keep watch over the gauges—however begin forming your plan B.
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