Record Snow Drought Limits Western Water Supplies

March 2026 was the warmest March on record for the contiguous U.S., characterized by a historic snow drought in the West and extreme heat that increased cooling energy demand. Globally, the month was the second-warmest on record, with Arctic sea-ice reaching a near-record low maximum. In the U.S., severe drought affected 77% of the contiguous region, while Hawaii experienced record-breaking precipitation due to Kona lows.

• March 2026 was the warmest March on record for the contiguous U.S., with an average temperature 9.4°F above the 20th-century average, marking the first time a monthly anomaly exceeded +9°F.
• The western U.S. experienced a historic snow drought, with the amount of water stored in the snowpack reaching its lowest record for April 1. Snow water equivalent is below 50% of the 1991-2020 normal in most watershed basins from Oregon to New Mexico.
• Widespread drought conditions affected at least 77% of the contiguous U.S. as of April 7, 2026. The period from January to March 2026 was the driest on record for the contiguous U.S., with some areas in Arizona, California, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, and Texas receiving less than 10% of their average precipitation.
• Human-caused climate change is identified as the primary driver of spring warming trends in 98% of 241 major U.S. cities from 1970 to 2025. In March 2026, 111 of 192 analyzed cities in the contiguous U.S. had at least one week of temperatures made at least twice as likely by human-caused climate change.
• Hawaii experienced record-breaking precipitation in March 2026 due to Kona lows, with statewide precipitation averaging 22.27 inches, surpassing the previous 2006 record of 18.77 inches.
• Global temperatures in March 2026 were the second-warmest on record for combined land and ocean, tied with 2024. Arctic sea-ice reached its 2026 maximum on March 15 at 5.52 million square miles, which was statistically tied for the lowest on record since 1978/1979.
• Extreme March heat led to record cooling degree days in the Northwest, Southwest, and West U.S. regions. Arizona recorded 228 degree-days Fahrenheit in March 2026, nearly doubling its previous record of 116°Df from 2004.

APA

Climate Central (2026). Record Snow Drought Limits Western Water Supplies. https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-briefings/march-2026

Chicago

Climate Central. Record Snow Drought Limits Western Water Supplies. 2026. https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-briefings/march-2026.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate Central |title=Record Snow Drought Limits Western Water Supplies |date=March 2026 |url=https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-briefings/march-2026 |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climatecentral2026record, author = {{Climate Central}}, title = {{Record Snow Drought Limits Western Water Supplies}}, institution = {Climate Central}, year = {2026}, month = mar, url = {https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-briefings/march-2026}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }