2026 Snowpack thread

[Coveyleader]

The positive! Will be bear hunting three weeks earlier this year for sure! I’ve never had snow levels allowing to get where I need to go this early. I can’t wait!

 

[mtwarden]

^ always a sliver lining

 

[robby denning]

Hey all, just launched our annual snowpack/precip episode with MT-based hydrologist @Josh Boyd that @Jaden Bales recorded

Thread 'West-Wide Snowpack & Precip Update with Josh Boyd'

Mar 30, 2026

@Jaden Bales hosted our own staff writer @Josh Boyd --who's also a professional hydrologist) for today's super important/interesting episode.

Is it as bad as we think? Are there any bright spots? (Not click bait, I haven't listened yet either but I'm gonna!)

This is the 4th year we've done these episodes and I've found Josh is usually pretty dang accurate.

Give it a listen below or wherever you get your podcasts!

https://www.rokslide.com/west-wide-snowpack-precipitation-update-with-josh-boyd/

• robby denning
• Replies: 4
• Forum: Rokcast

• 

See if it's as bad as we think!

 

[v4j5w0]

I work at 7200 feet in South Eastern Utah, we had to shovel snow one time this year. It was about 4 inches.

 

[BBob]

Not an April Fools

 

[BBob]

 

[mtwarden]

We got a little snow in town (1-2"), mountains got 6-8", but it's all disappeared in just day and half up 6000'. We're going to be 10-15° above normal for almost a week, so that will take a good chunk of the high elevation snow w/ it.

Montana is sitting better than most of the states, but not great—most drainages in the 70-80% of normal.

 

[AK Troutbum]

We finally stayed above freezing overnight, for the first time in many months. Haven’t seen the yard/grass in about 6 months, but who knows, if this keeps up, we’ll probably have to start mowing by late June. At least that’s the way it usually rolls. It kills me when a cold spell hits the northeast for a few days and I start getting text messages from my wife’s family about how it’s colder there than what it is in Alaska. The only way to respond is “When your winter/snow starts in September, you don’t see your yard again until mid May, and you just dealt with maybe a straight month or more of sub zero temperatures, then please let me know, otherwise, quit your bitching!” Oh, and we live in one of the warmer parts of AK. All that said, we’ve been having some super nice, warm, and sunny spring days the last couple weeks.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[mtwarden]

^

Here's one reason why snowpack is hurting in the West—10 states have reported the warmest March on record (records going back to the late 1800's!) —AZ, CA, CO, ID, NV, NM, OK, TX, UT, WY. For us it was the third warmest March on record.

 

[Phaseolus]

Here's The Colorado River at Palisade, Colorado a few minutes ago April 11. In a normal year it would be threatening to overflow that banks during runoff, and that is normaly in early June. I think this may be the high point for this spring and summer unless the so called 'Monsoon' season is really big. The second photo is where we normally pump our irrigation water for all of the growing season.

 

[Coveyleader]

I’m into places today with my truck that normally At this time of year without traks, no way you’re getting in there. I pulled my atv and rode it just to ride it. All the way in with truck and trailer no snow on road.

 

[dtrkyman]

The “mighty” Rio Grande was at 79 CFS last week south of Albuquerque!

Should be raging this time of year! Summer is gonna be an issue with water here!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[william schmaltz]

I saw Glasgow had 1.5 inches of rain last night - largest single rain event in 6 years there. The radar looked nice for most of Montana to get a real nice drink. I finally moved back to God’s country and got a walleye boat just in time to watch the Missouri River Reservoirs reach their lowest level in about 20 years! Hopefully the Eastern 2/3 of MT and western ND see them 2009 style rains the next couple of months and raise the lakes a few more feet than currently projected based on snowpack.

 

[mtwarden]

We've gotten about 3/4" of moisture so far, the last 1/2" in wet snow. I'm guessing our local mountains will see 8-12" of wet snow, very much needed!

 

[KurtR]

I saw Glasgow had 1.5 inches of rain last night - largest single rain event in 6 years there. The radar looked nice for most of Montana to get a real nice drink. I finally moved back to God’s country and got a walleye boat just in time to watch the Missouri River Reservoirs reach their lowest level in about 20 years! Hopefully the Eastern 2/3 of MT and western ND see them 2009 style rains the next couple of months and raise the lakes a few more feet than currently projected based on snowpack.

Bismark is on fire right now. Buddies went last Saturday got easy limit of 18”s . Horrible down here. Water is higher now here than last year at this time.

 

[S.Clancy]

I saw Glasgow had 1.5 inches of rain last night - largest single rain event in 6 years there. The radar looked nice for most of Montana to get a real nice drink. I finally moved back to God’s country and got a walleye boat just in time to watch the Missouri River Reservoirs reach their lowest level in about 20 years! Hopefully the Eastern 2/3 of MT and western ND see them 2009 style rains the next couple of months and raise the lakes a few more feet than currently projected based on snowpack.

They said in 2009 or 2010 that Fort Peck would never fill again. They opened all the overflow spillway gates in May 2011....

 

[william schmaltz]

They said in 2009 or 2010 that Fort Peck would never fill again. They opened all the overflow spillway gates in May 2011....

Ya, it was 2011 when Sakakawea had to open their gates (it was 2009 when we flooded from above avg snowfall all melting in about 2 hrs and it filled Oahe back up). I remember one storm in Bismarck in 2011 that dropped 9”. That was wild. It will come back up, but I just hope most ramps on Sak are useable this summer! I grew up on the upper reaches of Oahe in the 90’s flood years and by ~2006 it hit record lows and everyone said we would never see it come back up.

Bismark is on fire right now. Buddies went last Saturday got easy limit of 18”s . Horrible down here. Water is higher now here than last year at this time.

I’ve been meaning to get on the main river but haven’t had time! We’re over here in Dickinson, so mostly waiting to get on Sak. But I’m sure I’ll get on Oahe a few times when we visit the parents this summer.

 

[NDHUNTER24]

@william schmaltz the tailrace has been doing good as well. But Bismarck is on fire as mentioned. Its pretty easy fishing right now.