Lake Tahoe Littered with Thousands of Styrofoam Beads
The lake's shores were dusted with white following recent wintry weather. It wasn’t snow, but thousands of polystyrene beads.
Fresh Powder on the Rockies
A storm brought wintry weather and the first significant snowfall of the season to the Rocky Mountains.
Atmospheric Rivers Take Chunk Out of Drought
Nine atmospheric rivers dropped feet of rain and snow across California and the West Coast from late December to mid-January. The deluge caused deaths, landslides and flooding, but improved the drought situation across a large chunk of the western United States.
Risk of Flooding in California is Intensifying
Flood risk across California is growing, partly thanks to storms producing more rain than snow. The updated Central Valley Flood Protection Plan plots a path to better flood management and infrastructure, especially in the most vulnerable communities of the Central Valley.
Sierra Snowbank Short on Funds
Mountain snow – a bank account for water across the western U.S. – has turned up insufficient funds this year. The Sierra Nevada snowpack melted nearly a month earlier than usual, leaving reservoirs without their usual inflow of freshwater.
NASA Snow Campaign Wraps For 2021
The 2021 SnowEx field campaign, which is helping determine how much water winter snowpack holds, has come to a close. Teams took snow measurements at six sites across the western U.S., on the ground and with drones and airplanes flying overhead.