Mitch Tobin

When the West’s snowpack is meager—or entirely missing—it underscores how much we depend on this seasonal accumulation of ice crystals, even during the summer and far beyond the region. snow.news/p/missing-snow…

More grim news about the West's snow drought: 🛰️ Lowest Feb. 1 snow cover in the satellite record (since 2001) 📉 Record-low Feb. 1 snowpack in Oregon, Colorado, and Utah ⚠️ “A Dry, Warm January Leaves the West With the Worst Snowpack in Decades” drought.gov/drought-status…

The American West’s snowpack is valuable for many reasons, but can its worth be calculated in dollars and cents? And how is climate change affecting that value? #cawater mavensnotebook.com/2026/02/05/wat…

I summarized 5 scientific studies that examine how climate change is reshaping the Winter Olympics. New post at snow.news also includes an update on the West’s meager snowpack. snow.news/p/winter-olymp…

NASA: Western U.S. snow cover is tracking at record-low levels for January, based on satellite observations dating back to 2001. science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-ob…

@TheMonkBob Seriously. Grateful to see it all the way down here.

@MitchTobin Holy crap that’s so far south!!!

Tonight's #northernlights and the Milky Way near Durango, Colorado.

A recent study argues for monitoring the West’s snowpack at strategic hotspots—rather than mapping entire basins—but it has sparked pushback from supporters of airborne snow monitoring. My latest for The Water Desk unpacks the science and implications: waterdesk.org/2025/12/scient…

The American West could sure use some snow. The snowpack in seven states is below 50% of normal. It's still early in the season, but there's a lot of catching up to do. More details at snow.news: snow.news/p/grim-western…

#Snowpack in the west is key for downstream water sources, but the region's supply is vulnerable to #ClimateChange. Check out this visual explainer from @MitchTobin for @TheWaterDesk: waterdesk.org/2024/04/nation…

“The changes to #snow and snowpack are changes that we have more confidence in than just about any other water parameter because of the direct effect of warming on snowpack and snow precipitation,” says WWA Water Resources Specialist, Liz Payton. #climate waterdesk.org/2024/04/nation…

Snow water resources and water security are threatened by climate change. Check out this article by @TheWaterDesk, which summarizes and contextualizes the present-day and future climate impacts on Western US water from our Water Chapter in #NCA5. waterdesk.org/2024/04/nation…

New post at snow.news explores atmospheric rivers and explains why they can be both helpful and harmful. Scientists expect climate change will intensify these far-reaching weather events. snow.news/p/why-atmosphe… #cawx #snowpack #flooding #AtmosphericRiver

Compared to 2023, the current water year might seem underwhelming. Despite overall drier conditions compared to last year, several basins in the CBRFC area are either nearing or at normal SWE levels for this time of year. #utwx #cowx #drought

Mitch Tobin from @snownewsnow highlighted our Intermountain West Climate Dashboard! "My favorite sites for tracking snow and the (subpar) snowpack." snow.news/p/my-favorite-… #climate #weather #water #precipitation #temperature #snow #streamflow #drought #sciencecommunication

The West's snowpack is looking better thanks to recent storms, but many basins are still below the median for snow water equivalent.

New post at snow.news explores the Winter Storm Severity Index, a helpful forecast that visualizes where snow, ice, and wind are expected to cause problems. snow.news/p/winter-storm… #wxtwitter #skiing #snowboarding #snowpack

First 2023-24 Snow Drought Update Snow drought is most prevalent in the N. Rockies, Sierra Nevada, and parts of the Lower CO and Rio Grande River Basins. Storms have benefitted the Northwest and Great Basin, but warm snow drought is a concern. drought.gov/drought-status… @NOAA

(1/2) Let's talk snowpack! Our recent storm was very beneficial, and an example of why early season snowpack numbers (particularly % of Median) should be taken with a grain of salt. This plot shows data for the CO Headwaters basin (encompasses Grand & Summit Counties). #COwx

New post on snow.news includes an update on the West's snowpack and some rare good news from scientists about the future of snow. snow.news/p/white-friday… #snow #snowpack #cowx #skiing #snowboarding