Nevada’s Ruby Mountains in January. (Photo: Spencer Dondovan for USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.)
Snowpacks in Nevada are off to a promising start, but whether the state will see another generous winter and hardy water year will be determined over the next three months.
Hydrologists say it’s still too early to determine if snowpack this winter will be enough to make 2025 a good water year for Nevada, however, it’s off to a promising start.
Snowpack in Nevada and Eastern Sierra, a major source of water for the Truckee River, is above normal at 124% of median, compared to 56% at this time last year.
In Northern Nevada, early snowpack is especially promising. Eastern Sierra Walker Basin has collected about 109% of the median snowpack, while snowpack in Eastern Nevada is currently at 164% of the median, according to the U.S. Department of Agricultural Natural Resources Conservation Service’s winter outlook report.
Warmer temperatures, however, have resulted in below normal snowpack across Nevada’s valley floors and lower elevations.
Snowpack in the Upper Colorado River Basin, a major source of water for Lake Mead, has also been reassuring this winter, with snow water amounts at 95% of the median.
Unfortunately, ongoing drought in southern Nevada has resulted in snowpack well below median. Mountains across southern Nevada, including Spring Mountains, have yet to develop snowpack and have only seen a couple fleeting dustings of snow this season.
Precipitation in Spring Mountains has been lackluster since earlier this year. Spring Mountains has only received about 72% of the median precipitation since October.
While the overwhelming majority of Las Vegas water supply comes from snowmelt from the Upper Colorado River Basin the Spring Mountains are the biggest source of groundwater for the region.
If snowpack in most of Nevada and the Upper Colorado River Basin continue on their current trajectory, Nevada could see a third continuous good water year after experiencing above median peak snowpacks in 2023 and 2024.
Solid stream flow over the last two years has boosted several reservoirs after major reservoirs in Nevada fell to record lows in 2021. Carryover storage is above median for most reservoirs in northern Nevada as of January.
Healthy snowpacks this winter could help further improve reservoir capacity across the state. Lake Tahoe is currently at 64% capacity, while Lake Mead, the largest source of water for Las Vegas, is at 33% capacity.
Precipitation across most of Nevada in December was about normal at 108%, which brings the seasonal accumulation from October to December to a healthy 105% of median.
Soil moisture is at 37% saturation compared to 47% saturation last year. Good soil moisture helps improve spring runoff because less snowmelt is soaked up by the soil.
Total precipitation across most of Nevada over 12 months from September to October was also encouraging, according to the winter outlook report. Precipitation was up to 129% of the median for much of northern Nevada including the Humboldt, Owyhee, Snake and Clover basins, as well as the Northern Great Basin.
Precipitation amounts were slightly less for the Eastern Sierra (93-106%), Eastern Nevada (98%) and Upper Colorado (96%).
Still, precipitation has not been enough to alleviate ongoing drought across Nevada.
As of January, about 50% of Nevada is experiencing moderate to extreme drought. Precipitation deficits since mid-June have caused drought conditions to spread north, while areas of extreme drought have expanded in southern Nevada due to “a combination of short and long-term precipitation deficits and record heat observed during the past 6-month period.”
Hydrologists said promising snowpack and precipitation across most of Nevada and the Upper Colorado River Basin so far this winter means there is a greater chance spring and summer streamflow in Nevada could be near or above normal, but that all depends on what happens over the next three months.