The
Snow
Desk
The Snow Desk is a project of The Water Desk that reports on news and trends related to snow and the American West’s snowpack—a vital and endangered source of freshwater, biodiversity, recreation, and economic vitality in the region.
The Colorado River, Rio Grande, and many other important rivers in the West are primarily supplied by the mountain snowpack, which serves as an essential frozen reservoir and is the cornerstone of the region’s water management. Snow is also integral to the ecosystems, economies, and cultures of many communities throughout the American West.
Snowpack stories
Stories related to the snowpack that The Water Desk has published since 2019
Scientists use cosmic rays to study the snowpack
Taking stock of the spring snowpack
9 graphics that visualize EPA’s climate change indicators for snow
Rain or snow? Observers help scientists understand wintry weather
An illustrated glossary of snow-related terms
Tip sheet: monitoring the West’s snowpack
Free multimedia library
The Water Desk offers a free multimedia library with photos and videos of key water-related locations and topics. All of our imagery is available for non-commercial re-use under a Creative Commons license.
To explore more free imagery in the library, see our interactive map.
Photos: Snowpack in San Juan Mountains, May 2023
Photos: Animas River aerials, May 2023
Photos: Dolores River and McPhee Reservoir, May 2023
Photos and videos: Arkansas River, Colorado, March 2021
Photos: Roaring Fork River, Colorado, December 2020
Map: Winter photo galleries
Map: monthly average precipitation
Map: daily nationwide snowpack
Snow News: free multimedia newsletter
Learn more about the science of snow and the state of the West’s snowpack by subscribing to Snow News, a free multimedia newsletter on Substack by Water Desk Co-Director Mitch Tobin.
Questions? Feedback?
Please contact Water Desk Co-director Mitch Tobin at mitchtobin@colorado.edu if you have questions about the Snow Desk or want to offer a suggestion.