Snowpack along the west shore of Lake Tahoe near Homewood disappeared entirely on Friday, March 13, 2026, according to reports, a development that underscores the rapidly deteriorating water supply outlook for California as an early and intense heat wave grips the state.
The unprecedented rate of snowmelt is occurring roughly 40 days earlier than the typical melt-off date, according to the California Department of Water Resources (DWR). A weather station in Tahoe City recorded zero snowpack on Saturday, March 14, immediately following the complete disappearance of snow near Homewood. Tim Bardsley, a hydrologist at the National Weather Service office in Reno, described the melting as a “prolonged melt event…at this time of year” that has “not occurred in recent history.” Mike Imgarten, a senior hydrologist at the National Weather Service’s California-Nevada River Forecast Center, echoed this assessment.
State data indicates the Sierra snowpack currently measures 45% of average for this time of year, a significant decline from 73% of average recorded in late February. This decline coincides with an extremely warm winter that resulted in a greater proportion of precipitation falling as rain rather than snow. California relies on the Sierra snowpack for approximately 30% of its water supply, on average.
The current situation represents the second-largest gap between snowpack and precipitation in more than four decades of records, trailing only 2015. The northern Sierra region is experiencing the most severe conditions, with snowpack at just 31% of normal levels. As of last week, snow-measuring stations across California reported an average of just 47% of normal snowpack, despite receiving 98% of normal precipitation.
Newsha Ajami, a water expert, observed a dramatic reduction in snow cover during a ski trip near Lake Tahoe in early March. “There was a lot of bare land, bare mountain with no snow,” she said. “Almost all of it was gone. It was kind of scary.”
Climate scientist Daniel Swain of UC Agriculture and Natural Resources characterized the conditions as indicative of a warming climate. “This is a classically climate change-tinged winter,” Swain said. “The snowpack is extremely low across much of the West, not because precipitation was extremely low … but specifically because temperatures were record warm. That is the classic signature of a warming climate on mountain snowpack.” December through February was California’s second warmest on record, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The rapid snowmelt is raising concerns about an earlier-than-normal wildfire season and increased pressure on water resources as the state heads into the typically dry summer months.
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