Not every drought is the same, with some worse than others. A warm drought is when there is enough precipitation but not enough snow. This is what is happening in Northern Nevada in 2026. Our basins are right where they should be for the water year, but well below the median for this point in the season. In fact, the Tahoe and Truckee Basin are slightly above 100% for the water year, which begins in October.
Our snowpack is not doing well, with not a lot of snow overall, and melting soon after our big snow event in February. The Truckee is currently sitting at 53% of median and the Tahoe Basin is sitting at 50% if median. The season ends in April. Conditions are worse north of I-80.
A warm drought occurs when there is enough precipitation but not enough snow.Â
Reno usually sees almost 21 inches of snow each year, and we’ve only seen about 13 inches so far this season. The majority of the snow fell all in one week, towards the end of February.Â
