This Years Snowpack Is Hurting Colorado Industries

 

Colorado is facing one of the driest and warmest years on record after receiving 57% of the historical median of snowpack from October 2025 to January 2026, as reported by the United States Department of Agriculture. 

 

Agriculture, recreation and consumerism are taking a hit as water levels are low and climate change shows its effects, experts and students journalists say. Warmer winter temperatures and rain storms over snowstorms makes it hard to retain the water that these different industries need.

 

Snowpack is measured as snow water equivalent, also known as SWE, the amount of liquid water stored in snow. With the Colorado River Basin receiving an astonishing low snowpack, other river basins, such as the Arkansas and Gunnison river basins, received 47% and 53% of the average snowpack, also as reported by the department. At first glance, these numbers suggest a dry winter, but it’s more complicated.

 

“Peak runoff is usually in late June, but this year it already happened,” Andrea Bonato Gach,  Colorado Water Trust staff attorney, said. As global annual temperatures rise, rain becomes more frequent than snow. Snowpack is more important as it acts as a slow-release reservoir, where rainfall can’t be as easily stored due to quicker runoff and evaporation. 

 

Much of the state’s agriculture depends on snowmelt-fed irrigation, especially in regions like the Arkansas Valley and the Western Slope. When snowpack is low and runoff is reduced, farmers receive less water through canals and ditches that support crops like alfalfa, corn and hay.

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“The national cow herd size is the smallest it’s been since the 1950s," said Susie Cormack, a University of Colorado Boulder journalism major, who has completed a capstone project about Colorado ranchers facing climate change impacts. “That’s mainly due to drought issues.”

 

Beef production in Colorado depends heavily on irrigated forage. While cattle don’t directly consume water at the rate crops do, they do rely on feed grown with that water. In drought conditions like those emerging in 2026, hay prices often rise significantly, forcing ranchers to either pay more to maintain herds or reduce herd sizes altogether. 

 

“One of the main policies we came across is Colorado’s system of water rights, based on prior appropriation,” said Lou Leclercq, a University of Colorado Boulder journalism major, who worked with Cormack on the same capstone project. This policy prioritizes irrigators with seniority even if the water flows through your land. “While this system isn’t the cause of climate change, it can intensify the effects of water shortages, especially for smaller or newer agricultural operations.” said Leclercq.

 

Water rights in Colorado are tied to “beneficial use.” This puts users at risk of losing access to their water if they don't use all of it. This “use it or lose it” incentive puts pressure on farmers to use their water even in drought conditions, rather than conserving it. 

 

Colorado’s recreational activities such as whitewater rafting, fishing and skiing rely on predictable conditions. This year's ski season has been reshaped to reduced terrain and shorter seasons. Revenue from tourism at resorts for the 2025/2026 season is down by 5.7% across the state, while other western states saw an increase of 10.7%, according to Inntopia Business Intelligence. 

 

“I have worked as a rental technician for 3 years at Christy Sports and have never seen a season so slow for rentals,” said Susie Cormack. “The lack of snow has definitely made an impact not only on the slopes but also on the ski shops.”

 

 

Colorado Snowpack Report, Jan. 1 2026 https://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/ftpref/support/states/CO/BORCO/borco126.pdf