![Which mountain snowpacks are most vulnerable to global warming?](/sites/default/files/vulnerable_mountain_snowpack_480.jpg)
Early disappearance of winter snowpack can have a major impact on spring and summer water supplies for people, ecosystems, and agriculture.
![Warming winters and dwindling Sierra Nevada snowpack will squeeze water resources in parts of California](/sites/default/files/CA_snowpack_infographic_final_rotator_480.png)
A 1°C (1.8°F) increase in average winter air temperature will have a significant impact on Sierra Nevada snowpack, but different parts of the mountain range will respond differently.
![Exceptional drought in parts of seven states in U.S. Southwest](/sites/default/files/SouthernPlainsDrought_Jan-Apr2018_480x320.jpg)
A dry winter set the stage for widespread and severe drought across the Southwest and Southern Plains.
![Map image for Day Zero approaches in Cape Town](/sites/default/files/styles/width_320/public/2021-10/jun-aug-2016-2017-605.jpg?itok=p-9P7Wat)
Day Zero approaches in Cape Town
February 7, 2018
![In some places, experimental NOAA models could have predicted Western snow drought eight months in advance](/sites/default/files/Snowpack_2018_rotator_480x320.jpg)
Test runs of experimental models for predicting winter snowpack show some success in many mountain ranges in the western United States.
![Green or gray infrastructure? Preserving water quality in Portland, Maine](/sites/default/files/SebagoLake-rotater.png)
Faced with the potential of a large expense related to water quality, Maine's Portland Water District had two investment choices: conservation or concrete.
![Dam bypass spells victory for Russian River salmon](/sites/default/files/fishing_480.jpg)
Blocked for decades by an impassable dam, 11.2 miles of prime habitat are now open to endangered Caifornia coho salmon. Access to the upper stream elevations will make the salmon and steelhead trout that migrate into the Russian River watershed to spawn much more resilient to temperature and drought extremes.
![2015 State of the Climate: Drought](/sites/default/files/StateoftheClimate2015_drought_map_480.png)
2015 was a tough year for vegetation, both natural and agricultural, with a near-record area of global land surfaces in some state of drought.