States across the western US are facing record low snowpack levels in the middle of the winter season. It’s common for a particular basin or small area of the West to have low snowpack at this time of year. “The numbers are really, really bad,” Swain says. A snowpack deficit has some worrisome implications for the West for the rest of the year. Forests with low snowpack dry out faster, and are less resilient against wildfire when the hot season comes.