snow

The route to the research site feels like a polar expedition. High in the mountains above Crested Butte, Colorado, a team of scientists trudges single file through the whiteout, following a chain of orange flags marking the route.

Several ski areas in the Mountain West have extended their seasons by a week or two as skiers and snowboarders relish in an epic powder year.

Two sets of "Track N Go" snow tracks have recently been installed on marked police vehicles to help in navigating the city's streets during periods when normal driving conditions are difficult or impossible. They've proven valuable so far, especially to serve residential neighborhoods whose streets may not be plowed regularly and to bring in essential workers that may not be able to make it to work otherwise.

It’s the peak of an epic ski season across the Mountain West. With more storms on the way and spring breakers soon descending, avalanche experts are urging caution.

Researchers have developed a snow and rain tracker that gathers data from citizen scientists in an effort to improve the accuracy of storm warnings and water management.

Cooke City is a small mountain town in the southwest corner of Montana that is known for being the snowiest town in the state and is also a gateway town to Yellowstone National Park. In the winter, there is only one driving road into the town from the west, because to the east is a nine mile stretch of highway that is not plowed. That nine miles has created a lot of controversy amongst locals.

As winter approaches, the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) is struggling to fill all of its snow plowing crews. Seven areas in the state have over 50 percent crew vacancy, and the Northwest region is the only area fully staffed.

As a drought-stricken region looks ahead to the summer, climate scientists are keeping an eye on high-mountain snowpack and its path to streams and rivers. Snow at high altitudes makes up the majority of the water in the Colorado River – where this past winter has left low totals.

Airborne Snow Observatories flies planes over watersheds and beams masses of laser pulses each second to the snowpack below to create elevation maps. The maps help calculate snow depth and the water supply forecast across the West.

In the past two weeks, two avalanche deaths have occurred in Wyoming. Although this has been a less deadly avalanche season than last, avalanche experts say there is currently unstable snow.