Water Year 2026 – from October 1, 2025, to September 30, 2026 – brought an unprecedented snow drought to Idaho and the entire Western United States. This snow drought was driven by several factors, including periods of reduced precipitation and periods of normal to above-normal precipitation with much warmer temperatures. Across the region, this snow drought led many ski resorts to open late and close early, water management agencies to declare drought conditions early, and concerns about water storage in some of the nation’s largest hydropower-generating reservoirs. Emerging research suggests that the 2026 snow drought was four times more likely because of climate change. But how do researchers attribute individual events like this to climate change? And what lessons does this snow drought portend for future winters in Idaho and beyond?