00:00This year, scientists say something shocking is happening in the American West.
00:04The region's mountain snowpack is disappearing at record speed.
00:08A brutal March heatwave melted huge amounts of snow weeks earlier than normal.
00:12In California's Sierra Nevada, officials measuring snow found almost nothing left.
00:18At one key site, there was zero measurable snow.
00:21That almost never happens in early April.
00:24Snowpack is extremely important because it acts like a natural water bank.
00:28It slowly melts through spring and summer.
00:31And it supplies water to rivers, farms, cities, and reservoirs.
00:36But this year, that water reserve is dangerously low.
00:39Some river basins are sitting at just 10 to 25 percent of normal levels.
00:44That means less water for millions of people, and less water for agriculture across the West.
00:50Scientists also warn this could trigger an earlier wildfire season.
00:54Because dry land and heat create perfect conditions for fires,
00:59experts say this is not just a bad year.
01:01It may be a preview of a hotter, drier future.
01:04And the warning signs are already here.
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