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Add as preferred source Heat waves are not all created equal. While some bring dry heat that rapidly dries out crops, others carry a lot of moisture that can prevent sweat from evaporating off the skin. In new research published in the journal Science Advances , scientists have identified another type of heat wave that they call a "snow-eater."
In the western United States, spring and early summer heat waves have nearly doubled in frequency and intensity in recent decades. These warm spells can rapidly melt mountain snow, triggering sudden floods and flushing away the natural snowpack reservoirs that cities and farms rely on during the dry summer months.
"Abrupt snowmelt, triggered by rain-on-snow events or 'snow-eater heat waves,' can cause flooding, initiate or accelerate snow drought, and affect water availability," write the scientists.
However, these events have not been extensively researched or systematically tracked.
To study these events, the research team analyzed western U.S. mountain weather from 1850 to 2015. Since high-altitude weather stations did not exist in the 1800s, they used an atmospheric reconstruction model called the 20th Century Reanalysis to estimate historical air temperatures.
Then they programmed feature-tracking algorithms to flag events where temperatures stayed above freezing for several days and nights between March and July. Next, they fed these weather patterns into a snowmelt computer model to estimate how much snow could melt during each event. The study authors then checked the calculations against real-world data from mountain snow-monitoring stations.
The results showed that on snow-eater heat wave days, observed snow loss was nearly double the seasonal average and that these events typically occur three to five times per melt season. On average, they last for three to five days each. The scientists also discovered that seven out of 11 major western U.S. snowmelt-driven spring superfloods since 1950 occurred within five days of a snow-eater heat wave.
And a clear pattern emerged from the historical records: "Since the 1850s, snow-eater heat-wave event areas have increased . . . frequencies have increased . . . and the month of first occurrence has shifted earlier."
While the study highlights a critical threat to mountain snow, one limitation is that the model estimated overall melting potential rather than tracking actual snowmelt on the ground. To build on these findings, the authors propose testing their algorithm across other snow-dependent mountain ranges worldwide.
The clearer the picture, the better water managers will be able to anticipate sudden spring floods and protect summer water supplies.
Written for you by our author Paul Arnold , edited by Lisa Lock , and fact-checked and reviewed by Robert Egan —this article is the result of careful human work. We rely on readers like you to keep independent science journalism alive. If this reporting matters to you, please consider a donation (especially monthly). You'll get an ad-free account as a thank-you.
Alan M. Rhoades et al, Snow-eater heat waves of the western United States, Science Advances (2026). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aeb3361
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