India, Feb. 11 -- A record snow drought with unprecedented heat is hitting most of the American West, depleting future water supplies, making it more vulnerable to wildfires and hurting winter tourism and recreation. Scientists say snow cover and snow depth are both at the lowest levels they've seen in decades, while at least 67 Western weather stations have measured their warmest December through early February on record.

Normal snow cover this time of year should be about 460,000 square miles -about the size of California, Utah, Idaho and Montana - but this year it's only California-sized, about 155,000 square miles, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Centre.

"I have not seen a winter like this before," said centre director M...