Skykomish River Basin State of Glaciers in 2026

The Skykomish River in the North Cascades is partially glacier fed. It joins with the Snoqualmie River to form the Snohomish River, flowing into the Puget Sound near Everett. Columbia Glacier is seen on the left of the painting, with the beautiful Blanca Lake beneath. This is one of three glaciers remaining in this region, the other six have recently disappeared. On the right side is the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, two glaciers in this complex remain. The large bar graph in this piece shows Skykomish River discharge (the volume of water) from mid July to late September in 2023. The decrease in water over the dry, hot summer period is evident. The line graph that makes up the mountain above the bars shows the temperature of the river at this same time, highlighting heat wave events. When the temperature spikes, and when the river levels drop, a critical threshold is reached for salmon and other species. This highlights the importance of glaciers in acting as a buffer during drought and…